Speaking of Dreams: Podemos and The Power of Listening

Pablo Iglesias the newly elected leader of Podemos

If someone were to shout out that the mayor of your town was a corrupt so and so, and should be investigated for syphoning public funds into his Swiss bank account what would be your reaction? Would it be to call for a thorough investigation into the accusations or would it be to call up the accuser and ask why he had not had his shoes cleaned recently? Would it be to interview the mayor about the foreign bank account or would it be to question the accuser about his choice of haircut?

• Then, were his replies about hair styles not to your satisfaction, you would be forgiven for dismissing such claims against the mayor, because, after all, anyone who walked around with dusty shoes couldn't possibly speak with authority about serious issues. 
• Well this, to many, is how Spanish Politics are being conducted right now. As new political formations are being formed and new calls for regional identity the Gazachomonk goes in search of answers and comes up with not only an insight into why Spain is in so much in pain right now, but also a handy remedy for dusty shoes too.

Health Warning: This is not a tweet-length post. It may be better absorbed with your feet up, a chocolate digie and a cup of Ovaltine in your hand. Or if you prefer, go to the bottom of the post and you'll see a link to the audio version you can download. Either way, Go Slow and expect only the unexpected. READ MORE...

Approaching the Untouchables

Let's get things into perspective. Moments like this are a rare treat. Moments than enable us to touch the previously untouchable; moments that permit us to question the unquestionable.

Why do we have a royal family? What was so sacrosanct about the constitution that any question of it being changed invokes threats of civil war? What does economic independence mean in a global economy for any single country? Do we need a paramilitary police force as well as an army and civilian police? There are no straightforward answers, but this does not mean that these questions should not be asked - particularly as Europe now stumbles blindly forward into possibly a 3rd recession, confirming that the old order clearly does not work

It's been almost impossible, these last two weeks, not to open a newspaper without reading the demands from Catalonia for a stronger more independent voice and the demands from an ever growing number of people within Spain, for a more transparent and accountable form of politics. As these ideas and projects unfold, the mainstream press -  and behind them a loyal army of mainstream thinkers -  have focussed on what answers are really being offered by Artur Mas or Pablo Iglesias. Details, they shout, give us details. We are a generation that can only be satiated with numbers, stats and manifesto pledges.

I'd like to focus for a moment, not on the projected and often hypothetical consequences of any plans or projects, but instead on what this tells us about the sort of questions being asked and the people asking them, because sometimes, it is not the answer that is so important, it is the simple fact that the question itself is even being asked.

But I'm aware that politics is generally eschewed as a theme in foreign blogs about Spain. I'm not sure if this is a conscious decision, or simply that for most of the time, few foreigners show much interest. But we seem to have gone beyond that stage right now, the English language press is regurgitating headlines and misquotes on a daily basis, that in turn are eagerly lapped up by monolingual sock wearing North Europeans.

So if you are not interested in the future of Spain, I'd suggest scouting for an article on keeping your swimming pool ph levels in balance over winter, or maybe one that advises the best way to maintain your leathery tan whilst sampling the top 5 tapas in your nearest city.

For those of you that have a passing interest in the future, then we are going to look first at a couple of issues: The Age of the Arguments and a History of Betrayal. Finally, we can quickly conclude with some jokes about Pablo Iglesias haircut.

The Age of the Arguments

First let's get this clear. The current expression for change in Spain is nothing new. We may all huff and spit and point accusatory fingers at its latest expression: the newly formed political group Podemos, but their articulated concerns go back some considerable time.

In 2011 their organised roots were consolidated in the mass street protests and subsequent calls for transparency and accountability. From the kernel that arose on the streets of the major cities came a platform for focus and direction that has finally transformed itself into this new political party.

But we can go back even further. Choose where you wish to pause: how about the end of the 70's and the beginning of the 80's with the failure of the new democracy to address any of the deep rooted injustices of the Franco dictatorship? How about the 1930's when a democratic republic was elected and then deposed by a military coup - with the aid of most of Europe and the US?  Neither the republic nor their popular and radical agenda has ever been reinstated, despite it being the last democratically elected government before 40 years of dictatorship. (Read more on The Betrayal of the Civil War here)

Spain has a History of Betrayal. How many election promises in the last 20 years have been conveniently forgotten in the euphoria of electoral victory?

A history of Betrayl

I'd lived in Spain first in 1994 - 95 under the crumbling and embarrassingly scandal-rocked regime of Felipe Gonzalez (PSOE). I returned in the summer of 96 to find the evil Aznar (PP) in power, who began his dismantling of the state and then threw the country into a war they did not want. 75% of his Government have now been imputed, or are in prison having received illegal payment.

In 2004 - contrary to what those whose lives revolve around stats and facts believed - Zapatero (PSOE) stepped into power, quickly dragging Spain out of the war Aznar had forced us in. The economists, concerned that someone had acted on principal,  quickly tied his hands before he could dabble with the economy. In 2008 Rajoy (PP) waddled into power and since that moment, Spain has sunk morally, politically, ethically to an all time low.
One couldn't help but see a pattern. And it wasn't a very pleasant one. Whichever way the pendulum swung, change, despite all the electoral promises, almost never happens.

My socialist friends were, and now still are, horrified at my lack of loyalty. Yes, of course minor differences occur between social, political, and international agendas; but in terms of how we are consulted, how accountable these politicians are once in power and how transparent are their working practises - there is no difference whatsoever. Immunity from criticism, back scratching, envelope passing and behind doors policy decisions are identical.

Such practices have only been possible because people have been afraid of real change and real consultation. Spanish politics, in the wake of Franco, has maintained its paternal presence; deciding what is best for us all. Such an an approach has worked haphazardly until now, but today it falls on deaf ears. This new generation has no loyalty to the old definitions of left or right. They are not nervous to references to the dictatorship. Both sides of the political spectrum are seen as betrayers; self-serving edifices that prop up decaying structures rather than replace them. And of course, this is a generation that have little to lose, for they have already lost. But they do have demands. The first being that of consultation in a digital and receptive mobile world. One vote every four years and then a free mandate to ignore the wishes of an electorate does not a democracy make. Certainly not for the generation of 2014.

But What Can Any Country Do By Itself in a Global Economy?

Let's look at Accountability: For too long, entering on an official building in this country, I have been made to feel like I was no more than an unwanted insect, slipping in through an open window, then waved away like a fly trying to land on a bowl of soup. Just because I needed clarification, or some essential paperwork or simply I needed help. This - a criticism in no way confined to Spain - is a global condition: Lack of accountability. But, we now have the technology to counter this. 
(Read more on problems of Accountability in the Tortilla saga)

In the same way I can vote down a restaurant or a bad waiter on 4Square, I want to be able to do the same in Hacienda or the Town Hall. We have the means to share, to inform and to ask for comment and ideas. I want to leave my opinions for others, I want to vote up or down someones attitude, I want a say in how public servants treat us. And at last we now have an population, equipped, eager and empowered to do just this.

Let's look at the Press: To make brave decisions, people must have access to all the relevant information. Private news corporations have an investment in deciding what is relevant, and who gets access and who doesn't. Sadly, like all the old print industries, they also have an interest in maintaining themselves as guardians of what is considered newsworthy. Social media on the other hand has an investment in making everyone a citizen reporter. It has an interest in allowing people to decide what is relevant, popular and of value. The power of the national and international press diminishes in relation to our own access to create and distribute news ourselves.

Let's look at the Economy: The global economy means any multinational company can threaten to move its base to another state unless tax incentives are increased, wages kept at slave levels and unions forbidden. Companies can - and do - insist on changes in national legislation to benefit the practices and profits of the company. Look at Amazon in Europe, Apple in China. I'm no economist, so I can't answer what would happen if such practices were challenged, but that doesn't mean to say they shouldn't be. And what makes anyone think that this system is so valuable, so irreplaceable to the great majority of people that they wouldn't want to risk losing it in the pursuit of something better? Dismantling the influence - politically and economically -  of multinationals should be the first item on any political agenda, of any political party. Otherwise its a case of never-ending silent deference to unaccountable and non-elected bodies. 

The old ways of conducting politics and maintaining power remind me of the oil industry. They know their resources are limited, Each year there is less and less available, They know they must adapt or die, but they will cling on till the very last drop of petrol is extracted from the earth rather than ditch the lot now and invest in alternatives. Why? Because the profits are so good, because short term politics - still sadly - wins over long term ideals, and because familiarity is reassuring, whereas change can be challenging. It's a state of affairs that needs to be wrenched from the hands of the free market (free, since when has it been free?) and placed back in the hands of a collectively controlled and decentralised federal state. Somethings are too important to be left to the priorities of profit as a suffocating and contaminated planet would testify to.

Understandably, certain people and organisations feel somewhat concerned by the threat of having unlimited control wrenched from their fingertips, and have therefore embarked on a campaign to discredit and undermine the proposers of such changes. They have employed the traditional media to first disentangle, and then ridicule these proposals and have begun with the wearer of the pony tail.

The Dreams of Podemos: Knowing the Answer is not the Answer 

Imagine for a moment you have a problem with your car. The wheels keep falling off. You take it to the garage and the mechanic says he knows what the answer is and gets out his stick of superglue. Off you go and 5 mins later the wheels are off again. Next time you take it in, the mechanic says he knows what the answer is and dusts down the tyres, cleans the bonnet and puts some more oil in the engine. 

Then you pay the man and drive the car away only to find the wheels fall off again 5 yards down the road. How many times will you go back to the same mechanic? How many times will you trust someone who says they know what the answer is? At what point do you stop looking for the answer and instead find someone who knows how to listen to your problems and promises to take a deeper look beyond cleaning the bonnet?
So when someone who dresses in sneakers and casual shirts and once had a piercing over his right eye speaks the need to construct a new future, try not to focus on just answers: Listen to his questions

And when someone says they know what the answer is, take it with a pinch of salt, because mostly they don't know. The best we can do is adopt open organic structures that allow us to learn and respond to questions as they arise, ensuring consultation, transparency and accountability throughout the process. Forget manifestos and promises set in stone that are never, ever realised. Forget cleaning your bonnet and supergluing your wheels back on. Instead, ask someone about their dreams

And don't get distracted by the length of someone's hair - it's not the length of his hair that has inspired millions to pledge their support. Nor is it the details of a manifesto. It's because they permit us to dream again.

Martin Luther King spoke passionately about the changes he wanted to see in the USA in the 1960's. But he spoke not of his 5 year plan or his 10 point manifesto. No, he spoke of his dream.

• When you want to give hope to those that have lost hope
• When you want to inspire those that no longer breathe inspiration
• When you want to motivate those that no longer recognise the motivation in themselves, you must speak of dreams.

Disclaimer: Although I am not a member of Podemos, I am a member of the human race in search for a more egalitarian social system, and thus may be a tad biased in some of the opinions in this article.

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