‘Liberating’ basic foodstuffs from supermarkets in Andulasia

Posted on 14/08/2012 by Michael

El que es muy rico

An Andalusian trade union removes trollies of food from 2 supermarkets without paying in order to then provide the basic necessities of life to those unable to afford them. Bankers and others who steal from the public – those who have caused the present crisis – immune from prosecution call for the full force of the law to be used against these ´thieves´.

Supermarkets are stuffed full of food (they even throw some of it away at the end of the day) but in Spain there is an increasing number of people who go hungry. What to do?

The decision of one trade union in Andalusia, the Sindicato Andaluz de Trajabadores/as (SAT), was to go into two supermarkets, fill a number of trolleys to the brim with basic and everyday necessities and then walk out without paying. This food was then distributed to people who had no money whatsoever to buy such necessities.

Can’t pay, won’t pay

This follows, in a number of ways, the scenario of the play ‘Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay’, written by the Italian satirist Dario Fo in the 1970s. Checking some information about this on the internet I see that there are a number of theatre companies around the UK who are, or have been, performing this play as it rings so many bells in the contemporary situation in many European countries.

The attack on the supermarkets happened on Monday 6th August and I don’t know what sort of coverage (if any) this has had in the British press, the Olympics being useful (yet again) to hide any bad news or anything that might be important.

Ex- Prime Ministers feed from the trough

SAT argued that in a society, and at a time, when money was given to bankers and their ilk by the wagon load there was ample justification for their actions.

Not surprisingly the owners of the two supermarkets, Mercadona and Carrefour, did not agree and have been calling for the full force of the law to be used against the individuals directly concerned as well as the trade union. In response the union has begun a campaign for a boycott of Mercadona, being the most vociferous in its call for the use of the courts to defend the sanctity of private property, until they withdraw their claims against the union. It seems the company has a history of illegal and unjustified sackings with accusations of discrimination being upheld in the courts. That would seem to be one of the reasons that that particular supermarket was chosen for the raid.

Mercadona has a history of being a bad employer

Mercadona – the perfect employer?

The last news I’ve seen is that those who’d been arrested have been released but the matter will not rest there. Not to prosecute could lead to copy cat activities throughout the region (if not further afield) but taking them to court could turn them into martyrs. The propaganda war is already on with local people being interviewed who say that such action goes too far but don’t offer any suggestions about what should be done instead. It’s early days yet but will try to keep an eye on developments.

One bit of information I received whilst discussing this matter is the fact that there is (or at least was) a law under Spanish jurisprudence that allows for the hungry to take food, as long as no violence is involved. The fact that the food taken in these supermarket raids could not be classified in any way as luxuries might well mean that this case could fall within the meaning of this law. Being, as we are in the UK, used to ancient laws being resurrected so that the state can exact its revenge against workers (such as the Shrewsbury Three) or brought out to pull the state out of the mess it has got itself into (such as the Pentonville Five in the Dockers’ Strike in 1972 with the mysterious one and only appearance of the Official Solicitor) it’s interesting that a law exists which can be used by workers. Not that we should put any faith in laws introduced by a capitalist state.

In Britain the tendency is to suffer in silence. When people do take the law into their own hands, as some did in different cities throughout the UK this time last year, they were condemned because they stole trainers and TVs and NOT foodstuffs. Would people’s attitudes have been different if all that was looted was the milk, eggs, potatoes, flour and the like used to produce a healthy and substantial meal? Now that would be a real danger to society.

Poster calling for a Boycot of Mercadona.

Boycott Mercadona!

The images in this post depict the general argument of the Union. Who are the real thieves? The ones who steal cooking oil to give to the hungry, or those who seek to increase their already vast fortunes, including ex-Prime Ministers, of both the conservative and so-called socialist breed.

Although in Spanish you can click here for the link for SAT for more information on how things are developing.

Por fin – Spain wins its first Gold Medal

Posted on 14/08/2012 by Michael

At Last – a Gold Medal

‘POR FIN’ (at last) was headline on one of the Catalonian ‘red tops’ on Wednesday, August 8^th, 2012, the day after Spain had won its first gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

If those of you who lived in the UK during those two weeks thought there was nothing more important on the planet than the Olympic Games you can, perhaps, be consoled that (for some people) it was of equal importance in Spain as well.

In Britain things were muted when the first gold medal winner was tardy in stepping up to the podium. Favourites were failing to quite get that illusive piece of metal and fears were growing that Team GB (nearly always forgetting to mention Northern Ireland) might have a disastrous Olympics and the home advantage would be lost. Nothing was said but there was definitely a sensation the country could end up with egg on its face and politicians were fearing they wouldn’t be able to make political capital out of any sporting success that came the country’s way.

Now they’ve swung in completely the opposite direction and have announced a parade as if the athletes were victors in some foreign war. Wouldn’t it have been more in the spirit of the Olympics that such a parade was planned before the medal tally was known? Is it only an achievement if the numbers of medal are high and the country can claim that it won the bronze medal in the international competition? And what about poor Rio de Janeiro, having to follow the ‘greatest games EVER’? ‘It’s not the winning that matters, it’s the competing that counts’ is obviously a thing of the past and modern states don’t like you unless you’re a winner.

But back to Spain. If it was bad in Britain imagine what it was like there, having to wait another 6 days after the British were able to breathe a sigh of relief.

The Spanish weren’t able to get much closer to Britain’s total by the time of the closing ceremony on Sunday but I’m sure the Tories in power in Spain are feeling envious of their allies in London who are able to distract the population from the crisis through which the country is living by calling on the Olympic ‘feel good factor’.

And will Spain now be encouraged to call a victory parade for its athletes or would that only be drawing attention to their 21^st placing?

Montseny Natural Park and the Congost Valley

Posted on 14/08/2012 by Michael

Montseny and Congost, Catalonia

Montseny Natural Park and the Congost Valley

The Montseny Natural Park, just to the north of Barcelona in Catalonia, contains a wide variety of flora and fauna and offers many opportunities for the walker. On its western edge is the Congost Valley, historically one of the escape routes for those fleeing the Fascists towards the end of the Spanish Civil War.

Have been able to do a couple of walks during my 6 or so days here so far. More getting back into the habit of walking and enjoying the heat, the sight of the sun (can those in Britain remember what it looks like?) and the blue skies than exploring new areas. Just after I arrived a heat wave was predicted for virtually the whole of the Spanish peninsula and although it’s been hot here the temperatures are not as extreme as in some other parts, due to being a bit further north and also inland amongst the hills.

But it has been extremely dry here over the last couple of months (following an unusually cold winter spell) and it has got to the extent that announcements are being made on the trains imploring passengers to be extra careful in avoiding any potential forest fires. So far Catalonia has been spared any of these during the present period of high alert. A wind that tends to come down from the Pyrenees in the afternoon can be physically pleasant but brings with it the danger of fanning any fires that do start. This is the Traumontana (in Catalan) which ceases to become a relief from the heat and becomes a real threat to the hills and the communities that exist in the region.

Although not many people do so I think it is still possible to walk in this part of Spain during August. Yes it’s hot, but an extremely early start can mitigate that problem (I started far too late on my first excursion) and the worse that can mean is you are in the bar by early afternoon.

If you don’t know this part of Catalonia I think it will come as a pleasant surprise that you are actually able to walk in the hills. Looking at them from the road or the train the hills in the Congost valley look almost impenetrable, a mass of pines and oaks with no way through. This is even the impression if you are looking across from one side of the valley to the other. However, once you get away from the main roads and explore this area you’ll find there are a myriad of tracks, too many tracks, too many junctions and too many ways to go wrong if you are not familiar with the area.

I have the good fortunate of being able to remember (not always, but more often than not) where I have been and my experience on my first couple of excursions was one of recognising familiar landmarks. But this is such a rolling landscape that at one moment you might be looking down on to a largish town, the next you are walking along a small valley where you have lost all perspective. And that’s one of the things that makes this area a joy to explore. Within a relatively short distance from civilisation you can appear to be in the middle of nowhere. Then, perhaps a relief, perhaps a shock, you turn a corner and you are assaulted by the noise of the traffic along a major highway from Barcelona to the French border.

One of the advantages of the heat is that it brings out the smells of the plants and that attracts the insects. In one five-minute section of my couple of walks I’ve seen more butterflies than I’ve seen all summer in Britain. Although I’ve been walking in the Mediterranean for many years I’ve still to remember all the names of the different plants. But as you walk along you get wafted by the smell of the fig. Rosemary and different varieties of sages are ubiquitous, along both sides of many of the wider tracks. As the day develops and temperatures rise this all compensates for the heat that bounces back at you from the road.

I said a myriad of tracks and with that comes a myriad of signs. Useful at times but at others confusing. It’s all to do with a way of thinking but I still find it difficult to arrive at a junction and find a sign indicating the place I’ve just passed being shown in the completely opposite direction. It makes sense in that there is a circular route but disconcerting nonetheless.

And one thing I learnt on my first outing with my new GPS toy is that technology means nothing if you don’t know how to use it properly. Perhaps it’s good I know much of this area quite well and don’t depend upon some US military controlled satellite to find my route. The maps available for this area are becoming increasing more reliable (since the army maps of the Franco era have been steadily replaced by those that seek to inform rather than confuse) and are probably more useful when you arrive at a junction with 3 routes all pointing in, more or less, the same direction.

Am recording the routes as I go along and am thinking about putting them on the blog. One of the issues I have to deal with is the dependence upon local transport to get to the beginning and/or end of a walk. That works to a point but in some of these hills there are virtually no settlements of any kind (other than an isolated monastery now converted into a big private estate) and have had to make recourse to the thumb on one occasion already. But with a certain amount of planning it is possible for someone to get into these hills. And as many people who go to the coast for their holidays rent a car this makes this area even that more accessible.

Have attached a slideshow to the end of this post to give a bit of an idea of the terrain and what it contains. As I said in my welcome this area is rich in history and culture and much of this can be experienced by walks into the countryside. Summer is always a bad time for long distance landscape pictures as there is an almost permanent haze, but hope you can get some idea of the area.

Now off to get away from the computer and have a few pints in one of the cheapest places I have found in the area for a beer (some of the places I’ve been to over the last few days are definitely into the idea of fleecing the tourist/foreigner – something which always annoys).