Is one of the biggest hurdles to Spain’s economic recovery recovering public trust? The Christian Science Monitor:
As Spain keeps the world economy on edge while it scrambles to recapitalize its once-mighty financial sector, it’s losing hold of perhaps its most important asset: citizens’ trust.
“Too-big-to-fail” Spain appears to have averted a complete economic meltdown as Europe rushes to give it more time to recover. But rescuing the banks and averting a full-fledged embarrassing bailout is not enough. Central to Spain’s ability to pull out of this crisis is corporate and public willingness to keep money and spending at home, instead of running to foreign banks and markets. And key to that, analysts say, is for the government to explain to Spaniards what went wrong, how the system will be fixed, and how those responsible will be held accountable – instead of stonewalling investigations.
Markets and global governments are concerned about a domino-effect bank run that could severely undermine the European Union financial system, as evidence mounts that Spaniards and investors alike are losing confidence in the country’s institutions, not just its banks.
“I’m really scared,” says Jesús Diaz, a young taxi driver. “If we have to ask Europe for a bailout, I’m pulling my money out because I don’t know if Spain will become Greece. I have my taxi and I’m not going anywhere, but my brother will leave Spain because he has a degree.”
Others know there is little refuge. “I’m not pulling my money out,” says Purificación Ramos, a museum employee. “Where will I put it? Today one bank goes under, and tomorrow it will be another. I can’t trust any of them.”
A Euro bank bailoutMrs. Ramos is correct. A bank run is unlikely, for now, precisely because the consequences would be global. Europe does not have the money to rescue Spain, an almost-certain scenario if its financial sector implodes.
Go to the link to read it in full.
FOOTNOTE: I have a special interest and love of Spain. I lived in Spain from June 1975 through December 1978 and for the bulk of those years was “Special Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor,” a kind of super stringer (several stories a week including several extended feature reporting articles that ran on the inside centerfold pages). I arrived a few months before dictator Francisco Franco died and left the month that Spaniards approved the first democratic constitution since the Civil War with reforms backed by the person who became the behind the scenes champion to transition Spain to democracy, King Juan Carlos.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.