How should we feel

Interesting Program on BBC2 This World Last Night.

How should we feel as non resident property owners and Tax payers in Spain

We will have to ride the storm well into the future

Paul Mason travels to Spain to investigate how this once thriving economy has become the latest casualty of the Eurozone crisis.

Greece, Ireland and Portugal have all received massive bailouts with strict conditions. But Spain is different. One of the largest economies in the world, for nearly twenty years "cool Espana" meant cutting edge architecture, the world's best restaurants and the magic of Barcelona Football Club. Spain was a European success story.

For BBC Two's award-winning strand This World, Mason reveals how the transition to democracy after Franco's dictatorship created a financial and political system that left the country vulnerable to catastrophe when the world economic crisis struck in 2008. One of the keenest advocates of the European single currency, Spain is now the biggest victim of the Eurozone crash with youth unemployment running at more than 50%.

Interviewing key players, including former prime minister Felipe Gonzalez and European commissioner Joaquin Almunia, Mason reveals how Spain's extraordinary credit and construction boom has collapsed, leaving millions facing poverty and the politicians still bickering about a massive potential bail out.

i heard there was something on but didnt know what it was an missed it

thanks for this recap and naming it so i can try and find a replay somewhere

Catch up tv ch2 7pm Sunday

I watched and it made interesting in grim viewing. Nearly choked when it reported how Zapaterro was in the US when Lehman's crashed and he said that will never happen in Spain as it has such a strong economy because of strict regulation, I kid you not................

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ldu8X_UQPRA#

Just one minor point... never been to Benidorm... but jeez.. if it's really as depicted at the start of the video its highly unlikely I ever will.

I love Benidorm.  I first went there in my early 20s when I was teaching in Madrid.  How lovely it was to get some decent fish and chips, a pot of tea and a pint of Woodpecker cider, all with wet feet because it was tipping down.  I felt like I'd come home and I'm serious - I loved it.  I went there again earlier this year en famille and again, it was lovely.  Admittedly, we stayed in a 'Spanish' area - they do exist - in a lovely hotel in Cala Finestrat, called, strangely, the Hotel Alone.  In the five days we were there we heard one sentence uttered by one family in English.  And walking along the beach we only heard Spanish.  We were all really disappointed, because we'd hoped it would be loud and garish and like the programme on the telly.  Notwithstanding that, we loved it.  The hotel was full of people who enjoyed a good dance every evening and could really polish off their food in the restaurant.  I'd like to say we gave them a run for their  money, but they were in a different league.  I had the feeling that for some it might be annual trip from the pueblo.  I might be wrong.  But it was lovely.  I'd go back any time.  Why people should think Benidorm isn't the 'real Spain,' I don't know.  There are loads of versions of the 'real Spain,' all valid in different ways.  Tourism has been a life-saver for Spain for many years and is a very credible way for Spain to get out of the crisis.  Benidorm and places like Torremolinos (I'm not so keen on it there, mind, based on one weekend trip) are likely to lead the way.

What a sad picture was painted of Spain.

I feel though over here I must keep my  views to myself!

 Agree with you eggcup.  I went to Benidorm to see Bruce Springsteen a few years back and loved it.  Some of the best authentic tapas we have had in a touristy place.   Yeah the bull's a bit twee - but hey - they have to make a living too.   Plenty of Spanish places around Benidorm and it is a shame it has been tarred so badly.  There are probably as many badly behaved Northern Europeans on CDS - but it does not tarnish the entire image.  

What a really sad depiction of Spanish life

Better not let the wife see it !!!

Harry

 I didn't see it, but if it showed Benidorm I'm not surprised everyone was shocked. I can't stand the place, it does not represent Spain in the slightest and it it just makes me feel that I am in a tourist trap from hell. I have only been a few times and mainly for work but I try to avoid it at all cost. If you go in the summer it is "loud and garish" as I believe the programme depicted and if that was the sensation that was transmitted, they hit the nail on the head. But as soon as you leave benidorm its like walking into another world. It is a place with no style, no history, no charisma, no nothing, just crappy bars and fast food restaurants and tourist shops. It may be cheap tourism but personally if that was all I could afford, I would rather stay at home. As you can tell, Bendorm is not my cup of tea and sorry to those who love the place, no offense meant. Spain is not Benidorm. The Brits, as the majority are British, have taken over the place and turned it into their cheap local beach resort. Everything is in English, names of bars, restaurants, menus and in many "English bars and restaurnats" the waiters can't even speak Spanish. I find it really shocking. I hope they showed other areas of Spain in the programme and didn't just focus on horrible areas like Benidorm, otherwise the peoples view of Spain is going to be greatly distorted. Unfortunately that is the image that many people have of Spain and it is far from the truth.

 I agree with Mac75.  I don't like Benidorm at all.  Of course it does not represent Spain, but then again, Spain is a big country that is very different from one region to the other.  Benidorm does not represent any of these regions and much less the Valencia region where it is located.

Mac...

The programme itself was, I thought, very good, spoiled only by the opening two minutes which did indeed depict Benidorm as Southend / Blackpool / Margate with sunshine...

The programme explained very well how the country got into the mess that it's in and is well worth watching. For those that haven't seen it I put a youtube link to the programme in an earlier post'

Politicians and Bankers what a recipe for disaster!

fb

In terms of places to avoid in Spain, Madrid would come top of my list.  I lived there for a year and found it a concrete jungle, with just one park, the Retiro, which wasn't much cop.  Give me the seaside anywhere in Spain any day rather than a big, 'authentic,' 'real Spain' city.  How can any part of Spain be defined as the 'real Spain?'  Is it the little pueblo?  Is it the campo?  Is it somewhere which some people find tasteful?  The Spaniards, who comprised 99% of the clientele in our hotel in Benidorm didn't have a problem with the town.  They loved it, but then snobbery isn't a common part of the Spanish psyche.  I find that to be more of an English phenomenon, stemming from the class system.  My kids also loved Benidorm; they're bored stiff of the 'real Spain,' having lived in a pueblo for five years, being fluent, having Spanish friends etc.  They felt going to Benidorm was a real holiday experience in a way that going to our house isn't.

Also, if the only way to get millions of British tourists into Spain each year to spend their money - which then goes into the Spanish economy - is by catering for them and what they want, I don't hear the Spanish complaining.  That's business and Spain needs businesses that work, not ones that some people think 'fit in' with Spanish culture.  If everything were kept tasteful, according to British/English middle class tastes, then hardly anyone would go to Spain.  Would that be good for the Spanish people and the Spanish economy?  The middle classes can go to Marbella or Salamanca or wherever they go and look at the art galleries; the working classes who come in much larger numbers can go to Benidorm.  Where's the problem?

In terms of the film as a whole though I found it a bit boring and only watched the whole thing in case it told me anything I didn't know; it didn't.  Can anyone say they learned anything new from it? 

 eggcup: "Give me the seaside anywhere in Spain any day rather than a big, 'authentic,' 'real Spain' city."

i don't mean to be confrontational, but i can't agree. my wife and i spent a few days in valladolid earlier this month. i had spent a little time there before. what a wonderful town, on the banks of the duero, countless rstaurants, parks, etc.

but then, we love caceres, merida, sevilla, santiago, segovia, logrono, ourense......the list goes on and on, and we also have the seaside places, santander, bilboa, pontevedra, san sebastian.......spain is so varied. i can't understand your comment about middle class people going to salamanca for the art galleries....salamanca is one of the most beautiful cities in europe...knocks the socks off well known french or italian cities of similar size (200k)...nante, rennes, toulon, lille, trieste, reggio, taranto, padua....

you obviously know madrid better than i do...we've visited for a day about once a month for the last 4 years...and love the place, full of endless wide boulevards, narrow streets with bars, and so on. we have friends with a flat in salamanca (district of madrid) and they have an enviable lifestyle. 

i can understand people saying the same about uk..."give me the seaside, blackpool, bournemouth, eastbourne, etc" which is a valid opinion, but you'd miss out on a lot of interesting towns. and it would be wrong to suggest that cheltenham or bath only had appeal to the middle classes.

 I would have to disagree, Madrid is a fantastic city, ok it doesn't have a beach, but it has an awful lot going for it too. I lived there for a couple of years and it was a hell of lot more entertaining than many coastal resorts in Spain. If you are looking for sand, sun and sea on a budget and somewhere you can speak English, Benidorm would probably rank high up on the list. Of course the Spanish go to Benidorm, they've been doing it well before the the first Brit set foot there. It is infact the main holiday area for people who live inland in towns like Alcoy, Muro, Xativa etc. They are not going move away just because of the tourists. I agree though that there are many people who look for this type of tourism and the demand must be supplied, if Benidorm is the answer so be it and there is nothing wrong with it. I just don't like it. I just think its a shame that when people who don't know Spain talk of Spain and immediately mention, Benidorm, Torremolinos, Fuengirola, Salou etc I know they are all important tourist spots and it's great for the economy but it also affects negatively the branding of the country. The Made in Spain brand it hurt by all of this "cheap" tourism. People don't think of Spain as a "Quality" country and don't consider their products to be in line with Italy or Germany. This is the collateral damage of having these resorts. Sure the "mass" is the "mass" but as we have seen Spain can't survive on tourism alone, and need to build credibility over and above these "cheap branded" destinations. 

Madrid is a fabulous city, once you get over the fact that it doesn't have a beach, as the majority of cities don't, you can then really enjoy the wonders of Madrid: entertainment, nightlife, shops, theme parks, theatres, musicals, museums, galleries, fantastic restaurants, parks, architecture, concerts, history, the list is endless. Having breakfast in the Plaza Mayor was one of my most enjoyable moments. You only need to leave the capital to go up to the Sierra or the Escorial, where there are fantastic walks and endless outdoor activities. Somehow I don't think that these are middle class tastes but universal tastes, why wouldn't they attract the "working class" too? because someone is working class they can't enjoy culture or quality entertainment? Thats like saying London or Rome is not for the working class, doesn't make much sense in my opinon to compare the two places. Madrid is of course a capital city and one will get city life, if one goes to Madrid but really wants a beach, well then they will probably never like it. Maybe Barcelona would have been an interesting alternative,plenty of culture there too. With all due respect though, most kids would find the "pueblo" boring, mine did, as there is nothing to do in pretty much any pueblo in Spain, even I get bored if I'm there too long, so any other place would probably have been an escape for them. My daughter loved it when we went to aquarrama in Benidorm, and Terra Mitica, but that was it, just a day outing. She also loved it when we went to Madrid and saw a musical, went around  the Prado and watched a football match at the Bernabeu and she was 7, I'm sure she wasn't thinking, what a middle class weekend my Dad has just taken me on. She just enjoyed herself.

I would agree Madrid and BCN are both favulous cities.  How can we compare Madrid with Benidorm?  Give me a break, it's like trying to compare Blackpool with London - one is champagne and the other fish n chips no comparison.  I hate Benidorm personally, so does my husband,  it's best to drive straight through it and hit the brake when you get to Madrid.  I lived in BCN in the late 60's and am familiar with Spain.  Actually did a stint in Almeria in a few spagetti westerns back then and the costas have changed beyond all recognmition.  There is a price to pay for tacky tourism.  There is another posting BBC news in UK which makes interesting and scary reading.

It's funny that champagne and fish and chips should be mentioned in the same sentence, as that is my favourite food and drink combination in the world and would be my chosen last meal before the firing squad.  I stand by my belief that the majority of working class people would prefer a trip to Benidorm than a city like Madrid and would find it much more affordable.  Were that not the case then they would be going in their droves already to Madrid and not to Benidorm.  The working class members of my extended family wouldn't have the slightest interest in going on holiday to a large Spanish, German or Italian city and I personally like very few large cities - I can't stand London either after having lived there for three years.  It's just a matter of personal taste.  Maybe as a person brought up working class and now in the category of 'working class made good,' I don't feel the same disdain for ordinary things like fish and chips or an English cooked breakfast and I don't feel I have to immerse myself in traditional Spanish culture when in Spain and turn my back on anything that seems a bit 'English.'  I prefer to just be myself, and not aspire to some PC way of being and living my life.