HOGUERAS in Alicante

HOGUERAS is much more that you can imagine. It is about music, fireworks, firecrakers, light, color, dancing, people everty time in the street, good atmosphere and, of course, our monuments or statues.

The HOGUERAS period starts from the 20th to the 24th of June, every year in the Southeast city of Spain, Alicante. Alicante is a very turistic city, with a great new airport connected to many countries in the world. Beautiful beaches, good weather, great food, and above all, our local festivities; the Hogueras of Saint John.

From the 15th to the 19th: Pre-Hogueras period

The 15th of June is the day when the girl representing Alicante during that year, the Bellea del foc d´Alacant, officially starts the Hogueras with her speech. This always happens the previous friday of the 20th of June. The weekend after that speech, called "el pregón", there are a serie of parades. On saturday every Hoguera in Alicante (there are 90!) dressed up with the traditional dress of the city, the Alicantina or Zaragüel dresses (showed in the picture).

 Also, the day after that, on Sunday, every hoguera (which represents every neighbour in the city) dressed with costumes that will mean something from thier own monument and they do the parede around Alicante (show one costume in the picture below from the Hoguera Hernán Cortés, during this 2013).

After that non-stop weekend comes what we call "la plantà" that menas the building of the monuments (one for the adults and one for the children of each hoguera) during the next couple of days:

This is the beginning of a complete full of fun week (at least) :)  This has just began! Next post will show the HOGUERAS period understood from the 20th to the 24th of June that includes firecrakers (or Mascletà), more parades (or desfiles), the finished monuments (or Hogueras), music, food, the cliff-hanger when the monuments are in flames (what it is called "the cremà), and much much more fun!

Why the UK’s title as the financial centre of the world is under threat from EU legislation?

London is one of the main financial centres in the world for foreign exchange trading where the Euro bonus are widely used for this purpose.

The current agreements between the UK and the EU related to trade, commerce, competitiveness, banking supervision or tax regulations may require a revision to solve some loopholes between these partners. Since the in-out referendum proposal to leave the EU before 2017 is being debated, some problems between the UK and the EU have been revealed.

New regulations from the EU could affect the financial system established in the UK, but how? Opinions are divided between the Euro skeptics and the pro-European about the consequences of the UK versus EU relationship would have after the negotiation agreements.

Banking union

The financial and economic crisis has unveiled the Euro weaknesses as a single currency. Therefore, the Eurozone Central Bank set a common banking supervisor to monitor the major banks in the threshold of the single currency.

In contrast, the European Banking Authority which regulates also UK banks could marginalized the UK “by setting liquidity and capital requirements for the biggest banks in the Euro area, will favour those institutions at the cost of the UK’s,” according to a Quartz analysis made by Lily Kuo (17 May, 2013). It is also added that a negotiation that took place last year included a clause about the no-marginalization of any EU country under this union. Moreover, a voting system will be introduced for all EU members about the banking union system.

Tax regulation

The Financial Transaction Tax (FTT), the so-called Tobin Tax, has been imposed to 11 Eurozone countries to pursue a levy on financial transactions. The UK abstained in vote although they are also tackling issues of tax avoidance among some companies established in this country.

This tax could end up adding a small change in the trade between the UK and the Eurozone countries, although it could also attract some more businesses to the UK. The future of this strategy cannot be foreseen yet.

UK vs EU relationship

It is not clear whether the exit of the UK from the EU would bring a better situation, but the uncertainty could have negative consequences for the British market. Also, the Scottish referendum in 2014 would have as a main point the EU situation. If they want to belong to the EU they could have a better chance leaving the UK and apply later to become an European membership, rather than staying in the UK and later being dragged out of the EU. This is also an important aspect to consider here.

Perhaps the dilemma is not regarding the new regulation of the EU, but the deteriorating relationship between the UK and the EU. Things can improve, however extreme positions might damage both financial markets rather than gaining any benefits, and amid the economic situation, the consequences must be well analysed before talking any misstep. 

Uncertain Future of Capitalism

It is worthy to take a look at this video with Mr. Kay and Mrs. Mazzucato about Capitalism; or better say, market economies and innovation projects.

According to Mr. Kay modern business and the world of capitalism is misleading and they do not have the same meaning as they did in the Industrial Revolution. The term “ownership”, for example is not meaningful anymore for the world of capitalism, as well as the economics do not arrive anymore from the owner of capital. “Who owns the means of production does not matter”, says Mr. Kay. The point of view here is that there is a link between economics and political influence. Who are the owners of the shares of a company? That´s an important question that implies many answers within it: who decides the laws of the shares, who decides who votes, or the interest for that shares... Modern business is less about capital markets than it used to be.

Three characteristics of the market economy
      - Management of operations and the problem of coordination.
      - Experimental discoveries. Uncertainty means the impossibility of the unpredictability and the incapability to know the range of alternatives. Innovation rarely succeed?
   -Decentralization. “rent-seeking” activities. Breaking down concentrations. Looking for discipline, economic and political pluralism. 

On the other side, Mrs. Mazzucato talks about markets as the outcomes explaining that the value is the most important thing. Where does value come from an organization? Organizations interact collectively (collective process). And the state intervenes in thee process through funding resources; “everything that makes a company looks smart and not stupid was funding by the state.” 

Important points: 
      Public private partners = market unequal partners. 
      Nationalization is not innovative.
     The major challenge is to try to achieve a successful political mechanisms to improve market economies.                       
     Role of the state needs to be more pragmatic. 
     Regulations that understand all the process of the financial industry. Policy comes from theory. 


John Kay is a visiting Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He contributes with a weekly column to the Financial Times. Also, he is author of many books, as "the Truth about Markets" (2003). 


Mariana Mazzucato, an economist, holds the RM Phillips Chair in Science and Technology Policy at the University of Sussex (SPRU). Her work focuses on the relationship between financial markets, innovation and economic growth.

http://www2.lse.ac.uk/newsAndMedia/videoAndAudio/channels/publicLecturesAndEvents/player.aspx?id=1921

All for the people, but without the people

Many people is concious about the damage on the earth because the human effect. Everything is crap, and nobody is doing anything to change it.

Environmental damage, animal harm, extintion of species, pollution lead also to a social damage. Chemical products, medicins, food, water affect people´s daily life provoking cancer, malformations, deaaths and so on. However, these are "poor" people who do not have the power to change anything. Big corporations have it, but they create the law according to their vested interests to do legal activities without any public concern. Human rights are violated everyday, laws are transgressed and justice does not solve it,

Capitalism, consumism and lust for power have developed themselves in the deepest economic crisis in years. But it is not only an economic crisis, it is also political, social, and above all, it is a moral worldwide crisis. Who is going to change this, the ones who created it, the ones who gained benefits from it, the millions of unemployers or exploted people...?

The corporation, some of the truths of the world you live in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rue2-g5F82U

All the living beings are being destroyed but the ones who could change it are the ones with power, and honestly I do not think the are willing to do it, people need to take a role in this situation because without us, they are nothing, but if we led them to continue what they are doing, the consequences will be unforeseened for the society.

In- Out referéndums

Nowadays, there is a question about if belong to a Union or not, if belonging to a country or getting independence. Why is it all about? and Why now? 

In the UK the EU referéndum can be a double edge sword. Scotland wants to stay in the EU, so they may get a better change if the leave the UK and then apply to the EU membership. However, if they vote in 2014 to remain as apart of the UK, they may vote therefore to stay in the EU in 2017. David Cameron, Primer Minister of the UK, on the side of the Conservatives is playing with fire. 

But the same situation can be applied to Mr. Mas, President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Spain. They would like to get autonomy because they think they would be better as an independent state. Perhapps, but have they measure the consequences? Debt, EU membership, Spain vs Catalonia relationship, and so on. It is not an easy decision that can be taken fast, but quite the opposite it is necessary clear information of the situation, the difficulty to foreseen the unknown, and of course consensus and negotiations with the Central Government. 

The economic crisis is putting everything upside down. The EU today doesn not look as successfull as it did five years ago. Some territories want to have a referendum to leave it, and others to be a new state of it. What is it that? This "cherry-picking" is not viable today, and every member, country or territory must be solidary and work together to rearrange what one day it looked as a good idea. It is also necessary to protect national identities, what I think it is all about at the end. 

The "post-sovereign" world: The half-truths and the (crisis of the) Nation-States

II Part- Dissertation

Nationalism inside an existing country usually has two sides to the same story. This topic has several and contradictory interpretation of facts. This dissertation will analyse four aspects of the Spanish reality to make a clearer and more complete picture of the independence of Catalonia.

This sentiment has its foundation in a specific vision of Spanish history. Also, the divergence on the economic issue depends on how they look in the glass. The project will also address the problematic of the sociological aspects will be also explained. And especially, it will assess the importance of the role of the politicians and the interpretations of the events according to their vested interests.

Moreover, this dissertation will evaluate the role of the Nation-States in Europe in connection with independence movements. A wider perspective will be included with the examples of Scotland and Quebec. 

The Battle for Independence: A Catalan or a Spanish problem?

I Part- The Project

The Catalan independence movement has growth exponentially recently. The reasons are several and debatable, but there are clear circumstances that have helped its development. The judgement of the Constitutional Court in 2010, limiting the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, had an important social impact. The lack of response from the government also fuelled the unrest. Since then, demonstrations have led towards the demand for independence for Catalonia.

The political, sociocultural and economic conflict is now in a turning point where polarization is extreme. For some, (unilateral) independence seems the only way to go. For others, there are a few other alternatives. Anyway, negotiation is a prerequisite to achieve the best and the less painful solution for all. This project is intended for anyone who wants to have a better understanding of this situation and thinks that extreme positions are not the only solution.