Alan McGuire – Personal Blog and The Sobremesa Podcast

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IDEA-OLOGY: A Critical Analysis of The West

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Return to a Cancelled Future

Growing up a wannabe rockstar in the UK I had various heroes; I’m sure you can imagine what influences they had on me. From smoking Marlboro reds to skinny jeans and long black emo fringes I was easily swayed by the whole DIY-look. Self cut mullets and ripped jeans made the rock scene accessible to everyone, and if you wanted to be anyone, then you needed a band. I remember being…

La historia de Jeremy Corbyn y la tragedia de partido Laborista

Para cualquiera que no siguió las elecciones de 2019 en Reino Unido, el Partido Laborista perdió las elecciones por dos razones: la mala cobertura de los medios y nuestra posición sobre el Brexit. Fue un error del partido Laboralista no apoyar la decisión de la clase trabajadora para el Brexit, lo cual fue la decisión democrática más grande en la historia de Gran Bretaña. 50 de los 52 escaños que perdimos…

Atocha

Spain is famous for its plazas. Often thought of as places where thin, glamorous, hot-blooded Spaniards pass the night on wicker furnished terraces with large glasses of rioja wine, tapas in shallow terracotta bowls and the light humming of flamenco guitar in the background. Yet as you arrive in Madrid via the southern gateway to the city, Atocha, the first plaza you encounter is rather underwhelming to say the least. Plaza…

Selling your labour

This old Marxist phase does change how you feel when looking for a job. It can be both empowering and demotivating in equal measure or, depending on your position, it can be lopsided. If you are in a job for a number of years and you want to change, it isn’t so easy. First you have to break through the wall in your mind that you need to be loyal; how…

Was Spain’s 15M Acid Communism?

Was Spain’s 15M Acid Communism?

Why doesn’t Spain have a Green Party with Xan Lopez from Contra el Diluvio

Xan Lopez from Contra el Diluvio, (a green think tank without money) talks with me about ecology and the problems specific to Spain. We also discuss ecological movements and of course green politics. Check out his group’s blog for more infohttps://contraeldiluvio.es/

What is Literature?

Having started a degree in English, I have been forced to rethink my concept of literature. Prior to completing the recommended reading, which was the first chapter of Terry Eagleton’s literary theory book, an easy way to summarize my view on literature would have been to say that it is all forms of fiction. My lack of imagination when it comes to defining literature might show a lack of enthusiasm for…

Riders Law with Ben Wray from Brave New Europe’s Gig Economy Project

Ben Wray is a freelance journalist leading Brave New Europe’s Gig Economy Project. He joins me to explain how the Riders law came about in Spain, and why it is needed. Ben also explains some of the problems that there have been on the way.

Idea-ology: Neo-liberalism, where it started (part 3)

Over the past 40 years, neoliberalism has demolished trade unions and stripped away financial restrictions which has led to more wealth for people with money and a stagnation in wages for the rest of us. President Reagan imposed this in the USA and Thatcher did so in the UK. In later years, neoliberalism repurposed the function of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). These global corporations, in charge…

Idea-ology: Doctrine for the Masses (Part 2)

Neo-liberals believe that the free market is the best way to organise society. They claim that the government should be just an administrator, not a supervisor or a player in the market, even to the point that private companies should provide services such as hospitals, schools and prisons. This is a common misconception, or a slight of hand, as under neo-liberal control the state often is used for the benefit for…

Idea-ology: Creating the Illusion (Part 1)

Idea-ology: Creating the illusion of neo-liberalism

Episode 41: Exhuming Franco with Sebastiaan Faber

The Sobremesa Podcast has slowed down for August like the rest of Spain. But here is some summer listening for you, no matter where you are! Sebastiaan Faber, professor of Hispanic studies at Oberlin College, joins me to discuss his latest book Exhuming Franco What is left of Francisco Franco’s legacy in Spain today? Franco ruled Spain as a military dictator from 1939 until his death in 1975. In October 2019,…

Leyendas de Leganés: Don Juan de Austria, el Jon Snow de Leganés

¿Quién fue Don Juan de Austria? En Leganés hay comunidades, colegios, y una calle que se llama Juan de Austria. Y como Jon Snow de Juegos de Tronos, Juan fue un bastado del Rey y un luchador. Un héroe Cerca de 1545, el Rey Carlos I de España, también Santo Emperador Romano desde Alemania hasta Italia, tuvo un hijo con Barbara Blomberg, una dama alemana. Nació en Alemania, originalmente se lama…

Que es una ‘Centrist Dad’?

Hay un concepto en el mundo político anglo saxon que es un ‘centrist dad’ (padre centristas). Quiero introducir esto concepto a España porque es una idea fundamental por Twitter, memes y por una broma durante la cena de navidad cuando tu tío hablar sobre ‘que es posible’ en esto mundo. Un padre centralista normalmente es un hombre (pero también puede ser un mujer) de generación de Boomer (nació 1946- 1964) o…

EPISDOE 40: The Future of Unidas Podemos

Sorry this episode is a bit late but I have covid! Recorded two weeks ago, Nerea Fernández Cordero, Co-coordinadora at IU Exterior (Izquierda Unida), and political journalist Eoghan Gilmartin join me to discuss the coalition party called Unidas Podemos. We talk about how it came to be and where it goes from here that their founding leader has left politics, and now that they are part of the first left wing…

Leyendas de Leganés: Avenida Salvador Allende

En Leganés, hay una calle se llama Salvador Allende después del primer presidente marxista en Chile y América Latina. Allende fue elegido en eleciones democráticas en 1970. Allende quiso mejorar las condiciones para la clase obrera en su país. Mejorar la educación, el sistema de salud y nacionalizar las industrias más grandes en Chile. Pero tiene la oposición del congreso, donde la derecha tiene el control. En 1973, hubo un golpe…

Catalan Political Prisoners Get a Pardon With Andrew Dowling

Following last weeks news on the pardon of the 9 Catalan political prisoners, jailed following the referendum in 2017, I discuss the issue with Andrew Dowling, a lecturer in Catalan and Spanish history. If you want to hear more about this issue, take a listen to our previous episodes on the matter.

Nazi Germany and Spain with Dr Mercedes Peñalba-Sotorrío

Dr Mercedes Peñalba-Sotorrío, a lecturer and researcher from Manchester Metropolitan University, joins me to discuss the relationship between Nazi Germany and Spain before, during and after WW2. Her research involves looking at how Nazi propaganda inside Spain which influenced the country’s foreign and domestic policy during the time. We also discuss the concept of neutral countries and how the relationship with Germany changed as the war advanced. The Sobremesa Podcast is…

#4MAYO Madrid Elections: an after-thought

With a 75% participation rate, the PP and Isabel Ayuso take 65 seats in the Madrid Comunidad elections, four short of a majority. She will need an abstention from Vox to become president, and is also likely to negotiate a confidence on supply agreement with them. Ayuso has eaten Cuidudanos alive and kept Vox at bay, whilst also gaining more seats than all the left together. This is certainly a boost…

#4M Madrid Elections 2021 with Caroline Gray and Eoghan Gilmartin

With the communidad elections less than a week away Caroline Gray and Eoghan Gilmartin both join me to discuss the political earthquake that led to the elections and why this election is about more than just the capital. Eoghan Gilmartin is a political journalist covering Spanish politics. He is a regular contributor to Jacobin Magazine and has written from many other publications such as Novara Media and Open Democracy. Caroline Gray…

European Super League with Tommy Hay

This week, the European Super League launched but it hasn’t gone smoothly. In the UK all 6 big teams were forced to pull out by their fans, the media and even Boris Johnson. Here in Spain the reaction has been very different. Tommy Hay joins me to discuss the issues behind this league and the Spanish reaction to it. Tommy Hay is a football commentator here in Spain. He is the…

The Treatment of Sexual Minorities in the Late-Francoist Period with Sonia Cuesta Maniar

Sonia Cuesta Maniar joins me to discuss the treatment of sexual minorities by the Spanish state during the late period of the Francoist dictatorship. Sonia Cuesta Maniar is a doctoral research student at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford. Her research focuses on the relationship between Francoist repressive practices and accelerating socio-political change in the 1960s and 1970s Spain. More broadly, she is interested in the history of memory, violence, and…

Gender Violence with Dr Deborah Madden

Feminism is huge movement in Spain, but why? Gender violence is a polemical topic in Spain. Dr Deborah Madden joins me to discuss how, in recent years, there have been several high-profile cases of rape that have brought about needed reforms to the Spanish law. This, along with a number of femicides in the country, has brought gender violence into the public domain. We also discuss how the feminist movement has…

Spanish Feminism with Elia Romera Figueroa

In recent years feminism has boomed in countries such as Argentina and Mexico. Likewise, in Europe the movement has been most active in the south, mainly in Italy and Spain. Since 2018, when the first massively followed International Women Strike took place, the movement hasn´t stop growing, and its effects are beginning to be felt. What are some of today’s discussions in Spanish feminism? and where was Spanish feminism before 2018?…

Spanish Start Ups with Joe Haslam

The Spanish government recently announced 11 billion euros for small, medium sized companies in the hard-hit tourism sector. Will it be enough? And what is the direction for the Spanish economy? In the longer term, Spain has seen the need to reform its economy as the current model, heavily reliant on tourism, is unreliable. Many in the country also want self employment red tape cut and costs reduced. Joe Haslam joins…

Basque Nationalism: The Origins of Basque Nationalism and Anti-colonialist Rhetoric with Maria Reyes Baztán

Nationalism has made a comeback in the 21st century and Spain is not exempt. Often people mistake Spain for a large country, when in fact it is a large block of several regional identities. Famously, the Catalan independence movement has highlighted this fact and also caused a rise in the national Spanish identity. However this is not a new phenomenon. Spain’s regional identities have challenged Spanish nationalists desired unity since at…

Catalan Politics 101 with Andrew Dowling

On Sunday the 14th February 2021, Catalonia will go to the polls, this time to elect a regional government. This is the second regional election since the October 2017 independence referendum. The first in December 2017 was called by then Spanish President Mariano Rajoy, in that election the biggest party Cuidudanos won the most seats but could not form an administration. A regional government was formed by independence forces JuntsxCats/ERC/CUP. Quimm…

The Rise of Vox and Spanish Nationalism

Here is the second part of my interview with Vicente Rubio-Pueyo. Here we talk the rise in very visible raising of Spanish nationalism and how this also went alongside the rise of far right party Vox. To read Vicente’s report check out the link below:

Spanish municipalism with Vicente Rubio-Pueyo

Vicente Rubio-Pueyo is a Spanish academic based in New York and member of Minim, a municipalism observatory. https://minim-municipalism.org/ He sat down with me to discuss modern day Spanish municipalism and the effect it has had on politics and the cities it governed. For further details on how the municipalism started in Spain, listen to my interview on 15M The second part of my interview, about the rise of Vox and nationalism,…

Nigel Farage is a bigger threat to the left than the Tories. Here’s why.

Nigel Farage is a bigger threat to the left than the Tories. Here’s why.

Territorial Politics in Spain with Caroline Gray

When you first move to Spain you soon realise there are more than two national parties. Since the financial crash in 2008, regional politics have become a big matter (once again) in Spanish politics. The current coalition government has made them a key part of their program. How did this come about? For one thing, it is not new. In this episode of the Sobremesa podcast I interview Caroline Gray. Here…

15-M, Ten Years On: In conversation with Cristina Flesher Fominaya on her recent book Democracy Reloaded: Inside Spain’s Political Laboratory from 15-M to Podemos

Events in America last week only remind us that democracy is fragile. Whilst the 90’s and the early 2000’s might seem like the ‘norm’, it was actually a bit of a red herring. We should try to remember that democracy has always been fragile and prone to crisis and threat. To use the worn-out Winston Churchill quote, “democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” Here we…

Keir Starmer: Labour Aristocracy

Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer: “I don’t think there is a case for re-joining the EU…that is not realistic” Originally tweeted by BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) on January 10, 2021. On Sunday 10th January, Keir Starmer turned his back on a large group of people that voted for him in the leadership elections. Remain-backing Labour members all over the country will be upset by the news that Labour will not be campaigning…

Shove your ‘Hot Take’

Is anybody else tired? I certainly am. Following the threat to democracy, the ‘coup’, the backlash of populism (and any other over inflated name you want to give it) in the United States on Wednesday, all I have seen online so far are personal hot takes. These have mainly been poor interpretations of what was clearly a bunch of losers, to steal an insult from Trump, being allowed to storm the…

Brexit Special: One Remainer, One Leaver. Both Live in Spain

In this one-off special episode, I discuss brexit with two Brits that live in Spain. One voted leave and the other voted remain. Here is why. Richard Thompson lives in Sant Joan in Mallorca. He is a business owner and local town councillor with Assemblea per Sant Joan. We talk about voting remain and the stereotypes of Brits in Spain. Timothy Appleton has lived in Madrid for 15 years. He is…

Cultural Marxism, Covid-19 and a Broken Ideology

On the 17th December, Liz Truss, the Secretary of State for International Trade, who is also minister for Women and Equality, gave a speech announcing the government’s new approach toward equality. As part of this announcement, the Secretary claimed that recent governments had concentrated on ‘empty gestures’ such as anti-racism and gender equality whilst ignoring class and regional inequalities. She says that this fresh approach will be based on conservative values…

After The Fall: An Interview with Tobias Buck

Here I got to interview author and former Financial Times Spain correspondent Tobias Buck. After The Fall: Crisis, Recovery and the Making of a New Spain is Tobias’ book documenting the country’s political, societal and economic response to the 2008 financial crisis and the territorial crisis that followed. You can get a copy here and in all good bookshops. We also talk about corruption, austerity, Rajoy, Podemos and Catalonia. He goes…

The History of Anarchism in Spain with Danny and Jim from the ABC Podcast

In this two-part episode, I spoke with Danny and Jim from the Anarchist Book Club Podcast. We go all the way from the meaning of anarchism and its founding in Spain to its current state today. I learnt loads talking with both the guys. Please make sure you take a listen to their podcast, The Anarchist Book Club, and if you want to know more you can buy their books. The…

Spain’s new budget with EOGHAN GILMARTIN and TOMMY GREENE

“Spain’s Left Is Winning the Battle for Welfare — But Not the War on Neoliberalism” This is the name of Eoghan and Tommy’s new article available at jacobin.com. Here we discuss their take on Spain’s first budget since Rajoy. We discuss where Podemos is making gains and where the PSOE and EU are too. I hope you find this interesting take on the budget helpful. Please head on over and read…

A New Image of Spain?: a Podcast Crossover with Paul Burge from When in Spain

CROSSOVER TIME!! The Sobremesa Podcast has teamed up with the When in Spain podcast. Paul Burge has been running his podcast for the last 2 years and covers a whole range of things related to Spain. From pueblos to Hemmingway, it is all in there. Here I interviewed Paul about tourism and the image of Spain, both from the outside and the image of the country that Spaniards have. If you…

Left Populism in Spain and the USA with Jorge Tamames

In this episode of the Sobremesa podcast, I chat with journalist and political researcher Jorge Tamames about the history and current state of populism in the USA and Spain. Jorge’s book ‘For The People: Left Populism in Spain and the US’ concentrates on left wing populism in both countries. Here he explains the conditions that led to the rise in Podemos and Bernie Sanders, and their differences. Later, we discuss Podemos…

The History of the Housing Crisis and the birth of the PAH movement with Sophie Gonick

This week the Sobremesa Podcast talks with Sophie Gonick from New York University about her up and coming book: Dispossession and Dissent. We talk about how she documented the birth of the Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (PAH) (Platform for People Affected by Mortgages), and she also explains the housing crisis that went with it. We later talk about housing policy and why council houses in Spain aren’t really a…

Doctor, Doctor give me some news… 19/10/2020

In this episode of the Sobremesa Podcast, I talk to an old friend about an ongoing problem. Doctors in Spain are threatening to strike from the 28th of October over a new law passed by the government. This law is to help increase the number of staff. So, what is the problem? Find out here Please like and subscribe to the Sobremesa Podcast for the latest in Spanish current affairs, culture,…

An Interview with Giles Tremlett: The International Brigades. Fascism, Freedom, and the Spanish Civil War.

An Interview with Giles Tremlett: The International Brigades. Fascism, Freedom, and the Spanish Civil War.

The Dina Case with Tommy Greene

This week saw the end of the political jousting between the central government and the Madrid regional government. This reached a climax on Friday with Madrid being under a state of alarm. Further court developments this week threaten to eat away at the coalition government’s sense of legitimacy. This forms part of a larger ongoing investigation that has seen the presentation of the deputy PM go from being an aggrieved or…

Back in Lockdown: Interviews with Sara Soto and Simon Hunter

Madrid has been placed in (partial) lockdown once again. In this episode I explore how this come about in two very different interviews. Firstly, I speak with Sara Soto, Secretary of the Young Socialists of Vallecas. Here we talk about the response to lockdown on the 18th September and the effects it has had over the past two weeks. We also discuss some of the inequalities that were already in the…

Pandemic Politics: an Interview with Eoghan Gilmartin

This week Eoghan Gilmartin joins me. As a political journalist based in Madrid, he has been covering the stories as they have unfolded. Here we talk about the more immediate stories of the day, such as the management of the virus in Madrid and the future for Spanish politics. Later, we then explore how this situation has come about, and how the quick politicisation of the pandemic has played out on…

The New Democratic Memory Law: a Discussion with Tom Wardle

In 2007, the Spanish government passed the historical memory law to address issues from the country’s past. Since then the law has been starved of funding and criticised as not going far enough regarding victims’ rights.

The new coalition government has put forward a new law named the Democratic Memory. This law will look at exhumations of mass graves, education, prosecutions, the removal of honors and medals that go against democracy and the Valley of the Fallen.
Tom Wardle joined me to discuss the proposals.

Diada, The National Day of Catalonia: an Interview with Alícia Hernàndez Grande

In this special edition of Sobremesa, I interview researcher and Phd candidate Alícia Hernàndez Grande.

Here she explains the history behind the independence movement, and Diada, the national day of Catalonia. She also shares her observations from the 2017 referendum and where the Catalan identity comes from.

Regional Identity and the EU: an Interview with Professor Sandie Holguin (Part 2)

In this episode I interview Professor Sandie Holguin about the regional identities in Spain and how they interact with the national identity. We also discuss the EU and how it forms a part of the political scene in Spanish politics today.

The National Spanish Identity: an Interview with Professor Sandie Holguin

In this episode I interview cultural and intellectual historian Professor Sandie Holguin, where we talk about the historical construction of the national Spanish identity. She is also the author of Flamenco Nation: The Construction of the Spanish National Identity. You can get a copy of the book here or on Amazon. At the beginning of the episode I will give you an update on the national situation as the children return…

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