"Real Democracy" demonstrations in Spain.

[Honza]

Apparently this is trying to be hushed up by the worlds governments. It is highly confidential. But there are demonstrations going on in Spain involving tens of thousands of people in the name of "Real Democracy". Something along the lines of what is going on in the Middle East - but in Europe instead.

The Governments fear that the movement will spread across Europe and are trying to keep it quiet.

Any feedback? Anyone heard anything?

The bone of contention is political corruption, economic debt and so on.

This isn't being hushed up! It's on the news here in the UK.

It is equivalent to the 'arab spring' phenomenon.

I believe it is economically driven, because those kids demonstrating really have no prospects to speak of. This in turn is being driven by peak oil IMO.

It may well spread.

Hello Jan,

I do think that when a population is subjected to what they call "Austerity measures" those who already never had very much in the first place will be punitively pushed to well below the bread line.

What I ask me is, Did I do anything to bring about the national debt personally. I feel it was irresponsibility on the part of our Governments and Banks.

Now we have , frankly ridiculously priced electricity, rising inflation and other tax increases. Health cuts, Armed services and Police Cuts, Education Price hikes for further education and the abolishing of Adult education and further education assistance.

How long...Just how long will it be before we the citizens of the United Kingdom wake up to the Elephant on our Sofa as others in the Arab Spring, Greece, Spain and Ireland have already done ? To me it's only a matter of time .

I am watching events as they unfold because these events do seem very much to be a spreading trend and Governments have fallen and more will follow. The simple moral is do not mistreat the people I suppose.

Originally Posted by Neville

What I ask me is, Did I do anything to bring about the national debt personally. I feel it was irresponsibility on the part of our Governments and Banks.

Now we have , frankly ridiculously priced electricity

IMO the prices will continue to rise and this is not exactly the fault of governments, it is because of the developing energy crisis.

I don't expect much help from governments right now in the quest to use less energy which is the way to prosper in this time.

Hello Prokopton,

By way of interest, I was recently away at the coast in Lincolnshire and just off shore there is and has been for a few years now a large wind farm that is said to provide clean renewable electricity for a large proportion of the Lincolnshire coast.

I asked a number of the locals if the now clearly cheaper and cleaner energy was reflected in their bills. They all said no.

It is on the other hand , heartening to see that the price of and the availabity of grants for solar panels is decreasing and increasing respectively.

Windfarms are not going to make energy cheaper! Energy is going to continue to rise in price, because renewables cannot replace oil. Windfarms will possibly help to ensure some supply of energy when other forms are prohibitively expensive.

You're right about solar panels, I think the window when it is the best time to get them is probably open now and it's good the government has opened up that far.

Efficiency savings are the other major thing. Unfortunately we can't get as much out of them as they can in the states, where they use 2-3x as much energy as we do for the same or lower living standard, but still -- the savings you can get even working on that yourself can prove to be astronomical!

[Honza]

Originally Posted by Prokopton

This isn't being hushed up! It's on the news here in the UK.

Is it indeed. I have not been following the news, but I was told it had been hushed up. There was certainly no mention of it on my internet Yahoo! homepage.

So do you think that the spending cuts here in Britain are a good thing? I can see no other way of dragging Britain out of debt.

Originally Posted by Honza

So do you think that the spending cuts here in Britain are a good thing? I can see no other way of dragging Britain out of debt.

In the end they might be, but if they go too far too fast they will be counterproductive... there isn't any real way to 'get out of debt' IMO as the growth required won't materialize. It's a question of how much longer which banks are going to be fooled. On the level of getting everyone used to living with less, it may well be justified, but of course it can't be sold that way. The 'big society' will be a damp squib as well it appears right now. I think it is very much time for people to work on their own houses and in their local neighbourhoods for more resilience against the difficulties in energy (and later possibly food) supply that will occur increasingly.

It is time to learn to live with LESS, an acronym for "Less Energy, Stuff, and Stimulation" that was invented by Archdruid John Michael Greer, who always writes so brilliantly on peak oil.

There was certainly no mention of it on my internet Yahoo! homepage

Ah... well if they're anything like my aol one, that's probably because Jordan is not involved. :) Even when the Egyptian government toppled it had to vie with X-Factor.