SHOULD I BOYCOTT TWINNINGS AND BARCLAYS IN SPAIN??

SHOULD DAVID CAMERON BE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE EUROZONE IF THE UK CLOSES ITS BORDERS?

In Catalonia and Spain one can see branches of Barclays. Until now I had just feel ashamed when I was passing next to a Bankia branch but now I do not feel very comfortable either when I pass next to a Barclays branch after the Barclays scandal in the UK, the home of Barclays.

On the other hand I love the tea of TWINNINGS.

I cannot actively boycott BARCLAYS as I do not have an account at BARCLAYS. But I can boycott TWINNINGS as I use to by teas of this wonderful brand.

I even could support the Elgin marbles returning to Greece.

As you may have realised all the things I say are related to the UK and all mean  to act in an unfriendly way in someway..

Why should  I be unfriendly when I in general like the UK?

Well, I just read that the UK may close its borders to some eurozone citizens if the eurozone crisis goes worse.

Well, I understand that the UK government must care about what to do in a hypothetical break down of the eurozone but I think that it is very understandable too that if THE.CAT cannot go to, for example, London, I won’t be happy about the British coming to the places where they reject people going to there land.

If people from the south of Europe could not enter the UK it is childish to imagine that people from the south of Europe would welcome UK tourists in their beaches.

If the UK closes its borders to southern Europe then the south of Europe should close borders to the UK.

I say all this because I have the feeling that some British politicians seem not to realise that by talking about closing borders they are not protecting UK interests but just isolating the UK.

I have never supported in a serious way the return of the Elgin marbles to Greece but if I cannot go to London to see them it is obvious I prefer them to be in Greece.

I love Twinnings but if I cannot go to The Strand shop to buy if when I go to London then I prefer not to buy them.

If I cannot go to London then each day I see a Barclays branch I would feel quite weird that a UK bank can have a branch in my city but I cannot go the place of the branch.

If I cannot go to London I will write to Catalan tv channels and tv radios and will ask them to stop broadcasting British series or music.

Needless to say that if the UK closes its borders and I have to boycott British products I will be quite sad ans disappointed as I like British products in general but as I admire the British I like to do like them so that if the close whatever I will try to close whatever too. Quite a sad thing to do but it is not me who has started all this but David Cameron.

This is so the answer to David Cameron possible closing of borders. A total closing of borders to British tourists in southern Europe. If we cannot go to Britain not a single British citizen should be allowed to step into a souther eurozone beach.

IN ANY CASE IF GREEKS CANNOT GO TO LONDON THEN THE ELGIN MARBLES SHOULD IMMEDIATELY LEAVE LONDON BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE MADE: GREECE.

Related articles

• Barclays CEO Bob Diamond quits over rate rigging (vancouversun.com)
• Barclays’ Diamond faces grilling in parliament – Reuters UK (uk.reuters.com)
• Barclays boss quits as bank scandal deepens (thetimes.co.uk)

BARCLAYS, BANKIA, BUNCH OF CRIMINALS, …

These last weeks anyone living in Catalonia or Spain can feel a bit embarrassed as one can find in almost each corner an office or Bankia or another bank in a similar situation. It is not very nice to see that your town is full of banks that are international news because some of them will need huge sums of money which will come from Europe.

So as I walk through the streets I see oficces of Bankia, CatalunyaCaixa, Banc de València and I say to myself: Oh, My God!

I also see offices of Caixabank. In this case I feel happy that this bank does not need money from Europe but I rememeber the affair of the preferents.

Although most of the banks in Catalonia and Spain are Spanish banks there are others that are related to foreign banks.

So in the street we also have Barclays.

And now when I see Barclays I remember the scandal that we read now in the newspapers.

So, I feel that something very serious is happening. I have the feeling as if the banks in Spain and elsewhere have been run by horrible people, the worst people in society.

I FEEL AS IF WE HAVE BEEN HIJACKED BY THE BANKS, BEING THE BANKS A BUNCH OF CRIMINALS. IT IS JUST MY FEELING.

 

Related articles

• You: Spanish Officials Hailed Banks as the Crisis Built (nytimes.com)
• Size of Spanish banking crisis revealed as British banks brace for downgrade (guardian.co.uk)

THE WORLD BANK SYSTEM COULD FALL IN A FEW DAYS

[Just a little private notice for Angela: this is currently my most visited post. Considering that, are you still sure that eurobonds are not good for Germany?]

Imagine that all of a sudden people in Spain go to Bankia …

Imagine that there is the news that people are putting their money out of Bankia. If this happens then quite soon this happens in other Spanish banks … Then this happens also outside Spain … Once this happens in all the eurozone banks then it happens almost at the same time in the UK. This follows suit in the US and all the countries of the world, rich or poor, from New Zealand to Iran.

I am afraid this may happen. With Internet this may happen. It already happen in 1929 without Internet or Twitter or Facebook.

I do not see reasons why it could not happen again.

The only advantage we have now it is that we knew what happened but now we also have Internet so that whatever it can happen it can happen just in a three days, no more!

If this is not happening is because people behind some important jobs know what happened in 1929 and they are trying to avoid it.

One of the ways to avoid it is by the media. If you read the media it seems as if the situation was not so bad as it is. But it is obvious that if people wanted the money back from BANKIA I wonder what may happened. Would Bankia be able to give back money in a way that no bells began to ring?

“Today” the G7 has had an emergency meeting through a video conference. I am afraid that we are heading for disaster.  A whole country has their bank system like in a limbo.

If all the people in the streets of Spain were aware of what is really happening I wonder what they would do. But what is really happening in fact? It is as if we have now two worlds. A world of what is happening that is obscure and another of what the media tell us.

I hope to be wrong but as this crisis does not end soon I have the feeling this is going to end as a disaster. If we do not end with empty pockets I am afraid that we are going to end nuts.

The only thing that makes me be quiet is that I always have on my minds those thousands of little fish on the ocean that all swim together so that it seems to its predators that they are just a very big fish. If the 17 fish of the eurozone worked all together to just look as one big fish I am sure than not only the sharks would not attack them. They would even have fear of it. Unfortunately the 17 fish are yet too stupid to swim as one. So the wise sharks  are having their free meal.

A Grey Nurse shark (Carcharias taurus) silhouetted against the mouth of Fish Rock Cave, South West Rocks, NSW, Australia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WHAT THE BRITISH WOULD DO IF THEY WERE IN SPANISH SHOES

As you may know Spain is in one of its worst situations of the last decades. So I have found a way to solve this difficult stuation. It is quite easy to think and quite difficult to implement!

The idea is very easy: imagine what the British would do in this case and do the same!

So, imagine that the UK was in a very bad situation and nobody lends then money.

What would they do?

Ask for help from Brussels of Berlin? NEVER!

The British are wise people and now that if they accept help from Brussels then they lose the best thing that a country can enjoy: FREEDOM.

So, I would do the following:

1. NOT ASK FOR HELP FROM EUROPE

2. DO SOMETHING SPECIAL SO THAT PEOPLE IN SPAIN CAN PUT THEIR SAVINGS TO HELP THE COUNTRY! THE ITALIANS DID SOMETHING SIMILAR

3. TRY TO UNITE THE COUNTRY BY BEEN FAIR WITH PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT KIND OF PEOPLE AND THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE STATE.

4. ACT AS IN AN EMERGENCY. SPAIN SHOULD ACT AS IF THERE HAD BEEN AN EARTHQUAKE OR SO.

The situation in Spain is so hard that only creating STRONG FEELING OF TRYING TO SAVE OURSELVES CAN SAVE US!

In Catalonia we should do too all we can so that Spain is not asking for a bailout as we would be more dependent from outside Catalonia. What Catalonia should make very clear to the rest of the state is that after the storm ends SELFDETERMINATION IS NOT A POSSIBILITY. IT IS A MUST.

Thanks to the rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona we have two of the best football teams. Let’s use that rivalry for our benefit! Let Catalonia try to resist the bailout on its own! Let the rest of Spain try to resist the bailout on its own too!

Catalonia has a big opportunity to save Spain. Catalonia is the strongest part of the state. If Catalonia can help Spain try to be independent from Brussels I am sure that one day Catalonia could choose its future without much difficulty.

Catalan nationalism and Spanish nationalism are always at odds but this is a unique time to unite! BOTH LOVE INDEPENDENCE! BY FIGHTING TOGETHER AGAINST AN INTERVENTION FROM BRUSSELS NONE OF THEM IS GOING AGAINST ITS PRINCIPLES!

So, Mariano act urgently and put exceptional measures so we can resist as if we were NUMANCIA.

Switch off lights at night of main buildings, encourage people not to buy petrol if not needed exceptionnally.

IT IS ALL A QUESTION OF TRUST. IF MARIANO CONVINCES THE PEOPLE A SOLUTION CAN BE SOLVED.

 

TODAY SPANISH BANKS, TOMORROW GERMAN BANKS. AND THEN AMERICAN BANKS …

Morocco and Spain (NASA, International Space Station, 12/31/11) (Photo credit: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center)

This Tuesday the G7 will meet through a video conference to talk about the situation of Spain.

The main economies of the world are worried about the Spanish banks. It is said that they are afraid that money leaves the Spanish banks and goes abroad. In fact I imagine that in fact they are not afraid that this may happen but in fact this is happening it seems!

I think they have reasons to be worried. If I had a lot of money in Spanish banks I am sure I would put at least a part abroad as I do not like to have all the eggs in the same bag.

On TV some people were very angry with the people that are putting their money out of Spain because they say this is antipatriotic. They are right they are anti patriotic but how can anyone be patriotic in Spain when:

- The king of Spain hunted elephants and all the planets knows that to our shame.

- We were told by last president of Spain some years ago we had the best bank system of the world!

- The head of the ECB tells the the Bankia bad news could not have been showed in a worse way.

- A village in Spain choses TOROS instead of JOBS!

- We have shown we did not deserve the trust of Germany! During decades the German taxpayers has been throwing money in funds for Spain and we just have used to live as the NEW RICH by just having HIGH SPEED TRAINS that other more wealthy states cannot afford (MR. OBAMA MADE A JOKE ABOUT THAT!)

In brief, you can be patriotic when you are proud of your patria (homeland). But when your patria means acting as a new rich, hunting elephants, wasting money in high speed trains, choosing toros and not jobs and in summary having the feeling of being part of a REPUBLICA BANANERA what can you expect?

In any case, outside Spain there is life! So I hope people from outside Spain can do what Spain has not been able to put order!

IS NOT WEIRD THAT I’M WRITING THIS IN ENGLISH AND THAT THE PRESIDENT OF SPAIN DOE SNOT SPEAK ENGLISH? HOPEFULLY THE CATALAN PRESIDENT SPEAKS VERY GOOD ENGLISH!

Let me end, however, bringing some hope. Not everybody in Spain has acted as new rich. Some decent people still remain in Spain. Unfortunately this decent people are not news because they do not hunt elephants nor they dress in red at the wrong time.

Related articles

• CEO of failed Spanish bank to walk away with over $17 million (americablog.com)
• Investors hold breath for run on Spanish banks, but no lines yet (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
• Eurozone’s “Bought Time” is Ending (wallstreetpit.com)

ANGELA MERKEL FINALLY SPEAKS ABOUT SPAIN

These last days have been horrible for Spain. The Bankia affair, historical yields and even a reprimand from the ECB and the silence from Europe. But finally Angela Merkel has said something in favour of Spain.

It is very important this because if you ask a a lot of austerity to Spain but at the same time you do not support the country that is following austerity then people may feel we are left to our own devices.

Spain needs Angela.

I think we all should see the eurocrisis as a wonderful opportunity to creat a great continent where wherever you are inside the eurozone you know that the politicians act with a minimum of responsability. The eurocrisis may achieve this. But is is a hard thing to do and we need feedbacks and the sense that we are doing this hard thing together with other people.

Angela Merkel may not know but just the fact that she says that Spain is doing things right is very good news for me. Because is she remains silent then I have the feeling that Spain is doing something so bad that the rest of partners do not want to do anything with us.

Angela Merkel is the face of the euro. If she saves the euro and we have euros in a decade I propose her face can be put in a 2 euro coin.

So, Angela, please do not live us. Be harsh with us but let us breath too!

Related articles

• Caption competition: Angela Merkel and a rubber glove (guardian.co.uk)
• WATCH: Germany’s Angela Merkel Gets Schooled at Geography (newsfeed.time.com)

THE ECB SNUBS SPAIN

Do you remember the times when the European Central Bank used to buy Spanish bonds some months ago.

Well, these lasts days Spain needed urgently  the ECB buying Spanish bonds again but not only Mario Draggi has refused to do that. In fact he has criticised harshly the Spanish government in the way that it has handle the Bankia hole of about 2000000000 or more euros … (about 500 euros per Spanish capita).

So, not only Spain is not receiving any backing from the ECB. In fact the ECB is unhappy with Spain!

So it seems that Spain is again in the wrong side of history.

The game has ended and now Europe is angry with Spain.

This is quite crazy. Very bad news from Spain with the Bankia affair. Then you see the president of Spain, Mariano Rajoy trying to calm the markets and now Mario Draggi is criticising the handling of Bankia.

I wish I could trust blindly in Europe so that it would be good to be ruled from Berlin instead than from Madrid but I do not trust Angela Merkel. She does not believe in Europe. She only believes in Germany.

Somebody from outside Europe should tell the eurozone the truth: tell Spain, Greece and other countries to be aware that they acted like new rich and now it is time to pay back and at the same time to tell Angela Merkel that it is time for Germany to leave the euro if she does not want eurobonds.

Anyway, this post like a lot of mine are like the cry of someone who is in a river close to a fall and cries and cries but nobody hears him and the ones who hear him don’t give a damm. That’s Europe today. I may blame Merkel for this chaos a bit but I don’t blame Gemran people. During years they have been pouring money to Spain. And here we are …

Related articles

• ECB Denies Report It Rejected A Spain Plan For Bankia Recap (forexlive.com)
• ECB rejects Spanish plan to recapitalize Bankia (forexlive.com)
• Spain’s long climb to the liquidity hospital (ftalphaville.ft.com)
• Outside the Box: In Spain, the worst is yet to come (marketwatch.com)
• Today in Europe (economist.com)
• ECB’s Refusal To Play Ball Means Spain Has To Foot A €350 Billion Bailout Bill Alone (zerohedge.com)

TÍTOLS DE DEUTE VS EMISSIÓ DEL TRESOR

Ja m’he perdut. Em semblava que títols de deute, emissions del tresor era més o menys el mateix. Però pel que es veu no.

Ara sembla que Bankia no se salvarà amb títols de deute sinó amb emissions del tresor fetes en subhastes tradicionals?

De què estem parlant?

No entenc res!

Quan parlem de la prima de risc es parla de bons. Els bons són títols de deute o emissions del tresor?

Després de veure com Mariano Rajoy ens deia una cosa el dilluns i ara saber que el BCE no ho veu possible trobo que caldrà estudiar economia per entendre que s’està fent amb això de Bankia.

Abans no m’hagués atrevit a preguntar-ho però ara veient que el govern diu de fer coses que el mateix BCE no deixa fer em pregunto si ara això de les emissions és pot fer o no?

Qui comprarà les emissions? Farà això pujar la primar de risc?

A vegades tinc la sensació que ni Mariano Rajoy té molta més idea que jo sobre tot això. Però és només una impressió. No crec que sigui així.

Tinc la sensació com si Mariano Rajoy demanés a experts com solucionar això de BANKIA i algú donés una manera de tenir els diners i llavors Mariano Rajoy diu que ja está bé així però sense sentir bé tot el discurs dels experts.

Dóna la sensació com si això de Bankia en comptes d’estar en mans de gent experta i seriosa estigués en mans de gent que gent amb bona voluntat però sens egaire preparació.

Necessitem 19000 millions d’euros i cada dia se’ns dóna una recepta diferent per tenir els diners. Això sembla tret d’una novel.la de Kafka.

Sembla com si ens estiguessim caient pel precipici i mentre això passa Mariano Rajoy ens conta un conte per a distreure’ns.

Curiosament, certs mitjants també sembla que no estna a l’alçada de le scircumstàncies i ara estan parlant de qui és el responsable de tot a quest embolic amb Bankia. PERÒ EN QUIN MÓN VIEUN? ARA EL MENYS IMPORTANT ÉS QUI HA ORIGINAT EL FOC SINÓ APAGAR EL FOC!!!!!!

Se’ns està cremant la casa i uns dins de la casa intenten apagar el foc de maneres inversemblants i poc convincents i sobretot improvisades i altres, mentre tot crema, només es dediquen a buscar el culpable del foc en comptes d’ajudar a apagar-ho. Si no fos perquè estic dins d’aquesta casa que es crema la veritat és que tan em faria el que passi a la casa: amb la gent que hi viu dins el que és estrany és que la casa encara no s’hagi enfonsat.

Per cert, en una cambra d’aquesta edifici que es crema, sembla que hi ha fins i tot uns irreductibles que s’han reunit perquè no estan d’acord en ser els que més paguen de comunitat.

DOES CATALONIA WANT SPAIN TO BE INTERVENED?

This morning I was watching a Catalan tv channel and at some point I have the feeling as if some of the people talking would prefer in some way that Spain is intervened so that we are ruled from Brussels instead of being rules from Madrid.

As there is a big dislike in Catalonia of being ruled from Madrid there is the possibility that some say the intervention of Spain as a good thing: The Spanish politicians in Madrid are so bad that it is better to be ruled from Brussels.

But I think this is a mistake. Governments in Madrid may do things that we like or not in Catalonia but at least they know what we want.

In Madrid there are people that know us. Politicians in Madrid dislike Catalonia to feel as a nation but at least they know us much better than people from Brussels. People in Madrid they know that we in Catalonia speak Catalan. They may like that more or less but they know. What do people know in Brussels know about Catalonia.

Some people in Madrid would be extremely happy with a Spain without autonomous communities but they know that, unfortunately for them, such a Spain would mean a lot of terrible trouble. They know that in Catalonia and Euskadi and other places we would never accept that. On the other hand people from Brussels could have no problem in dismantling the autonomous communities if this means less spend.

In summary what I mean is that we in Spain know each other. We may dislike each other but we know that and we act accordingly.

The football is a good example. A government in Madrid knows perfectly well that football is essential in Spain. A government from Brussels could ask for taxes to clubs and it would feel it is being fair by just asking the same to all the clubs.

What I mean is that it is better to be ruled from a place that you know and they know you than from a faceless Europe.

A Madrid government will treat Catalonia in an unfair way so that we continue paying a lot and receiving not much but at least you know they know you are one of the most prosperous part of the state. Meanwhile, people from Brussels will treat us just as people from southern Europe who just spend too much.

Mariano Rajoy is from Galizia. So, whatever he feels more Spanish than Galizian or whatever it is obvious he knows that Spain is a place where we speak different languages.

The best to buy a Europe with a future should be to understand the Europeans around you. And if we do not understand ourselves with the rest of the people from the peninsula how should we understand us with the whole Europe?

People from Madrid will treat Catalonians in a good or bad way but you can be sure they consider us as this part of Spain that is very prosperous but that unfortunately for Madrid is always asking for more. On the other hand people from Brussels  will treat Catalonia just as one part more of the disastrous zone of Southern Europe.

Besides, there was a poll to choose Mariano Rajoy. If we are ruled from Brussels then we will be ruled by some surreal set of people that we did not choose!

Anyway, I am afraid that now there are people in Spain and Catalonia that would be happy if Spain is intervened. Some people in Catalonia could be happy as this would mean a disaster to blame Spain. And maybe some people in Spain may also like an intervention as then they could say that the Spain of the autonomous communities was the responsible of the disaster.

In any case, I am like Mariano Rajoy. I like to ask help only when I cannot more. I maybe right or wrong in doing so but in this sense I am like Mariano Rajoy: I like to rely on myself.

As I have said in this blog I prefer to be hungry and free than rich and live in a cage.

FOR GOOD OR FOR BAD, THE.CAT IS LIKE MARIANO RAJOY: HE LIKES NOT TO ASK FOR HELP FROM EUROPE.

 

Related articles

• Fear over bail-out rises as Catalonia seeks help (telegraph.co.uk)

DIMECRES NEGRE

Me’n vaig a dormir. D’aquí unes hores sortirà el sol però tinc la sensació que aquest dimecres serà el pitjor dia de la història recent espanyola. Em pregunto si la prima de risc arribara a 520 o s’aproparà a 540. El BCE ha rebutjat el pla del govern espanyol per sanejar el BCE. O això diu des de Londres, el Financial Times.

Sort de tots aquells i aquelles que s’han anat a dormir sense saber aquesta darrera notícia. Almenys han pogut dormir.

Related articles

• ECB Rejects Spain Plan To Tap Central Bank Cash For Bankia:FT (forexlive.com)
• Spain Closer To EU/IMF Bailout (eurasiareview.com)
• Oil down, reversing gains after Spain downgrade (business.financialpost.com)
• Spain may ask for international financial aid (cbsnews.com)
• Volvo’s Sartre road train’s autonomous cars go 50 mph over 120 miles in Spain (green.autoblog.com)