Photos of another demonstration in Lisboa
Another big demonstration in Lisbon against the proposed 'austerity measures' of the current government. Around 15.000 protestors (my estimation) took to the streets of the Portuguese capital.
The opposition in Portugal seems to grow and to consist out of diverse groups: teachers, firemen, psychologists, smalle business people, 'pensionados', school children and their families, students, transvestites, harbour workers, there seems hardly one sector in society not being represented in the latest outbursts of anger. "They are going to far!"
Young people, old people, as said the demonstration showed a variety of the Portuguese population. After months of witnessing minor demonstrations, this was one of the biggest ones I have seen until now. Checking here and there, there seemed not to be a real involvement of organised labour. Also, it seems the government's strategy to just ignore the protests is not very succesful, as the opposition's backing seems to grow.
How is it possible that Portugal is in such a difficult situation, after years of 'help' of the EU, in the form of 'structural funds', that were intended to help economically weaker regions in Europe and which were a kind of transfer of wealth from the more succesful economies (Germany, The Netherlands) to the less succesful ones (Spain, Portugal, Greece). How is it possible that thís economy is suffering severe blows and other economies are not that disrupted by it? I hear many stories of Portuguese that say that the EU agricultural policies destroyed Portuguese farming and fishing industries, former strong sectors that are not properly taken over by new generations. Was this a fundamental blow? What are the other structural weaknesses of this country and what are the strengths? I guess thinktanks must have analysed this in detail and I can't believe the popular story that a handful of businessmen and politicians rob the wealth of the country day by day and that all property is concentraed in a few hands. It would be then only a challenge of convincing these specific people to change direction, they would not be that bad and macchiavellistic, not? Distrust, that seems a fundamental word, distrust between classes of people: the business sector might not trust its workers, their unions, the workers not trust their employers. The people may not trust politicians, the police and the army and vice versa. In crises these oppositions seem to harden, also in Portugal. The question is when will it all erupt? In the meantime there are even rumours of potential coups (I am not kidding), unheard of in the EU, but I just write down, what I hear. It is all possible in Portugal and the last chapter has not been written yet.
Photos here:
http://hanskuiper.blogspot.pt/#!/2013/03/photos-of-another-demonstration-in.html
The opposition in Portugal seems to grow and to consist out of diverse groups: teachers, firemen, psychologists, smalle business people, 'pensionados', school children and their families, students, transvestites, harbour workers, there seems hardly one sector in society not being represented in the latest outbursts of anger. "They are going to far!"
Young people, old people, as said the demonstration showed a variety of the Portuguese population. After months of witnessing minor demonstrations, this was one of the biggest ones I have seen until now. Checking here and there, there seemed not to be a real involvement of organised labour. Also, it seems the government's strategy to just ignore the protests is not very succesful, as the opposition's backing seems to grow.
How is it possible that Portugal is in such a difficult situation, after years of 'help' of the EU, in the form of 'structural funds', that were intended to help economically weaker regions in Europe and which were a kind of transfer of wealth from the more succesful economies (Germany, The Netherlands) to the less succesful ones (Spain, Portugal, Greece). How is it possible that thís economy is suffering severe blows and other economies are not that disrupted by it? I hear many stories of Portuguese that say that the EU agricultural policies destroyed Portuguese farming and fishing industries, former strong sectors that are not properly taken over by new generations. Was this a fundamental blow? What are the other structural weaknesses of this country and what are the strengths? I guess thinktanks must have analysed this in detail and I can't believe the popular story that a handful of businessmen and politicians rob the wealth of the country day by day and that all property is concentraed in a few hands. It would be then only a challenge of convincing these specific people to change direction, they would not be that bad and macchiavellistic, not? Distrust, that seems a fundamental word, distrust between classes of people: the business sector might not trust its workers, their unions, the workers not trust their employers. The people may not trust politicians, the police and the army and vice versa. In crises these oppositions seem to harden, also in Portugal. The question is when will it all erupt? In the meantime there are even rumours of potential coups (I am not kidding), unheard of in the EU, but I just write down, what I hear. It is all possible in Portugal and the last chapter has not been written yet.
Photos here:
http://hanskuiper.blogspot.pt/#!/2013/03/photos-of-another-demonstration-in.html
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Ergänzungen
Fotos und Auswertung einer weiteren Demo
Der Widerstand in Portugal scheint zu wachsen und er setzt sich aus unterschiedlichsten Gruppen zusammen: Lehrer_innen, Feuerwehrleuten, Psycholog_innen, Kleinunternehmer_innen, „Pensionados“ (Rentner_innen), Schüler_innen und ihren Familien, Student_innen, Transvestiten, Hafenarbeiter_innen. Es scheint, als wären bei diesem aktuellen Wutausbruch alle Gesellschaftsschichten vertreten. „Sie gehen zu weit!“
Junge Menschen, alte Menschen, wie bereits erwähnt, die Demonstration setzte sich aus einer Vielfalt der portugiesischen Bevölkerung zusammen. Nachdem ich monatelang kleinere Demonstrationen beobachtete, war dies die größte, die ich bisher gesehen hatte. Bei genauerer Betrachtung scheinen sich die Gewerkschaften hier nicht zu beteiligen. Es scheint auch so, als wäre die Strategie der Regierung, die Proteste einfach zu ignorieren, nicht aufgegangen, den der Widerstand scheint zu wachsen.
Wie kann es sein, dass Portugal nach jahrelanger „EU-Hilfe“ in Form von „Strukturfonds“, die dazu gedacht waren wirtschaftlich schwächere Regionen Europas zu unterstützen und eine Art Wohlstandsübertrag erfolgreicherer Wirtschaftssysteme (Deutschland, Niederlande) an die weniger erfolgreiche (Spanien, Portugal, Griechenland) waren, in einer so misslichen Lage ist? Wie kann es sein, dass diese Wirtschaft einen solch heftigen Schlag versetzt bekommt und andere Wirtschaftsräume nicht so sehr davon betroffen sind? Viele Portugies_innen sagen, die Agrarpolitik der EU habe die portugiesische Landwirtschaft und die Fischindustrie, vormals starke Wirtschaftszweige, die von den jüngeren Generationen nicht richtig übernommen wurden, zerstört. War das der finale Schlag? Welche anderen strukturellen Schwächen hat dieses Land und wo liegen seine Stärken? Ich denke, dass Thinktanks das bis ins kleinste Detail analysiert haben müssen und ich glaube nicht an die Geschichte, es sei eine Handvoll Geschäftsleute und Politiker_innen gewesen, die dem Land Tag für Tag Wohlstand geraubt hat und dass das ganze Eigentum in den Händen von nur ein paar wenigen liegt. Wenn es so wäre, dann müsste man nur versuchen, diese Leute davon überzeugen, ihre Richtung zu ändern, nicht mehr so böse und machiavellistisch zu sein, oder? Misstrauen, das scheint ein Grundwort zu sein, Misstrauen zwischen den Klassen: die Unternehmer_innen mögen ihren Arbeiter_innen, deren Gewerkschaften nicht trauen, die Arbeiter_innen trauen ihren Arbeitgebern nicht. Die Bevölkerung mag ihren Politiker_innen, der Polizei und der Armee nicht trauen und anders herum. In Krisenzeiten scheinen sich diese Gegensätze zu verhärten, auch in Portugal. Die Frage ist, wann wird sich das alles entladen? Es gibt mittlerweile sogar Gerüchte über einen möglichen Putsch (das ist kein Scherz), was in der EU bisher beispiellos ist. Aber ich schreibe nur auf, was ich höre. In Portugal ist alles möglich und es ist noch nicht aller Tage Abend.
Fotos hier: