Well
it seems Mariano Rajoy has sent his letter off to the Three Kings and they are
going to get him a new toy: a massive water cannon. Just how they are going to
get it down his chimney I have no idea.
The news
was broken by Elena Valenciano is who the Vice Secretary General of PSOE, one
of the MPs for Madrid and also the Vice President of PES. She reported: “Yesterday (Tuesday) we learned that the police are
going to buy a truck equipped with a high-pressure water cannon to break up
demonstrations. Known as jug, which has not been used in our country for more
than 20 years, it will cost half a million euros and has a capacity of 7,000
litres of water to be mixed with colouring to mark the clothing of the protesters.”
Now why would Rajoy need a water cannon? Well it seems he
told the Three Kings to "protect the free exercise of rights and freedoms
and ensure public safety" and "in case of having to re-establish
public order in the way least harmful as possible". And so we witness Spain drift from being a
full democracy to an authoritarian State.
The water cannon is all
part of the paraphernalia of the PP’s new security laws aimed to keep Spaniards
in check. The UN rates Spaniards as amongst the most obedient and well behaved
in the world. Yet Rajoy insists he needs a massive water cannon and a draconian
law to control them. He fools nobody.
So when this most
tolerant of people take to the streets to protest at the handling of the
economy, to demonstrate against people losing their homes, to voice their anger
over the abusive banks and to rail at the corruption of the Partido Popular
their Prime Minister has his answer. A new set of laws that has been condemned
both in Spain and by international civil rights organisations plus his giant
riot control water cannon. The silent majority will be made to remain silent.
Now if Rajoy treats his
own people as if he was a dictator: as an all-powerful leader who demands they
stay at home and do not use their democratic right of protest, if this is the
way Spaniards are treated then his actions at our border with Gibraltar become
much clearer.
Of course whilst Rajoy
attacks Gibraltar, as we all know, it is the border town of La Línea and the
Spaniards who cross to work who take the full brunt of his fascist actions. For
Rajoy Gibraltarians may be a non-people but his fellow Spaniards are of no
consequence either.
So in 2014 expect more
harassment at the border, no doubt his water cannon will appear whenever
Spaniards are brave enough to confront his security laws to protest and as for
the people of Cataluña, God help them. I doubt if he will waste his water
cannon on them when he has a squadron of armed tanks at his command.
A Happy New Year to us
all!
