Ada Colau, Barcelona's New Mayor, on Spain's Political Revolution

[deutsey]

Last edited Sat Jun 6, 2015, 09:26 AM - Edit history (1)

A longtime anti-eviction activist has just been elected mayor of Barcelona, becoming the city’s first female mayor. Ada Colau co-founded the anti-eviction group Platform for People Affected by Mortgages and was an active member of the Indignados, or 15-M Movement. Colau has vowed to fine banks with empty homes on their books, stop evictions, expand public housing, set a minimum monthly wage of $670, force utility companies to lower prices, and slash the mayoral salary. Colau enjoyed support from the Podemos party, which grew out of the indignados movement that began occupying squares in Spain four years ago. Ada Colau joins us to discuss her victory.

From the interview:

ADA COLAU: [translated] There are problems related to the economic crisis, but this economic crisis is a consequence of a political crisis, of a profound democratic crisis. We have had a form of government where the political elites had a cozy relationship with the economic elites who have ruined the economy of the country, and the ultimate representation of this was the behavior of the financial institutions, of the banks. They have defrauded thousands and thousands of citizens, with abusive mortgages. They have evicted thousands of families and they have ruined the country’s economy. And this has happened because of the cozy relationship between the political and economical elites. In the face of this situation, where there have been losses of billions of Euros, that have caused social cutbacks in as basic as health care and education, it’s caused, for example, in a city that’s rich like Barcelona, a city where there is a lot of money and a lot of resources, the inequality has shot up. That means that there are people that are getting more and more rich, at the same time that there are more poor people than ever. So the middle class is disappearing.

AMY GOODMAN: Ada Colau, two years ago you testified at a Spanish parliamentary hearing on Spain’s foreclosure crisis. On the panel, you spoke right after a representative of Spain’s banking industry. You famously turned to the banker and said, "This man is a criminal and should be treated like one."

ADA COLAU: [translated] We’ve been negotiating with banks, with the public administration, with the courts and therefore we know exactly what we’re talking about. And this leads me to question the voices of supposed experts who precisely are the ones being given too much credit, pardon the pun, such as the representatives of financial institutions. We just had an example, I would say at the very least it was paradoxical, to use an understatement, if not outright cynical, for the representative of financial institutions who just spoke telling us that the Spanish legislation was great. To say that, when people are taking their own lives because of this criminal law, I assure you, I assure you that I did not thrown my shoe at this man because I believed it was important to be here now to tell you what I’m telling you. But this man is a criminal! And you should treat him as such! He is not an expert. The representatives of financial institutions have caused this problem. They are the very same people who caused the problem which has ruined the whole economy of this country and you are treating these people as experts

Full transcript is available at http://www.democracynow.org/2015/6/5/from_occupying_banks_to_city_hall

[Dustlawyer]

1. I hope we are going to have a similar revolution with Bernie! Seems she is saying many

of the same things.

[deutsey]

2. +1

[Baitball Blogger]

3. Fabuloso!

[panfluteman]

4. How Eerily Similar to Our Own Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis!

The wealthy white collar criminals have been making out like bandits by following essentially the same playbook the world over. People of the world unite, and throw off these blood sucking leeches!

[FlatBaroque]

6. The "crisis" was a thoroughly planned series of events

that occurred throughout the Western, central banking world. People of the world are uniting. Greece, Spain, and Italy have shown surging populism. It will go global and it will come here. Sometimes I feel like every paradign under which we have operated since WWII is about to be turned upside down.

[appalachiablue]

8. The housing/mortgage boom that led to the 2008 Crash absolutely was an organized effort

by US and European banks and financial institutions. Yet years after the bank bailouts, the evictions, misery, homelessness and austerity continue in Europe, esp. Spain, Ireland, Greece and Italy. Overbuilt property development was particularly excessive in Ireland and Spain. I recall reading that many Irish locals wondered who these large home projects were being built for. The fact that people are now uniting for action and populist movements are spreading is very encouraging.


Ada Colau Protesting Home Evictions Still Continuing Six Years after Spain's Property Market Crashed in 2008.

BBC, Feb. 19, 2014 by Lucy Ash. 'Ada Colau: Spain's Anti-Eviction Crusader'. Hundreds of families in Spain are evicted every day, falling behind on mortgage payments- and under Spain's draconian laws they must continue to pay off the loan after the home has been repossessed. Their main source of support is a determined woman from Barcelona, Ada Colau. (*** 3 Star Report)
Read more:
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26228300



IRELAND'S GHOST ESTATES. The Waterways, an empty and unsold housing development, in the village of of Keshcarrigan, County Leitrim.

The Guardian, Feb. 23, 2014, by Henry McDonald in Dublin. 'Ireland's Bailout May Be Over But It's Housing Crisis is Far From Finished'. Numbers of empty properties expected to double to 26,000 in 2014 as homelessness keeps rising.
Read more:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/23/ireland-predicted-26000-empty-properties-end-2014

[FlatBaroque]

11. Infuriating

I look at the last picture and I see a self sustaining, cooperatively housed, organic micro-farm. But THAT is exactly what TPTB want to prevent - self-sustainability, or as I call it disintermediation; the opposite of globalization.

[appalachiablue]

13. Yep, self sustaining, secure & healthy isn't part of the neoliberal plan for us. Reducing

middle men intermediaries would improve the functioning of humans and societies now dependent on unregulated, predatory industries and global economics. Like your organic Irish farm, I see in this new but abandoned residential city building space in Spain- a community park for kids, families and workers, including a botanic garden, an organic garden for children, outdoor sculpture, bicycle path and perhaps a community center, school or library-- all for people, not profit!


- Abandoned residential urban building in Spain, post 2008 Crash while thousands still face homelessness-





- Outdoor children's garden, US Botanic Gardens, Washington, DC -

[FlatBaroque]

17. I would like someone's platform to include a statement about

Reclaiming the Commons.

[appalachiablue]

21. Definitely. The term Commons is rarely even heard anymore, according to the plan to

eviscerate most anything related to people, shared services and institutions, democracy and government (us). All in favor of advancing markets, big business, commercial development and global trade. Got to stop. Without a shared Commons our world becomes very empty and unhealthy. I'd like to see the candidates focus on revival of the importance of the Commons, what we share beyond money and consumerism. There is more to life than spending and making money, and accumulating stuff and debt well beyond your needs which many people still realize, fortunately.~ Baroque is not a term you see too much, I'm familiar with it from studying art and culture.

[valerief]

9. But will Jesus stop it? Those countries are most sophisticated than the U.S.

But I hope change will really happen here.

[FlatBaroque]

10. I don't know anyone who believes the status quo can exist much longer.

Of course, change will occur. But the point where we choose which side we will fight on wil dictate the outcome. Whether we allow the security state to dictate the terms of our survival, or we as individuals create our vision of the future. I have long held, and I have heard it said by several people, the next revolution will be fought in your mind. That's where the choice will occur. Like minded people like you probably often ask yourself why it is so difficult to convince people of the obvious truths that you have discovereed through your observations. That right there is the battle that we will win. It's just a matter of time.

[valerief]

12. I think the magic thinkers who try to pray the pain away will have to die off first.

Along with the shitheads, like my brother, who hate all the wrong people thanks to RW radio.

[appalachiablue]

5. K&R. Important recent election. Great interview, saw it last night, glad you posted.

Mayor Elect of Madrid, Manuela Carmena (L) and Mayor Elect of Barcelona, Ada Colau (R)

'Spanish Elections: How a Pair of Game Changing Mayors Could Transform Madrid and Barcelona'. The Two women who are poised to become the mayors of Madrid and Barcelona, former Judge Manuela Carmena and anti-poverty activist Ada Colau. Both are ready for a fight in their respective hometowns.
City Lab, June 3, 2015, by Feargus O'Sullivan.
http://www.citylab.com/politics/2015/06/how-game-changing-mayors-spain-transformation/394763/

'Spain's Indignados Could Rule Barcelona and Madrid after Local Election Success'. Populist activist Ada Colau elected mayor of Barcelona, "It's a victory for David over Goliath" said Calau as news broke of the historical win.
The Guardian, May 25, 2015, by Ashifa Kassam.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/25/spains-indignados-ada-colau-elections-mayor-barcelona

[FlatBaroque]

7. These populist, female leaders

for whom I would be proud to vote, if I could.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

14. It's STUPID for Democrats to ask the rich what's best for the economy.

[deutsey]

15. As Ms. Calau says

They're not experts...they're criminals.

[FlatBaroque]

18. That was BEAUTIFUL n/t

[Spitfire of ATJ]

20. Right, ones who don't need a getaway car.

[geretogo]

16. This evil new world order of banksters and corporations running the world will be brought down

violently by the people or it will collapse under its own weight of corruption . It can not continue
much longer .

[SunSeeker]

19. Brava. She gets it: Government exists is to make people's lives better. nt

[JDPriestly]

22. Ada Colau is the kind of woman we need in politics.

Excellent interview. And the banks did know what they were doing. I don't see how they could have missed what was happening. Shame on them. Immoral, greedy, insert any word you that comes to your mind. I'll use the euphemism, "bankers." The word I was thinking could get me banned because it has a sexist connotation.

[deutsey]

23. +1

[appalachiablue]

24. Barcelona Mayor Elect Ada Colau is an inspiring, effective & determined populist fighter working

for the people, not the banks and global elites who ruined the Spanish economy in the last six years. The populist grass roots movement in Spain that is based on the Indignados is successful and spreading. Fantastic!



Barcelona, Spain's Indignados, May 2015




Spain's Indignado Movement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-austerity_movement_in_Spain

[deutsey]

25. Agreed...she should be causing quite a buzz here at DU, imo

[mother earth]

26. Seems a new era is emerging...K & R, deutsey!