By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions. We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
Having lived in Spain for close to 20 years I've seen Spanish politicians practise the fine art of boring the electorate into submission first hand.
Politically, the most exciting thing which has happened in Spanish politics since the failed coup attempt in 1981 (History fans watch here: ), is probably 15M (May 15 2011) and the rise of "Los Indignados".
Normal Spaniards actually started getting interested in politics. Now though, all that passion has been beaten out of everyone (by a 2 year long process of trying to elect a new government) and now the politicians are just left to do as they please while the weary population gets on with trying to live a little.
And perhaps we've reached that saturation point in Britain too.
I LOLed as I heard Teresa May say last night that she's going to press on and deliver Brexit for the people. It's nonsense. There'll be no Norway model. No Brexit. Nothing.
The Government's hardest task was always going to be getting over the fact that not delivering Brexit would look a bit well, you know, undemocratic.
It's clear to me that the plan for a while has been for the Government to tap into this demand for democracy. But not the democracy connected to delivering Brexit, no, what's needed is street-level democracy, one that comes from the people and is not tarred by duplicitous politicians, the sort of Democracy that is British, one that builds empires and has tea and scones. Yes the people of Britain (even Brexiteers) are going to beg Mrs May to stop and put the country out of its misery. The poor thing is going go against her democratic instincts and have another referendum to reverse the decision made in 2016. She'll play the part well, and most will respect her principles if not her ability as a PM.
So it'll be 1:1, so let's have a third?
Nope, that won't happen. The next referendum has to be decisive, we're talking nearly 2/3rds majority - to make it "much more democratic" than the original democratic election.
So, we're in for the long haul. Expect all manner of lovely pro-European stories in the press in the coming months to bring it on.
I was living in Madrid at the time of the failed coup. I had just left work at about 7pm and was waiting for a bus on La Castellana when police and Guadia Civil vehicles went screaming down towards the centre. When I got home I put the TV on and there was a blank screen .We had a young family and we just got on with our lives, and I didn’t find out what had happened till the next morning. Our families in the UK knew what was going on, but international phone lines had been cut.
1
The art of boring people into submission on 12:07 - Jan 17 with 3610 views
The art of boring people into submission on 16:08 - Jan 17 by Swansea_Blue
Otherwise known as the Mick McCarthy principle.
I'd say it was more of a Mick McCarthy "effect" than a "principle". Of course, the flip side of this is known as the Be Careful What You Wish For principle/effect.
The art of boring people into submission on 11:16 - Jan 17 by blueislander
I was living in Madrid at the time of the failed coup. I had just left work at about 7pm and was waiting for a bus on La Castellana when police and Guadia Civil vehicles went screaming down towards the centre. When I got home I put the TV on and there was a blank screen .We had a young family and we just got on with our lives, and I didn’t find out what had happened till the next morning. Our families in the UK knew what was going on, but international phone lines had been cut.
well I found that interesting at least, mr Islander.
Has anyone ever looked at their own postings for last day or so? Oh my... so sorry. Was Ullaa
The art of boring people into submission on 16:22 - Jan 17 by caught-in-limbo
I'd say it was more of a Mick McCarthy "effect" than a "principle". Of course, the flip side of this is known as the Be Careful What You Wish For principle/effect.
Very true, lazy phrasing on my part.
Living in Spain must be very exciting. I used to work with a Spanish lass who had a habit of driving down a dual carriageway at 95mph whilst turned to remonstrate with her passengers in the back seat, wildly gesticulating with both hands. Certainly spiced up many a work trip. And based on my trips to Spain, that seems quite normal.
The art of boring people into submission on 11:16 - Jan 17 by blueislander
I was living in Madrid at the time of the failed coup. I had just left work at about 7pm and was waiting for a bus on La Castellana when police and Guadia Civil vehicles went screaming down towards the centre. When I got home I put the TV on and there was a blank screen .We had a young family and we just got on with our lives, and I didn’t find out what had happened till the next morning. Our families in the UK knew what was going on, but international phone lines had been cut.
A similar thing happened with the Madrid bombings in 2004. It was just pre election and the PP were the government in power and expected to win again. They declared that it was an ETA attack and instructed their embassies around the world to say as much. Sceptical of the official line, the people of Spain turned to the internet to hear foreign news agencies reporting it was Al Qaida. PSOE won the election on the back of that.
The art of boring people into submission on 20:54 - Jan 17 by Herbivore
You thought wrong.
Well, according to this YouGov study data from 2018, of those believing the BBC to be biased one way or the other, you're wrong. For every 8 people who believe the BBC is pro-Brexit, there are 27 who think they are anti-Brexit.
The art of boring people into submission on 18:47 - Jan 17 by Herbivore
The notion that our Euorskeptic press is going to now start publishing pro-Europe stories is somewhat fanciful.
[Post edited 17 Jan 2019 18:48]
EVERYBODY else on this forum who bothered to voice an opinion thought I was being fanciful when I maintained DIRECTLY after the referendum that Brexit would never happen. Of course, some people are starting to say it was obvious in retrospect.
The art of boring people into submission on 21:22 - Jan 17 by caught-in-limbo
Well, according to this YouGov study data from 2018, of those believing the BBC to be biased one way or the other, you're wrong. For every 8 people who believe the BBC is pro-Brexit, there are 27 who think they are anti-Brexit.
The art of boring people into submission on 21:28 - Jan 17 by caught-in-limbo
EVERYBODY else on this forum who bothered to voice an opinion thought I was being fanciful when I maintained DIRECTLY after the referendum that Brexit would never happen. Of course, some people are starting to say it was obvious in retrospect.
I must have missed Brexit being called off. Good news.
There’s more people interested in politics now than for a long while... the politicians have been useless for years, it’s only now that everyone has noticed!!!
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
