Home > Press Review > Sierra West: Challenges and Opportunities

Debate Almenara21 – Radio 21

Sierra West: Challenges and Opportunities

Wednesday 28 January 2009, by sods

All the versions of this article: [English] [Español]

JPEG - 900.1 kb

Problems

We are facing a crisis of global proportions. A crisis is not accidental, it is not timely, is deeper, belongs to the very economic system that every so often leads to a crisis more or less intense. The first was denied, then there was talk of a slowdown in growth after stagnation, recession now, and probably soon begin to talk about depression. The crisis, which has a financial source (for deregulation of markets) is aggravated in Spain by excessive production specialization, the excessive dependence on one sector: we have played the one card: the construction and real estate business and the financial crisis has dragged the two. The economic model has been sustained mainly in the construction of roads and the massive urbanization of the territory. The banks, in full ’confianza’ crisis, have cut off credit and the dying. The building has been sunk by excess, not by default. It is estimated that approximately 783,000 new houses built for sale, as there are the second-hand homes. This state level. In the region the picture may be different. We believe there are three major problems: excessive weight of the building, highly specialized workforce and low-skilled (in services, which means low salaries), some workers of hard labor in other sectors, just Now when it calls for a new production model, and finally, a huge debt choking her family consumption capacity (for the purchase on credit, mortgage debt and the price of energy). This is the picture.

And alternative

These crises in which the market economy are solved cyclically immerses us in the first place, as it always has been solved: with an increase in public spending, public expenditure, however, controlled, transparent, rational, not involving waste -. Unlike the PSOE (which invests huge amounts of money into large infrastructure such as the conversion of the highway N-403, and the TGV, a train that is not elitist available to anyone), we believe that these investments should go public renewable energy and clean technology (which also reduce our dependence on foreign energy), rehabilitation of old roads and other construction
conventional train and, of course, a truly free and public services of quality: better social services, health, educational and cultural.

Down to a more concrete level, opportunities or other alternatives could be:
- Better use of natural and historical heritage: focus on the latter, we have a millennial heritage from prehistoric marks in the Pelayos Dam to the Castle of Coracera through boars the Bullring Guisando and Monasteries Guisando and Santa Maria de Valdeiglesias, for a few very close. Would it not be possible to explore some kind of agreement with universities, especially departments of history and architecture of universities - not only Spanish, to give a boost to the academic and cultural tourism? In any event, the promotion of tourism must go beyond the uses of the dam of St. John (in a few years it may become a swamp). Again, we must diversify the economy.
- The agricultural and livestock, seeking quality products can still be profitable. We have several examples in the region: wine and Coruche Valleiglesias.
- Improving employment promotion-through, perhaps, development agents, not only at the people of the west of Madrid, but also with people of Avila and Toledo, extending the radius of the job municipal or district (to increase, thus employment opportunities without having to move to Madrid).
- Faced with major shopping and leisure centers, to encourage local consumption in the municipalities themselves in small and medium businesses, which generate more employment.
- Require compensation funds for areas with a high degree of conservation of natural territory. From a certain point of view we can say that forests (and have the best of Mediterranean forest in the center of Spain, in the words of CSIC) are big industries, factories are producing well-being, environmental quality, clean air, moisture, tourist attraction ... And also set descontaminan andalusia CO2 absorbed. If there is no other way to preserve the environment, pongámosle a natural price for this industry (which, incidentally, is not hard) in exchange for limiting the growth and urban population. We do not say stop, we limit the growth taking into account the carrying capacity of the territory.
- It is important that although the educational communities are autonomous, local governments made an effort in the education of girls and adolescents. They are the most important economic factors in the immediate future and not being prepared for the change in the production model that we will require that by dragging the inertia that, obviously, and failed economic model. Schools workshop and training workshops should be directed to sectors such as renewable energy and agroecology.

We’re still on time, at all levels (regional, regional, state ...) to change to a production model that does not involve environmental and social deterioration. If we continue along this path of economic growth is all you get to postpone the next crisis, in return get an extension, probably for the next crisis is even deeper.

View online : Listen to full debate on almenara21.com (in Spanish)