SPAIN REJECTS TO CUT WAGES AND INCREASE VAT

These lasts weeks the European Union is telling Spain to cut wages to its civil servants and increase VAT too. Now the IMF has said the same and it has said YA YA YA! But the president of Spain has answered NO, NO, NO!

I feel very very ashamed of the raction of the Spanish government BECAUSE IT GOES AGAINST THE GENERAL INTEREST OF SPAIN AND EUROPE.

Mariano Rajoy is given the wrong image of Spain. The image that Spain must send now to the world is that we do not need Europe or the IMF to tell us what to do because we are responsible. But we are doing the opposite! Europe and the IMF are telling publicly to Spain what I am sure they have been telling Spain privately for a long time.

So instead of showing to the world that WE ARE THE FIRST TO WANT TO BE ABLE TO PAY OUR DEBTS the impression is that WE WON’T DO ANYMORE CUT UNLESS YOU OBLIGE US. This is a horrible message to give!

If I was a foreign investor it is obvious I would not have trust in this Spanish government!

In Catalonia we have fortunately a government that is the first to give example to the world.

And in any case, if Spain does not cut now wages and does not increase VAT it should at least speak loud and SAY WHY NOT!

Spain is acting in a very childish way! It is not possible that the Spanish government uses foreign advices as the enemy. It is as if Spanish government is waiting and waiting so that at the end it will cut wages and increase VAT but then it will say: WE DID THAT BECAUSE THE OUTSIDE WORLD FORCE US! In fact we should do that because we need money to pay our debts so that people only will lend us money if they see we are responsible!

So instead of being pedagogical and tell Spaniards that we have been spending too much and that now we have to cut so that we have a future Mariano Rajoy is just acting as the classical and typical Spanish politician. Has he not learnt the lesson from Zapatero?

If Europe is telling you to cut wages and increase VAT you must tell to your people clearly why you are not doing that! WHY SPAIN IS NOT FOLLOWING THE ADVICE OF EUROPE? If we are more wise than Angela merkel and company I would be happy to know why! If for Spain the best is not to cut wages and not to increase VAT I want my government to convince me! But the only thing I see is that they are giving the image that Spain only cuts IF FORCED. And this is the worst image of Spain that you can give becuae then the investors realise that we are not ruled by serious politicians!

MARIANO RAJOY, WITH NOT ACTING IN A RESPONSIBLE WAY, IS BRINGING THE SPANISH BOND TO THE STATUS OF JUNK BOND. SHAME ON HIM!

 

WHAT DOES THE UK AND FRANCE THINK ABOUT AN INTERVENTION OF SPAIN?

Molière and Shakespeare remain quite silent about a possible intervention of La Mancha of Don Quixote and the rests of lands around La Mancha.

We read in the news that Japan finds that Spain has a fatal arrogance by not asking a bailout. We also read that there are romours that Germany is putting pressure in Spain to ask for a bailout.

But as far as I know FRANCE and the UNITED KINGDOM remain silent!

So, this is a bit sad because it is as if SPAIN was just having a private dance with GERMANY. And the rest of Europe were just simple expectators!

It says volumes about the strength of Germany that it can tell Spain what to do (secretly) and we may like that or not but we do not get crazy about that. It does not sound so strange that Germany says something.

But be aware that pressure from France or the United Kingdom will be nonsense. “Who are they to tell us what to do? would be the first thought in Spain. But with Germany is different.

So this is strange because these lasts months a relation of love/hate towards Germany has been created between some eurozone countries and Germany. It is as if we were very afraid of Germany ruling our lives and at the same time we would love help from Germany.

But as Spain is news around the world for a possible bailout to its banks I have not heard a voice from France or the United Kingdom.

It is as if France and the United Kingdom wanted to remain neutral.

In Portugal people are afraid that Spain may need a bailout because they fear this would bring more problems to Portugal that has already been bailout.

France is also silent but I am sure that a possible bailout of Spain cannot be welcomed in Paris. Spain and France share the wonderful Pyrenees and if Spain is intervened this means that France is closer to the problematic side of Europe.

The United Kingdom and Spain have a history of confrontation for the domain of the seas some centuries ago. But there is also some love. I WILL NEVER FORGET GEORGE ORWELL. HE CAME TO CATALONIA TO FIGHT FOR THE SPANISH REPUBLIC. And myself, I feel so much admiration for the British. I like England and Scotland very much.

I forgot to mention ITALY. I have the feeling we in Spain are now unhappy with Italy. Some months ago Italy seemed to be in a worse situation that Spain and now we see that Italy is not news and Spain is news everywhere. In any case it is the feeling that the Italians are like brothers that we may feel a little sad that we are the ones now in the bad position.  It is bad news that we are worse than Italy but it will be still worse than Italy and Spain were both bad news. So I wish the best to Italy. What a wonderful language and what nice people I know from Italy.

Some decades ago Spain was a dictatorship. Europe was one thing and Spain was another. SPAIN WAS DIFFERENT. Now, if Spain is intervened I am afraid we return back to the dark ages of Spain.

I would like that, as in a miracle, I could now meet all the people I have known from Europe. What would they tell me? France is now silent but I am sure that my French friends would tell me something. Now I almost want to cry as I remember the sweetest people I have known from France.

Sometimes I think that the problem we had in Spain is that the change from pesetas to euros was quite a change. What is was 1000 pesetas then it became 6 EUROS. So we had the feeling that everything was cheap.

All the world is currently looking at Spain and wondering what we are going to do next. Mariano rajoy, the president of Spain, must do something that people in Spain can understand. To resist is easy to understand.

Maybe people in the world begin to think that Spain is been crazy as it does not ask for a bailout. Today I read that Cyprus may ask for a bailout. So it seems as if the most normal thing to do is to ask a bailout when you need it.

But Spain cannot ask for a bailout. It is not because it is too proud to do that. it is because if Spain does not ask a bailout it can feel as a basic part of  Europe. And a basic part of Europe cannot ask for a bailout! A basic part of Europe must be a place where other countries can rely on.

Spain, in not asking a bailout, is not been a fatal proud country. It is showing to Portugal and France that we will do all we can so that they can have the good news of not having a neighbour that has a bailout. In the case of Portugal that is important because if your country is bailout and the country next door is also bailout then you seem like been far from the wealthy part of Europe. And for France it would always be better to have countries that are stable. It would be very bad for France to have in the north a neighbour that hates the euro, a neighbour in the east that just is the one to obbey and one in the south that cannot be of any help at all.

So, when Spain does not ask for a bailout it is paying a high price not just for Spain but for the image of Europe and for Portugal, France and even Italy.

If Spain asks for a bailout then the who says that the next is not Italy and then even France as the domino effect goes on and on?

Spain should set an example. No big country in Europe should in fact be allowed to ask for a bailout! If a country goes bankrupt then it should take responsability for that.

See what has happened in Greece. There is a bailout and are the Greek happy? Not at all! Money from Europe is going to Greece to pay the debts they have and Greek are not happy. In fact extreme parties have been born? This is what Europe needs in Spain?

The Greek experience tells us that a bailout can be bring chaos. So I think that the idea of Mariano Rajoy is not so bad! First, we have no demonstrations in the streets asking for a bailout! Resisting a bailout makes Spaniards feel stronger and better. That is what Europe needs!

Some decades ago the dictator of Spain close the border of Gibraltar. That was a very big mistake because it made the people of Gibraltar to be more closer than ever. So I think that with opposing th ebailout is the same! It is obvious that without a bailout Spain is in a very hard situation but this resistence creates the right atmosphere to fight all together for one cause! If we have this problem in Spain now is because until now we had been very individualistic!

This crisis has told me that even if one is individualistic by nature it is important to care a lot about the society and institutions that are related to you.

THE.CAT does not want to be a slave of EUROPE. So I do want a bailout …

SPAIN IS RIGHT IN NOT ACCEPTING A BAILOUT

English: Signature of Mariano Rajoy, Spanish politician. Español: Firma de Mariano Rajoy, político español. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Spain is currently receiving a lot of pressure so that it asks for a bailout. But the president of Spain does not ask for it. So, he is accused of been too proud to ask for help.

Well, I think that what he is doing is not so bad: Spain is responsible of its critical problems and Spain has to solve its critical problem.

What is wrong for that? I think it would be worse if Rajoy said: OK, we did the things in a wrong way but now we ask for help and that’s all.

I think he is not acting like this because he is too proud but because he, like me, thinks that one has to be responsible of its own acts.

Maybe Mariano Rajoy is wrong in not accepting help but nobody gives helps for nothing!! Europe offers help to Greece but at what price?

I only know that I prefer to be poor but to live with my own money than to be at the orders of Berlin.

The only thing I would ask Mariano is to be sincere with the Spaniards and tell us which is the plan!

Tomorrow is a very important day for Spain. Bonds are going to be sold. Will it be possible to sell them. And at what price?

Some centuries ago Spanish accepted that the French troops entered Spain to fight Portugal that was an ally of England. In the end, the French troops invaded us and we had to fight a war against them!

If Spain accepts money from Europe something similar may happen. We will be ruled from outside (and in Catalonia we know the meaning of this! We are ruled from Madrid and is awful!)

I say alll this because from outside it may seem that we are just too proud. And it is not just so. We love to have the sense we are free!

If Spain accepts a bailout it is as if Germany had invaded Spain! It is true that the Germans are wise enough not to force us to learn German but they would force to do whatever they ask us. While we should remain silent and not even mention the word BAILOUT.

In any case, if I had to choose between living in a Golden German cage or in a die of hunger next to the Mediterranean pines I prefer the last.

Each country has an image of itself. And that image makes that you can or cannot ask for help. Spain cannot ask for help because EVERYBODY IN SPAIN LOVES TO BE THE MASTER OF ITS DESTINY.

And it is this that unites all people in Spain! Even in Catalonia an intervention from Brussels is suspicious. A lot of people in Catalonia do not like to be ruled from Madrid but for the same reason we do not want to be ruled from Brussels. And the same happens in Madrid.

In any case if Brussels rules Berlin to accept eurobonds I am the first to forget all I say and be the first to be accept direct rule from Brussels. I do not have any problem about Brussels ruling Spain IF IT ALSO RULES BERLIN.

IF BRUSSELS REALLY RULED EUROPE THEN I WOULD ACCEPT THE AUSTERITY TO SPAIN BECAUSE I KNOW THAT AT THE SAME TIME BRUSSELS WOULD FIGHT FOR THE EURO STABILITY BY JUST ACCEPTING EUROBONDS.

While Germany rules Brussels I support Mariano Rajoy not asking help from Brussels. In this sense, I feel more British than ever! In the sense of neither not trusting Brussels.

Related articles

• Spain PM insists on sticking to austerity measures (kansascity.com)
• Europe Fears Bailout of Spain Would Strain Its Resources (nytimes.com)

IF ANGELA EUROBONDS THEN MARIANO BAILOUT …

In the last posts I have shown complete support to Mariano Rajoy when he says that htere is no need to ask for help from Europe. But …

Well, if Spain askes for help I am sure than then we will feel as if we did not have elected an government and we are ruled from Berlin. I think we should be very aware that to accept a bailout would mean that we will be almost directly ruled from unelected people in Brussels or Berlin.

On the other hand I do not want to be acting as a fundamentalist so I think it is good not to have very fixed ideas (like Angela has about th eurobonds!) so that I am starting to consider that it is not just what happens in Spain. As a citizne of the eurozone I should also take care of what is better for the eurozone!

So, a bailout for Spain, if Angela Merkel wants it, maybe it is a way to start to solve the problems in hte eurozone.

Obviously a bailout is a humiliation for Spain so I understand that a proud man like Mariano does not ask for help. But let think about this:

If we do not ask for a bailout what does it mean?: That we are strong and that we do not need it? Or that we are too proud and fools and araid of the future?

To ask for a bailout can seem as a weakness for Spain but maybe it is not so. To ask a bailout could mean that we are a mature country!: WE HAVE BEEN A DISASTER, WE HAVE SPEND TOO MUCH BUT WE WANT TO IMPROVE. SO WE ACCEPT WE NEED THE HELP FROM EUROPE BECAUSE WE ARE CONFIDENT IN US AND WE KNOW THAT WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO US IS A LESSON FOR THE FUTURE.

What happens to Spain is in someway similar to what may happen to anyone of us: imagine that we fail and we have to ask for money to our family. Our family knows we are in a very bad situation and offers money to us. We know that if we accept that money then the family will put some rules. So what we do? We continue as if we do not need help until we end starving and then the family helps us? Or we accept that we have been fools and we accept help from the family?

So, What is better? For how long will Europe let Spain decide? Just next week as the latest?