Spanish Ports Blockaded.

by aye aye aye hmmmmm iosaf. Wed Oct 26, 2005 21:23

Representatives of the fishing "guilds" of Andalucía, Catalonia, Galicia, Alicante, Málaga, Murcia, Tarragona, Valencia, Asturias, Cantabria and Canarias are currently meeting with the Spanish minister for Agriculture and Fish, Elena Espinosa.

Meanwhile, family of fishermen (fishing is a predominantly male industry but interestingly post catch processing and retail at either whole sale or usual market outlet is predominantly female) have taken to the motorways around several of the blockaded ports "just to get that point across".

Leftwing regimes and governments are often elected through mass frustration at perceived neglect by centre or rightwing governments by the "working classes". Thus any industrial or strike action that "throws a spanner" into essential national economic or cultural activity is very important. More than one government in europe has been brought down by fuel related protests in the last 40 years.

I've been thinking about the contigent of euskadi fisherman (the basques), & I admit to asking a (valencian) youth today how far he thought they had come to register their protest for cheaper subsidised fuel. He scratched his head as i produced a michelin map of the peninsula. " I reckon its between 3 and 4 thousand kilometres"
said yours' truly. "no" guffawed the youth, its only a few hundred "you take the motorway across the pyrennes". ..... "in a trawler?" I sort of needed to illustrate the valencian thing. Kaixo! to the euskera fishermen! They have circum-navigated the Iberian peninsula to ask for 5 cents less on a litre of diesel and make history.

by aye aye aye hmmmmmmmmm. Thu Oct 27, 2005 12:39

Only two of the 17 "regions" of Spain that border the coast (and thus can move their trawlers about easily without causing road accidents) have not so far taken part in the protests. Theyre about to kick into action. The fishermen of Cantabria (between Galicia and Austurias on the northern coast) vote on action today.
meanwhile Andalucian fishermen have today launched a blockade of Cadiz, the very important Atlantic sea port just south of Portugal and within an hours sailing (fine weather allowing) of Cape Trafalgar.

This morning's telly echoes one of the minister's comments that "we are all suffering the rising cost of crude oil, but we don't get subsidised". One TV commentator spat fury from the box at me over my breakfast of tinned sardines and toast; "these fishermen have rights but they duties too! you can't stop the country over fuel".
Yes, yes very fair. But some of us just drive kids to school in 4 wheel drives inadvertently pushing up cost through demand, whilst others weekly put aside centimos of a euro for the heating cost should winter ever arrive. So there are very different users and consumers of a nation's fuel reserves. And very few us go fishing every day.
If we don't support those who do, then we allow those who favour satellite guided freezer ships such as operate from Donegal (MV atlantic dawn) to continue over-fishing West african waters.

And now, the "insider" information. As I told ye all (attentive bunch) during the closure of the oil refineries of Louisianna after Hurricane Katrina, this is the month of the year when both the USA and the EU fill their crude oil, refined gas and fuel reserves. & they do this now, because of seasonal price adjustment. Its marginally cheaper now.... or "its supposed to be". This allows governments such as Spain (with exceptionally high amounts of reserved *refined* fuel) to do a bit of "price massaging" come the winter months when "old poor people need it", when generally the product is sold *at humungous profit* anyway.

So... there is enough oil to fuel the boats. But then again, there's enough food to feed the hungry as well. Lets see if they get it. & if it fails, I'm sure some other country will kick into fuel protests soon enough.

by aye aye aye hmmmmmmmmm Thu Oct 27, 2005 20:53

It has been reported that the barcelona stationed coast guard, or Guardia Civil, have welcomed the basque fishermen with fines for obstructing the port of barcelona - 6000€ each boat. That's very spanish hospitality isn't it?

by aye aye aye aye Thu Oct 27, 2005 20:57

After the government announced a pact or solution to the crises this afternoon, the ports of Spain began to operate normally again. In Barcelona the port authority and its own police force announced that normal traffic would resume at 16h30. And a few thousand italian and french holidaymakers and tobacco smugglers managed to get home this evening. The government has survived the embarassment and the fishermen are happy. Ah!!!!! but there is an ungrateful intransigent community of fishermen who have not called off their protest.
Q. Where could they possible come from?
A. The ports of the Basque country are still blockaded.