Paul Read's Blog: Speaking Of Spain, page 2

Building Another Vision of Spain with Santiago Cirugeda

The Crises in the Construction industry has led many to look for other signs for sustainable housing in Spain. One man is offering another vision for the 500.000 skeletal remains scattered over the land. Welcome to the Urban Recipes of Santaigo Cirugeda.  Look beyond the sandy beaches and you will find that Spain has another dimension. As the fourth largest economy in the EU it has a diversity and vision that goes beyond the costa mentality and the construction industry - though you'd be forgiven for thinking differently.  Yet despite the end of the concrete era, the question of building is still very much alive away from the abandoned Urbs of the Mediterranean. In these other circles - amongst the La red de arquitecturas colectivas -  talk is of sustainability and an alternative future that serves the needs and ideals of the present generation. One man playing a part in constructing this new future is Santaigo Cirugeda from the deliciously titled: Recetas Urbanas.   READ MORE...
Another Narative There is another narrative being composed in Spain. No, not that one about the best tapas bars in your city or the prettiest beaches nearest your converted farm house. Nope. This is another story.

It is a story about the construction, but not of urbanisations or tower blocks, this is a story about an alternative way of building the future.  Rebel Architecture At last newspapers like the Guardian (see article below) , and media services like  Al Jazeera are giving this future a voice. Take for example the series on Rebel Architects from Al Jazeera that feature our very own Santiago Cirugeda - from the Alameda area of Seville - a man who have arisen from the demise of the old order. 

Kettle On
So, put the kettle on, get the biscuits out and put your feet up for half and hour.  Watch the inspiring story of Santiago Cirugeda - an architect driven to construct, rebuild, inspire, empower, educate and above all act. The video documentary is in Spanish with English subs. 

Santiago is an open source architect that tries to respond to his environment, his neighbourhood and the needs of his city.  He aims to inform, deconstruct and empower throughout the process of construction. More than any of this, he is an architect with a simple and honest vision. He is ordinary man in a world that likes to think of itself as special. Santaigo's example gleefully breaks down such nonsense. 

Watch the video and take inpsiration from the philosophy and work of this provocative man - and before you condemn him for working illegally,  remember 2 things:
How many people have you known to build, buy, and reform houses illegally. (Be honest)
Seth Godin says "don't wait for permission", so if he isn't why not Santaigo? 
Santiago On the Setas in Seville.

"I've never been there and I never want to," he says, looking out from his own rooftop towards it, "it represents ... a performance architecture, where money seems to be so important ... Architects don't care, they want to make their works of art, their enormous piles of **** - that's all," he says.

Watch the Video Here Find out More on Santiago:

Guardian Article on Santaigo (English) 
Recetas Urbanas (Spanish) 
Plataforma Architectura
La red de arquitecturas colectivas
Spatial Agency   There is Another Way Keep up with the changes as they happen during 2015 and as the gazpachomOnk tells the stories that are guaranteed to curl your churros: Subscribe, get the posts in your mail and get the free EBOOK: Way of the Hound at the same time. 

5 Reasons to Get Out of Town before Semana Santa Starts

Don’t get me wrong. I love Semana Santa. Or did anyway. Especialy the first time I saw it, even the second and third times I thought it was pretty surreal. I've seen it in big cities like Seville and Malaga. I've seen it in small towns like Almunecar, and Loja. I loved the anonymity, the incense smell, the costumes and the sheer physical exertion from everyone from the nazarenos to the costeleros. In fact, I wrote a chapter on what I believe is really special about Semana Santa in Inside the tortilla. You can check out the photographic version in this weeks free ePub and PDF give-a-way: An Agnostic in Semana Santa and get a FREE CUT OUT DOLL'S at the same time too! See below for links. Get this amazing Semana Santa Doll's kit Free this week - see below. But you see, after a few years things tend to change. Some people in town -  that I had previously thought to be afficionados of all things religious - turned out to be Semana Santa haters and one evening, they sat me down and gave me 5 persuasive reasons for fleeing Spain during Semana Santa.
5 Reasons Semana Santa Sucks 1: Sleep Easter for many people comes as a well earned holiday. They are looking forward to a break, a rest and a chance to relax and sleep in. Well, forget that because from dawn to  madrugada (early the following day) expect brass bands, marching feet, obsessive drummers, endless chiming bells, the screech of tyres on wax and the unexpected saeta from a neighbours balcony  - just as your head hits the pillow. And don't think that because one paso (float) has just passed by you can safely nip off for a kip. Like red buses in London, once one passes by,  you can expect at least half a dozen to be close behind.
2: Vexed Vehicles Want to park outside your house? Forget it.
Want to drop off that shopping, the baby carriage, the abuelos, that sack of dog food? Forget it.  Your street most likely will be cut off for the entire week and if you don't move your car, don't expect it to still be where you left it. Its more than likely to have been towed 2 km down the road and dumped in a ditch to keep it out of way of the all important processions. 3: Claustrophobia Like to have spaces and air to breathe? Well, forget it. Learn to go without for a week if you live in the centre of town, because 2 hours before every paso approaches your house, crowds begin to assemble loosely in the middle of the street. Then, as more people arrive, they pack out to the sides like sardines, finally squeezing onto your doorstep, into your lobby, up your stairs and onto your balcony should you leave the door ajar. This if course can be very sociable act, it can of course also be very stupid as half the town find themselves wandering around your house smoking, eating churros and tapping into your wifi.  4: Waxy Streets Should you be a part time trapeze artist, high wire-walker, stilt-walker or Master of Tai Chi, then you'll probably cope with the streets. Otherwise, expect to live on what amounts to be an ice skating rink for a week - or longer -  as thousands of candle bearers attempt to create their own Jackson Pollock outside your front door whilst waiting for the rest of the procession to catch up. Take care, particular early morning as the bombona van slides, rather than drives, around town. Be ready for that quick side step to avoid a certain crushing early morning feeling.  5: Personal Pride If you are the sort that doesn't mind the politicians, dignitaries, church types and fussy neighbours to stand outside your house and point out the gathering dust on your persianas, the rather dry looking tubs of earth in which once lived flowers on the balcony, or the number of bushes that appear to have sprouted beneath the clay tiles on your roof, then you’ll be fine. If however, having the collective scorn of the town focussed on your facade for an entire week sends shivers up your chocolate con churros, then skip town ASAP. Believe me, you won't be the only one given the number of vehicles on Spanish motorways heading abroad over Easter. And Now: The Great Semana Santa Give-a-way!
1: Semana Santa cut-out-and-keep printable paper doll kit based on an original decoupage artwork created by mixed-media artist, Cherry Jeffs.  Get Your Free Kit Here
2: Get your Atheist Guide to Semana Santa here -FREE (normally 3.49): Free this week from here. Just 50 copies available. 
FINALLY, Don’t miss another give-away. Sign up to the mOnks reading list here and receive the classic WAY OF THE HOUND: Travels through Spain photo book.  GET YOUR VISUAL FREEBIES THIS WEEK ONLY

Why Will 2015 be the Year to Live in Spain?

"Pronto llegará la hora, 
que la tortilla se vuelva. 
Los pobres comerán pan, 
y los ricos mierda, mierda."

WHY 2015 IS GOING TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT YEAR IN SPAIN SINCE THE DEATH OF FRANCO
WHY SPAIN MAY SPEARHEAD A NEW RHTYHM AND DANCEWHY CHANGE  IS EMERGING FROM A NEW SOUTHERN EUROPE AND NOT FROM THE WASTELANDS OF THE NORTH WHY SAM COOKE IS BACK IN TOWNWHY THE TORTILLA IS ABOUT TO TURN 2015 is Going to be the Year to Live in Spain.  Oh yes, and why's that? Well, funny you should ask, because it's not because the housing boom is coming back. Hopefully not anyway. The unfettered expansion and unsustainable growth of the tarmac and concrete industries will hopefully never return. Yet 2015 is going to be a special year,  but not because Spain has a new young king with a 300 Spartacus Beard, nor (speaking of beards) because the Partido Popular have declared Spain to be now "crises free", thanks to their transparent and honest example of good government. 
Neither because its spring and everyone but the kitchen sink has uploaded a photo of almond blossom to their timeline whilst dancing to Sam Cooke: "It's been a long, a long time coming...but I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will"
READ MORE> Nope, sorry to disappoint. But Change is gonna come for other reasons...starting with next month. (Got a pencil handy? Then mark these dates down in your diary).  A YEAR OF CHANGE AHEAD:
In Feb came the Greek elections that showed the world that not everyone subscribes to the politics of austerity. Feta sales soared as people across the globe expressed their solidarity with the posturing of the new govt. 
In March comes the early Andalusian elections that will be the first real challenge to the bipartisan approach to Government that has shackled Spain to its bureaucratic past this last 30 years. 
In May 2015 comes the local elections and although the newly emerging political force in Spain - Podemos - is not officially standing, local variations are springing up everywhere in preparation for the vote. And of course, in Madrid, where Podemos IS standing under a united ticket, EVERYTHING is up for grabs. Finally, sometime in late autumn, the general election will be called and although the last polls show a decline in support for Podemos and an increase in support for the Partido Popular, this merely reflects a temporary distraction from a government, that, history will show,  to be the most corrupt organisation since the export of the Sicilian Pizza Chain. NORTHERN PUNCTUALITY VERSUS THE SOUTHERN RHYTHM Whilst Northern territories play games of racial purity and think only of constructing bigger fences and stringent immigration policies, in Italy, Greece and Spain other ideas are bubbling to the surface of our ever increasing sea-levels. Why is this? What does the South have the North doesn't share? 

There is a lot of theories doing the rounds right now, but one I like to focus on is that the further south you go, the less pedantic your thought processes becomes. What for the North is set in Stone, in the South is up for negotiation. Why? Well, read on....

Rhythm
When North Europeans arrive in the South they initially react very positively: What a great climate, Jose, they say. What magnificent fiestas, what healthy food, what a relaxed and laid back to attitude to life...

But then they hang around for a while and try to get something done in an officious and queueing sort of way and quickly realise that there is a big difference in pace of work here and attitudes to efficiency.  As cultural understanding is not big on the North Europeans agenda, (unlike austerity, punctuality, scarfs, mittens and thigh length marching boots) Northerners quickly condemn the south as being unproductive and unable to adhere to the tight schedules, queuing lines and conditions of work lapped up by the orderly obsessed North.

Endless surveys show that in fact Spaniards work harder and longer hours than pretty much any other species in the known Milky Way, but they work according to their own rhythm and not that of North Europe.  And when it comes to questions about efficiency there is no convincing a North European -  it's a bit like questioning gravity or Copernicus. Such an alternative perspective would instantly constipate the Northern thinker and require them to take time off work, which would of course be unthinkable an unrhythmic.

Mediterranean Rhythms
Yet the Mediterranean rhythm enables Southerners to not only work according to a different timetable, but to reconsider priorities (not always successfully, but they do try bless them), and to rethink priorities and directions. This is because people here work to live, and not vice versa. What possible attraction is there to extra time at work, if it means time away from your family, your friends or a weekend trip to the grandfathers cortijo to collect some pimientos? 

For the Northerner, this is tantamount to hari-kiri. A Work life has precedence over all else, as does punctuality, the wearing of nicely ironed suits and ties and the troika. 

Fortunately all this may now change, if another country votes for an end to austerity this year. In fact, not just once, but next month, and then again in May, and in the autumn etc.

If this should happen, well we might just have to have a fiesta to celebrate. Maybe take time off work, invite the abuelos obviously and their pimientos and let things sink in for a bit, before re-structuring society from the bottom up. 

Well, thats my take. Thats why I believe Spain is going to be the place to live in 2015 - the year the Tortilla turns. 

And to celebrate the flipping of the Tortilla:  INSIDE THE TORTILLA ANNIVERSARY EDITION To celebrate this YEAR OF CHANGE and the turning of the tortilla,  the Journey that sparked the tortilla-flip has been relaunched.  And to accompany this launch, comes the long-awaited WAY OF THE HOUND that is being sent out to all subscribers this week. Not subscribed? You can  do it here.
What is the Way of the Hound? Only the most radical, manifesto for 21st century living ever! Thats what! And its got some nice doggie photos too. You'll also get The updated THEMES ePub/PDF that you can download for free here.And details of a new audio version of the Tortilla in installments (coming soon to subscribers) A Manifesto for the 21st Century
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE WAY OF THE HOUND HERE Get Tortilla Themes Here

78 Years Later: Malaga Remembers Its Sad History.

The Ambulance Man Get the book on Amazon HERE or as an ePub HERE Read the fascinating story of the Ambulance Driver who came to assist the Andalusian city. 78 years ago this month, Malaga lived through one her most horrifying moments in history. The city was bombed, invaded, raped and desecrated. Its fearful citizens fled along the coast, leaving behind the flames and explosions, the sick and weak, who were at best to be subjugated by the invaders, at worse executed for merely having voted Republican in the last election.

As a Republican stronghold, the city had hoped to be defended by the new Republic, but this did not happen. The Malaguenos were left to defend themselves against the combined forces of the feared Moors, the well-armed Italians and the Nationalist rebels under Franco. What chance did a citizen army have against such military might?

How would they fare in their exile? Would anyone come to their assistance? 

One man did: An outsider, a forestero that would not turn his back on these people. A doctor who would later be hounded out of Spain as a spy and a traitor. The very same man who is now considered one of the greatest heroes in his home country of Canada and in the country where he was to die: China. 

His story, and that of a city in exodus is one of the great untold stories of the Spanish Civil War.  Read The Ambulance Man and The Spanish Civil War for the whole story.

"Malaga...smells strongly of olive oil and excrement. 
Evelyn Waugh"

Watch the 2 min Video on The Ambulance Man and the Spanish Civil War

Democracy without Women, the Demise of Demis and Piglet's Scarf

What has Spain, 70's Pop icons, Piglet's scarf and an absence of women in politics to do with life? Read on, or listen to the podcast below for the full story.
First came the elation, the tears of joy, the return of hope and the echoes of 1970's pop songs:

Ever and ever, forever and ever you'll be the one
that shines in me like the morning sun.
Ever and ever, forever and ever my destiny
will follow you eternally.
Sadly, eternally was not to be as reliable a yardstick as the Greeks had hoped. Like Demis' Top Of The Pops stardom, it was to be followed - perhaps too quickly - by that awkward moment often seen in musicals when a song has finished, and the actors have to cough and shuffle back to the blandness of normality.

It's been a hectic week since the Greek left wing coalition Syriza took power. Promises to double the minimum wage took off to a good start when the new president announced an increase from 586 to 751 euros. Not quite double, but a start one could say.

Of course, winning 2 seats short of an overall majority would inevitably mean compromise. The pact with the centre right party raised more than one activists eyebrow. But hey, this is politics. Who really expects change? Particularly if we have voted for it.   (Read more...)  listen to ‘No democracy without women’ on audioBoom The Demise of Demis But then came the declaration that Greece will not falter on its debts. Some may be jubilant at such news, Not I, for the simple reason that the majority of people just voted precisely on this issue and gave the president - Alexis Tsipras - their backing to do whatever it took to end austerity. Saying you will do one thing,  then doing the exact opposite is what drives the electorate to seek more radical responses. Electoral analysis is not rocket science. 

Postures are by their very nature, temporary.  Try standing on one leg - a particular favourite posture of mine - for more than a minute or two and you'll see what I mean. Postures adopted at election times though are different. They should come with health warnings - as should the shiny coated apples in supermarkets, or the day-glow sweets administered from street kiosks. Postures, yes, we understand are transitory starting points. So why concede your argument before even starting to talk ? 

"Pressure from the banks", it is said. "To restore confidence in an sinking economy since Syriza took office." Hang on though! Hasn't Greece and almost the whole of Europe been failing precisely under these very same policies for the last 8 years. Surely, voting for a continuation of the same should be more worrying for the banks, not change!

Anyhow, as if things could get worse, the demise of Demis Roussos came just as news leaked that the new Greek cabinet was to be composed entirely of men.  #sinmujeresnohaydemocracia
#sinmujeresnohaydemocracia Likewise, no women in the cabinets of Hungry and Eslovenia, Chipre and Malta (1).  Whilst France and Holland have parity, only Switzerland and Finland have more women cabinet ministers than men.  4 from 28 countries is a sad reflection that #sinmujeresnohaydemocracia

Globally, there are 10 heads of state that are women, 15 heads of government,  21% of the elected members of parliament. #sinmujeresnohaydemocracia
 
So what has all this to do with Spain and the price of sliced bread you may be asking? This is - after all - Speaking Of Spain with the GazpachomOnk. Where are the historical personajes, the recipes and photos of our sunny schizophrenic Spain? 

Well, the Greece story gives cause for concern. Of course parties that do not obtain an overall majority, have to pact. Of course they compromise. This, under the right circumstances can be a good thing. 

But no, it is not this, that causes my salmorejo to curdle. It's that the people of Greece gave Syriza their confidence, and they gave them their voice.  President Alexis returned that confidence with a series of promises. Promises so far not only unfulfilled, but betrayed. 

And so the collective European heads turn to Spain, where the salivating troika nod in unison, point to Greece and excitedly exclaim: "See! This is all that comes of your electoral sloganeering. This is what will come to Spain too if you mistakenly vote for the populists!

But will the fate of Podemos, be the same as Syriza?  Piglet's Scarf Podemos claims it is different: It has a different agenda, and a different power structure, a different history and it is not a coalition of left wing groups, as is Syriza. Yet, already the Podemos leadership is toning down its language, muddling issues and interviews to woo the worried middle classes.

These are worrying signs, for they show a weakness in resistance and commitment -  particularly when polls indicate that the more authentic your voice, the more you can rely on people to listen to your message, and ultimately to support you. 

If Podemos does not heed these early lessons from Greece, then we may end up with the sort of insipid social democratic regurgitated nonsense  that has beleaguered Europe this last decade. 


I'm hoping not. But then again, I'm a hopeful sort of mOnk. 

Podemos has promised true representative democracy to the people of Spain. This means that the party itself has to be answerable to the electorate - not just once every 4 years -  but throughout its administration. And for it to be truly democratic it must be answerable to an informed, energised, engaged, and collectivised electorate.  This will only come about by participation and fundamental structural change. Not from slogans that are easily tradable in the dusty halls of the political elite.

Is this representative form of democracy likely in Spain? I'd like to think so, but I'd hoped for the same in Greece.

Perhaps it is all just early days. Perhaps, Podemos will stay true and it will win an overall majority. Perhaps it will introduce true representative democracy for the first time in history and perhaps, piglet really does wear a scarf.

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Indie Content Creators in Spain Event This Sunday

Join the Event this Sunday! Each year, more people are trying to discover how to transform their creative ideas from paper into a finished product: whether that be a book, a video, a podcast or a image.

As much as the web is portrayed as an exciting new opportunity for everyone, the reality is that the process of independently creating, completing, promoting, distributing and retailing a creative work can be really challenging for many people.

To show how anyone can take those first important steps, we have gathered together six very different creative individuals on January 25th, to share their experiences and insights on how to produce, exhibit, publish and sell photographic or fine art, ebooks or paperbacks, videos, audiobooks or podcasts.

To get an idea of how the day will be run, listen to the audiofile below. You can JOIN the event right now by clicking on the button over on the right, and keep yourself notified of how to listen to the live podcast and how to attend the Q&A Sunday afternoon.  Join the Event Here JOIN THE FAceBOOK EVENT listen to ‘Indie Content Creators Special Event’ on audioBoom

To The Batmobile! The Catalan Car Designs of the 1930's

Radical Car Design in Barcelona (With No Master Plan) As a kid I was always fascinated by the Batmobile. It had a shape that defied convention and a shape that defied the normal aerodynamics of the car industry. Consequently, it was more than a car to me, it was a sexy, mean, defiant machine.
But as I eventually disposed of my toys, and time took its weary toll on my childhood dreams, I stumbled across what possibly was the origin of the Batmobile. For whilst I was researching The Forgotten Stories From Spain Series, I kept coming across references to the 1936 collectivised factories of war torn Catalunya and it was there that I found the inspiration behind such a vehicle. Read on for stories about Crusaders and the watch the craziest slide-show on the history of Spain. 
As I'm not into military history - the thought of comparing tank wheels sizes or turret lengths frankly holds as much interest for me as the shaving habits of the current Spanish PM - I am however curious about what happened to Catalan Industry at the outbreak of the civil war. Not, I should add, because Industrial history is of particular interest - but for the following reasons:
The mere fact that two anarchist organisations oversaw the production of war vehicles enabled a new and radical approach with energy and input from people not always within the engineering world. So for example, instead of someone specifically trained at say, 'Tank Design' getting the job of Tank Designer, it could just as easily go to Pepe the Bus Conductor because, well, he always quite fancied having a go. The good thing about anarchist revolutions is that they are rarely boring and you always get a chance to try your hand at something new.Secondly, the lack of raw materials during war and the limited finances coming from Madrid, meant that the production process had to be customised. Hence the need for the Pepe's of the world to step forward .Finally, on a purely political level, there are just not many examples in the history of the human race whereby people have actively embraced anarchism in industry at a time of war. And whereas you may be forgiven for thinking that it would all be somewhat anarchic (in the negative popular press sense), in fact it turned out quite the opposite.
"I'm Justified and I'm Ancient and I drive an Ambulance Van" The Customised Canadian Himself. Spot the GB Sticker! Between August 1936 and January 1939 many factories were collectivised in Catalunya by the workers of the CNT and the FAI, (Confederacin Nacional de Trabajadores and Federacion Anarquista Iberica) including one particular large complex: The Maquinaria Moderna para Construcciones y Obras Públicas de Sant Sadurní. Vehicle adaptation and experimentation then became synonymous with the industrial north and in particular, Barcelona. 
Even Norman Bethune, the Canadian Doctor drove up to the province in search of a customised van to embark on his idea for a mobile ambulance. Other collectivised factories in Catalunya produced bombs, pistols, shells, grenades and dynamite. This car workshop, however, was converted into a huge factory for the production of tanks, assault vehicles, tractors, artillery and wacky shaped armoured cars.  Factory Z: All Bound For Mu Mu Land Workers at the Collectivised Factory Factory Z - as the new workshop came to be called - worked frenetically to produce the machines necessary for the defence of the Republic and the Revolution in Catalunya. At its peak, every day consisted of three shifts: From 5am to midday, then from 1pm to 9pm, and finally from 9 - 5am. 

But why didn't Spain just buy weapons and armoured vehicles? It had plenty of gold in it's reserves? 
When the Civil War broke out, the legitimate Spanish Republican Government found itself having to defend its people against an armed, professionally trained and ruthless rebellious army. It needed to defend itself but was prevented from buying weapons from neighbouring countries by the Non-Intervention Pact (supported by the self-interest of  Britain, France and the USA). In effect Spain was isolated and left with little choice. In Catalunya, the people acted quickly and decisively: Factories were collectivised and converted into weapons production lines, particularly the larger factories including the car industries owned by GM and Ford. 
Design in the factory had not limitations. Chevrolet lorry or trucks were converted into armoured cars, a tractor would be re-designed to clear roads or snow. But it was the design of other vehicles, modified and customised in these factories that would become the template for Batman and Robins future transport needs.. Design and Innovation: Fishing in the Rivers of Life (hoi) It was not just the design of the vehicles that proved groundbreaking, but in their construction too. One ingenious design involved using sheets of wool removed from old mattresses. These were then stuffed between two metal plates. 
In theory,  this meant that when an enemy projectile penetrated the first metal plate, it's spinning nature meant that it would get caught up in the fibres of the wool and become entangled, preventing it from reaching the second defensive plate. Unfortunately the use of two metal sheets meant the vehicle then weighed too much to move very far at all. However, the idea was theoretically sound as a defence against small arms fire, and an example of innovative processes released when collective groups work together for reasons other than market share.

I know where the beat is at,
'cos I know what time it is
Bring home a dime,
Make mine a "99"


New style, meanwhile, always on a mission while
Fishing in the rivers of life
Fishing in the rivers of life (hoi)
Fishing in the rivers of life (hoi)
Fishing in the rivers
Fishing in the rivers
Fishing in the rivers of life (hoi)

The Last Train Left an Hour Ago... Finally, on the 10th January 1939 the Factory fell into the hands of the Franquistas. What could be removed was done so before hand, but much was left for the Nationalist troops to pour over and digest. What Franco found delighted him. He was like a small child with a new lego set for Xmas. Unbeknown to the rest of the world, this fanatical crusader was setting up a role model for a future caped crusader, one like Franco who liked building with lego. 
Franco was prepared to use his new powers to control and create a new society. His consistent use of violence and repression only escalated inequality and he respected neither privacy, laws of human dignity or international legal rights. In short he used force to create a world compliant with his own world view. And in so doing, paved the way for other Dark Knights to follow. 

Still, the crazy designs of the anarchist collective in Barcelona proved themselves light years ahead of the traditional Mu Mu car industry. Not until the 90's (Make mine a 99!) would we see the small personal combat vehicles/4X4 suzuki style designs hit the side-walks of bored urban-bound dreamers. But these designs were first on show back in the 1930's in the justified and ancient, anarchic and creative energy driven times of revolutionary Spain.   For more on the Anarchist revolution n Spain, the process and results of collectivisation and the people that witnessed this unique moment in Spanish History, see The Ambulance Driver and the Spanish Civil War.. and 1984 and the Spanish Civil War (free just this weekend - if you miss it, sign up to the newsletter and get an email when it next goes free) 

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 his 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 ask the un-askable 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 mean for any single country? Do we need a paramilitary police force as well as an army and a civilian police force? There are no straightforward answers, but this does not mean that these questions should not be asked, - particularly as Europe stumbles blindly forward into possibly a 3rd recession, confirming that the old order clearly does not work It's been almost impossible this 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. Id 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 Im 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 Northerners. 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 tan whilst sampling the top 5 tapas in your nearest city. For those of you that have a passing interest we are going to look first at a couple of issues: The age of the arguments and a history of betrayal. Then 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 kernal that arose on the streets of the major cities came a platform for focus and direction that has finally transformed itself in the formation of 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 and The failure of the new democracy to Address any of the deep rooted injustices of the dictatorship after the death of Franco. 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 was 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 94 - 95 under the crumbling and embarrassingly scandel-rocked regime of Felipe Gonzalez (PSOE). I returned in the summer of 96 to find Aznar (PP) in power. Who began his dismantling of the state and threw the country into a war they did not want. 75% of his Government has 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 onto power, quickly dragging Spain out of Iraq, the economists quickly tying 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 point.
One couldn't help but see a pattern. And it wasn't a very pleasant one. Whatever way the pendulum swung, change, despite all the electoral promises, almost never happened.
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 generation has no loyalty to 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, one 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 By Itself Do in a global economy? Accountability: For too long, entering on an official building in this country, I have felt I was no more than an unwanted insect, slipping in through an open window - and then waved away like a fly trying to land on a bowl of soup - just because I needed clarification, essential paperwork or simply help. This - a criticism in no way confined to Spain - is a global condition. We now have the technology and we have the access. 
( 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 4Sq, 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 the public. At last we now have an population eager and empowered and ready to do just this. Press: To make brave decisions, people must have access to all the relevant information. Private news corporations have an investment in decideing what is relevant, and who gets access and who doesnt. Sadly, Like all the old print industrires, they also have an interest in maintaining themselves as the guardian of what is considered news. 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. Economy: The global economy means a company can threaten to move its base to another 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. Im no economist, so I cant answer what would happen if such practices were challenged, but that doesn't mean to say they shouldn't be. And what makes you think that this system is so valuable, so irreplaceable to the great majority that they wouldn't want to risk losing it in the pursuit of something else? 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 non-elected bodies, unaccountable and with hidden agendas. 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 form the earth rather than ditch the lot now and invest in alternatives. Why? Cos the profits are so good, because short term politics - still sadly - wins over long term ideals and because familiarity is assuring, 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 embarked on a campaign to discredit and undermine the proposers of such changes. They have employed the traditonal 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 can let us 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 to us 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. Listen to the podcast here, download it or subscibe in iTunes to Speaking of Spain with the gazpachomOnk

Images That Shook Iberia: Free Spanish Posters to Download for Your SmartPhone

Click on the image above to get your free posters It is said that One Image equals a 1000 words. So, save yourself a lot of energy and download the appropriate Spanish Poster that reflects your position on life. Free from the gazpachomOnks library of Images that Shook Iberia 
Handy Images for your smartphones that will tell a waiter you are not a tourist!The Definition of an Expat by HemingwayLorca and The Dead in SpainWashington Irving and FleasOrwell and the Endless StruggleFour Legs Good, Two Bad: Tarifa and Beach HeavenPosters to hang on your Neighbours door
Posters to hang in your Car window



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Pomegranates and Skin Uplifting

Today's Updated Recipe includes a tale of pomegranates from Granada. Read it in the recipe section here... What happens when you mix the fruit with yoghurt and honey? What happens when you don't know how to peel the skin? What happens when you confuse a TV channel with a health giving seed?  Read on.