Strike! No one noticed

So, another day and another general strike has come and gone. How was this one for you? Did you notice it any more than the last one? It was hard to tell that there was one on. There were two separate rubbish collections, so Muro wasn't on strike in any event. I spent a short time seeking out evidence of strikers, thinking that the port in Alcúdia would be a likely venue for a few pickets. There wasn't a single one, but I had timed my run either too early or too late; there were some and even more police.

There weren't even any chaps with loudhailers and banners roaming along the main road from the Donuts roundabout (Magic) in Puerto Alcúdia, as there had been last time. Possibly because the season hasn't started yet, so there were no actual workers around to strike. In the absence of any great outbursts of street protesting, it felt like a fiesta day, even if everything was open and the post office moto was doing its usual spluttering rounds.

Most of the local strikers probably went on a day out to Palma (probably not taking public transport). 60,000 of them took to the streets there in an evening protest; considerably fewer, according to the government. Local journalists and reporters had clearly been detailed to cover all the information regarding competing numbers of strike participants and street protesters being pumped out by the unions, interior ministries and police, as there was precious little other news yesterday.

The most positive thing you can say about the general strike is that it was a bonanza for the media; it wasn't positive in any other way. The unions described it as a great success, but then they would. Buoyed by this apparent success, there is now a threat of a "hot" first of May, i.e. bang on the start of the tourism season. This is the great worry, though the impact on tourism of Thursday's media bonanza was minimal; flights weren't that badly affected, there was transport available and most tourists seemed to be unaware of what was going on or, as last time, were standing around taking photos with their mobiles and uploading them to Facebook. Assuming they saw any evidence of the strike, that is.

The strike has achieved nothing. Any further strike would only do so were it to be for a prolonged period, which will not happen. Apart from anything else, workers might be prepared to give up one day's pay but not any more.

As is usual on such occasions, there was the odd nutty element that made a nuisance of itself. "Radicals" - as the media-bonanzaing media like to call them - were involved in a run-in with the police in Barcelona, but there will always be some nutty boys who muscle in on these events. There wasn't much by way of violence anywhere; you wonder if there really is the stomach for a fight amongst the workforce of Mallorca and Spain, that which is in work of course.

One senses that there is more an air of resignation. Whether Mallorcans and Spaniards as a whole really grasp the enormity of Spain's problems is questionable, but most will probably just carry on in their own sweet way, blaming anyone but themselves for whatever these problems might actually be. A country and a population that has been on the receiving end of so much generosity and managed to blow it all is ill-prepared psychologically to understand that it might itself need to accept a share of the blame.

The population will probably take in its casual stride to the next bar for a coffee the news that the government has announced measures to cut 27 billion euros of spending. The amount is so enormous, rather like all the largesse that had once been directed towards Spain, that it doesn't mean a great deal. It may do for public sector workers who are caught up in cuts that average 17%, but otherwise ...?

But look at these cuts and they should really make everyone fearful. While commentators believe the government's measures do not go far enough in meeting its deficit-reduction requirement, others might well ask where is any growth to come from that might help in raising the tax revenues the government seems to believe that it will receive. Cuts to the tourism and budget of over 30%, for example, don't make for great news for an industry that is constantly referred to as the motor of the economy.

No one is convinced, no one that is who casts a critical eye over Spain's economy. Brussels isn't convinced, the Italian prime minister isn't convinced (though he has apologised for his critical remarks), "Le Monde" in France has described Spain as Europe's great problem. No one is convinced and partly because Rajoy is so unconvincing. As a prime minister he lacks any sense of leadership or vision. He is an automaton politician, one without the personality to inspire confidence. He might just get away without there being huge expressions of public discontent, but only because the public is so apathetic. Or maybe he won't.


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.


Index for March 2012

Andalucía regional election - 27 March 2012
Balcony diving - 5 March 2012
Beach bars - 12 March 2012
Catalan defence - 11 March 2012
Círculo Fortuny: luxury promotion - 29 March 2012
Cricket in Spain - 13 March 2012
Environment, coasts, building and tourism - 4 March 2012
European tourism trends - 15 March 2012
Gay tourism - 7 March 2012
General strike - 31 March 2012
German cyclist death - 28 March 2012
Jaume Matas guilty - 22 March 2012
Joan March anniversary of death - 9 March 2012
Llucmajor scraps tourism promotion - 3 March 2012
Magalluf: change of name? - 25 March 2012
Magalluf: concerts this summer - 2 March 2012
Nature parks: self-financing - 17 March 2012
New Order in Mallorca - 16 March 2012
Oil exploration in Canaries - 26 March 2012
Palm Sunday - 30 March 2012
Public space: invasion of - 10 March 2012
Puerto Alcúdia best beach destination - 8 March 2012
Real Madrid Resort Island - 24 March 2012
Recession and tourism - 1 March 2012
Social media and tourism promotion - 6 March 2012
Spring starts in Mallorca - 20 March 2012
Tapas - 18 March 2012, 23 March 2012
Tourism organisation in Mallorca - 21 March 2012
Travel writing - 19 March 2012
Youth unemployment in Spain - 14 March 2012