Plataforma Auditoria Ciudadana de la Deuda – EN

In Spain, as in other countries in the European periphery, we are witnessing how the so-called debt crisis is used to justify austerity and adjustment policies that destroy the social and labor rights won with the efforts and struggle of generations. With impunity, essential public services such as education, health and social services are cut and privatized. Citizens watch helplessly how their retirement age is delayed, their living conditions worsen, pensions freeze and labor rights are cut.

We are in crisis and there is no other solution to recover than to cut and continue cutting. The reason for such austerity, as the dominant discourse says, is the high level of indebtedness of the Spanish state (same as the other countries of the «second league» in the euro zone). Our recent amendment to the Constitution, approved on August 30th, 2011, states in its Article 135.3 that debt payment is a priority and also prohibits its negotiation or repudiation. Thus, our tax money will not go primarily to our social services but to pay the debt. A debt that we were never aware of, a debt we are unable to decide on.

Having all this in mind, we must ask ourselves: How come this economic system called Debtocracy has been imposed? What knowledge do we have of our state budgets? What knowledge do we have of the ECB loans? What does a bank bailout mean? What role did the international crisis and the housing bubble play?

Given this economic, social and democratic fraud, a group of citizens have decided to organize in order to answer these questions and determine the origin of this scam called Debt. In what conditions was it subscribed, what has been financed by it, who is benefiting, is it legitimate and should we pay it?