Wednesday 24 October 2012

What, me worry? Yes, says government polling company

MADRID According to the latest report from the CIS (Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas) in their September 'barometer' reading, the three things that worry Spaniards the most are, in the following order: unemployment, the financial crisis, and politicians. The survey also shows that confidence in and regard for the governing PP party is declining swiftly since the elections of November 20 last year, whereas the PSOE is gaining very few points. Concern about the crisis and the resulting cutbacks is understandable, but that politicians and politics in general is a deep worry among the citizenry is what one pundit calls a 'catastrophe for democracy'.COMING SOON: SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION>>>
On the whole, the general opinion is that Spain is worse off now than in the last thirty years. Even worse that it will take some ten to fifteen years to recover the lost ground, as an optimistic evaluation. The report includes such language as 'the workers are always at the bottom', 'we are paying for the rich man's mistakes', and 'business is better off investing elsewhere, even in the markets, than giving jobs to the unemployed.'

As far as politics are concerned, things are going from bad to worse on an upward curve. 73.2% sees the political situation as 'bad' or 'very bad', and only 3.1% as 'good' or 'very good'. In fact, 41.4% of Spaniards regard the current situation as 'worse thn last year' and a similar 41.0% that it will be 'as bad' in a year's time, and 35.3% that it will be 'worse'.

In other words, there is little confidence in the political leaders, their parties or in politics in general. Remarks such as 'they haven't even taken the crisis on board' and 'they are managing the crisis for their own, or their parties' benefit only.' Corruption and its consequences are one common thread throughout the opinion polls.

(In a less serious frame of mind, we recommend you to read about the author of those famous words 'What, me worry?' the famous Alfred E. Neuman.)

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