LAS REVELACIONES DE ONAKRA, EL ESCRIBA DE DIOS

Being Easter week perhaps it is appropriate that I turn for a while to the words of God. Well actually the words are those of my esteemed colleague Francisco Rubiales Moreno – who is certainly closer to God than me.


Regular readers of my blog will know that from time to time I have featured threads of thoughts from his excellent Voto En Blanco website – see banner at side for the link – and very recently he laid the basis for a trilogy of articles I wrote on political corruption in Spain compared with Gibraltar.

Apart from having spent many years as an international correspondent for the Efe news agency, advised the UN and held the post in charge of communications for Expo 92 in Sevilla Francisco has also previously published three books Democracia Secuestrada; Políticos, los Nuevos Amos y Periodistas Sometidos, los perros del poder.

His new book – Las Revelaciones de Onakra, el escriba de Dios – is a marked change for this previous volumes which were essays on political thought.

I am told because I am yet to read it that this book is an original narrative, inspired by an ancient Italian manuscript, containing mysterious revelations about the arrival of the first angels on earth, their relationships with living species on the planet, the origins of human intelligence and the beginning of the death struggle between good and evil that will dominate the human existence, from the beginning until the end of time.

Within the pages you will find the secret of human history is the fight against evil and man is not anything other than an ally of God in this crucial battle. Although the book is not a political essay, it contains convincing and evocative impetus on the fight against the unjust, a shocking condemnation of oppression and an epic hymn to freedom, which, together with life, is the great gift of God to man, the only created species possessing freedom fully.

After its launch the book was the most sold on Bubok. If I have wetted your appetite then read it for yourself – you can order signed copies on the Voto en Blanco website.

PERIODISTAS SOMETIDOS. LOS PERROS DEL PODER.

Regular readers of my blog will know that I often refer to themes that are carried on Voto en Blanco – a blog that I believe is required reading for all Britons living in Spain. As I have explained previously I do not argue that you should accept all or any of the views expressed there but I do believe that as foreign residents in Spain we should engage with themes and views being discussed by thinking Spaniards.

Voto en Blanco is the blog of Francisco Rubiales – an esteemed Spanish journalist who amongst other positions was the “Madrid” correspondent in the Far East and Mexico and headed the EFE bureaux in Cuba, Central America and Italy. Now he has sharpened his ancient quill to pen a new book “Periodistas Sometidos. Los Perros del Poder” (Almuzara 2009). It is the last of a trilogy that deals with politics and power – in this volume he looks at the role of journalists. It is being read with great interest by politicians, journalists and citizens who are interested in knowing in detail the deep crisis in the media in Spain.

Francisco lays the blame, in part, at the foot of journalists for what he sees as the assassination of politics by the Spanish political parties that has transformed the country into an oligarchy without dignity or respect. “The free media is the spine of democracy, but the submissive media is the supporter of tyranny.”

Francisco states: “The Spanish media is ill because there are too many professionals who have resigned to independence in which they do not propagate the truth, but the truth of the power, that is very different, and that has been in exchange for money, privileges or, which is worse still, awaiting being compensated by the powerful ones. Those journalists who contribute light, independent information and truth, are the guardians of the democracy, but those that have been put under are “Los Perros del Poder” - “the dogs of the power”.

In reality many journalists – perhaps the majority – are not free even in democracies to express independent views or facts. They instead have to reflect the views or stances of their employers – often large media groups.

The biggest political story with implications for democracy is the revelations in the Daily Telegraph over MPs expenses. However it was the management of that newspaper that decided to buy the discs containing the damning information whilst other newspapers passed up the opportunity. It was only then that the project was handed over to journalists.

A degree of independence is allowed in some newspapers. Staying with the Daily Telegraph on Saturday it ran a leader urging its largely “conservative” readership not to vote for UKIP in the Euro elections. However its respected columnist, Simon Heffer, on the same day in his column stated he would be voting for UKIP and suggested his readers did likewise. Two different “conservative” viewpoints were allowed within the same publication – but Simon Heffer would never be tolerated in the socialist Daily Mirror, nor probably would he ever wish to toil there.

Of course as Francisco identifies it is on the internet and in blogs that journalists can break free from the shackles and state views, present facts or instigate arguments that would never be tolerated by our media or political masters in conventional publications. Without doubt the internet is a vital tool in preserving democracy but those who would wish only to propagate their version of the truth also know this – hence we must be prepared to defend that freedom as many journalists have done in the past with imprisonment and even death.

(Voto en Blanco – http://www.votoenblanco.com/
This column also appears on Blogs de Cádiz – for both click banners on the right)

POLÍTICOS, LOS NUEVOS AMOS

In his introduction to Francisco Rubiales book, “Políticos, Los Nuevos Amos”, the former Spanish government minister Manuel Pimental writes in his introduction: “Políticos, los nuevos amos afronta el problema de la degradación del poder con extraordinaria valentía, claridad y profundidad”.

Pimentel goes on to recommend the book to presidents, ministers, those holding political office, party activities and all citizens who are anxious and worried by the state of democracy. He adds that it is a tough book, free, holding political correctness in contempt, has the ability to provoke thought and strikes hard blows to the reader’s conscience.”

The main thrust of the book is that: “Existe un componente depredador y rastrero en el concepto de poder que nunca ha abandonado el escenario a lo largo de los siglos. Unas clases dominantes suceden a otras y cada época establece sus sistemas de dominación y sus reglas, pero el poder, aunque disfrazado, sigue siendo el mismo: depredador, al servicio de las élites, implacable y utilizado sólo por los amos como instrumento para dominar y sojuzgar”.

Now regular readers of my blog will know that I often refer to Francisco Rubiales blog ‘Voto en Blanco’ and pick up on themes that he and his writers debate. I also urge all my readers to read these thoughts and views, many of which deal with citizens’ impotency in a democracy that has been hijacked by the politicians.

I believe that it is important for all thinking foreign residents in Spain to engage with blogs such as ‘Voto en Blanco’ to get a feel for the views and thoughts being debated by the country’s writers and concerned citizens. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t argue that you should accept Francisco’s or his writers’ views but you should feel free to argue and debate them online.

Let’s be frank, if Francisco is correct and the politicians have kidnapped politics then we must keep democracy alive through freedom of speech and the right to debate freely.

Therefore it is important that we all make our voices heard.

VOTO EN BLANCO

Aprendiendo inglés y periodismo del bueno
Por Francisco Rubiales

Todas las mañanas visito el blog TILTING AT WINDMILL con un doble objetivo: saborear periodismo anglosajón del bueno y aprender inglés.

TILTING AT WINDMILLS es el blog de un periodista británico radicado en España, cuyo alias es "Sancho", como el famoso escudero de Don Quijote, un nombre que ya orienta sobre la naturaleza de su información y sus enfoques independientes, libres y atrevidos.

El blog permite a los españoles curiosos e informativamente ambiciosos asomarse a enfoques diferentes e independientes de la realidad y a una dimensión de gran interés, la de conocer como nos ven los observadores y analistas extranjeros. Sin esa dimensión, el bagaje informativo de un estudioso conspicuo quedaría siempre mermado.

Su uso del lenguaje es directo y sencillo, como todo el periodismo anglosajón, sacrificando las florituras y elegancias lingïsticas a lo que es más importante: la claridad informativa. Cada vez que leo a Sancho recuerdo al periodista Francois Reitberger, con el que coincidí en Cuba entre 1975 y 1977. Él era corresponsal de Reuter y yo de EFE. De él aprendí las esencias del periodismo anglosajón, el valor de la independencia y el orgullo que debe sentir un informador cuando se enfrenta a los totalitarismos y opresores profesionales.