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Heated debate on Catalonia (and tortilla) as BBC World Questions comes to Madrid

The BBC came to Madrid to analyze the burning issues of the day in Spain; What next for Catalonia? What role does a monarchy have in a modern democracy? How will Spain act over Gibraltar in light of Brexit? And…should Spanish tortilla be cooked with onions or without?

Published: 19 January 2018 16:38 CET
Heated debate on Catalonia (and tortilla) as BBC World Questions comes to Madrid
From left to right: Francisco Martinez (PP) Ana Romero (Journalist and author), Jonathan Dimbleby, Begoña Villacís (Ciudadanos) and Alfred Bosch (ERC). Photo: Alberto Nevado / BBC

In a packed out hall of Madrid’s iconic Bellas Artes building on Wednesday evening an audience listened raptly as broadcasting legend Jonathan Dimbleby acted as referee between representatives from across Spain’s political spectrum.


Photo: Alberto Nevado / BBC

In an hour-long debate that focused predominantly on the Catalan independence issue, Alfred Bosch, leader of  the Catalan separatist ERC party in Barcelona's City Hall braved a hostile crowd to outline his view on how Catalonia will indeed become independent.

Squaring up to the PP’s representative Francisco Martinez – who kept to the party line insisting dialogue was possible only within the framework of upholding the rule of law -Bosch met a chorus of boos from the audience when denouncing police violence at the polls and the fact that elected politicians from his party are currently behind bars. 

“If you are using public money to carry out an illegal vote – as ruled so by the courts and not the government – then you have to expect the consequences,” said Martinez to a round of applause.

It became apparent that the atmosphere would be entirely different if the debate had been held in Catalonia and not in front of a Madrid-based crowd.

Begoña Villacis, on the Madrid council for Ciudadanos, attempted to outline her party's policies on Catalonia and the King’s speech, but it was hard to distinguish her views from those of the PP.

And she admitted she had “no idea” about Gibraltar and where Spain might stand in negotiations over the former colony as Brexit looms. A response that warranted a quip from Dimbleby.

But to her credit, after visible hostility between her and her Catalan counterpart Bosch, the evening ended with a conciliatory embrace between the pair, that brought applause and cheers from the crowd.

Kissing and hugging between #Spain (@begonavillacis) and #Catalonia (@AlfredBosch) at the #BBCWQ in Madrid. Audience breaks into applause. Kudos to @iamcopykat for caching the moment! pic.twitter.com/tt8Sgnwqkg

— Albert Guasch Rafael (@albertguaschr) January 17, 2018

Ana Romero, whose explosive book “El Rey ante el Espejo” is out this week, was the only member of the panel without a political agenda and provided a voice of reason with the wish that politicians would “stop quoting election numbers at each other and just get on and find a solution.”

The questions came from the audience, including one from Emilio Silva, a campaigner who has worked tirelessly to arrange exhumations of victims of the Spanish Civil War, asking the panel for their views on how more than 100,000 bodies still lie in unmarked graves across Spain, four decades after the dictatorship ended.

The question provoked visible emotion among the panel and the audience alike.

But the burning issue of the night? A question about which Spaniards will always remain divided. Tortilla Española: With or without onions?

To listen to the full broadcast tune in to the BBC World Service on Saturday January 20at 8pm CET. It will remain available online after that at www.bbc.com/worldserviceradio  


Left to right: Alfred Bosch (ERC), Begoña Villacís (Ciudadanos), Francisco Martinez (PP) Ana Romero (Journalist and author). Photo: Alberto Nevado / BBC


 

BEACHES

Why are Barcelona’s beaches disappearing?

Barcelona's much-loved beaches are losing between six and 10 metres of sand per year, but why is this happening?

Published: 16 June 2021 15:30 CEST
Why are Barcelona's beaches disappearing?
Barceloneta Beach. Photo: Pau BARRENA / AFP

Barcelona may be famed for its beaches and they may be one of its biggest tourist draws, but it hasn’t always been this way.

In fact, Barcelona didn’t used to have any beaches at all, just ports and seaside neighbourhoods. It wasn’t until 1992 when the city held the Olympic Games that these neighbourhoods were demolished and the beaches were created. 

What’s the problem?

Since 2017, the city’s beaches have been losing between six and 10 metres of width per year, according to a recent study by the Área Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB).

This beach erosion means that every year there is less and less sand for residents and tourists to lie on and enjoy. 

This is not a new problem however and has been going on much longer than four and half years. In 2016, the Barcelona City Council revealed that since 2010 Barceloneta Beach had lost over 15 metres in width, which is equivalent to 28 percent of its surface area.  

In another 2016 report, the regional authorities of Barcelona also showed that its beaches as a whole had lost 17 percent of their total amount of sand during the same time period, the same as five football pitches.

Why is it happening?

The study attributes this to the fact that there have been more storms than normal since 2017, which has prevented the natural recovery of the beaches.

Storm Gloria in January 2020 in particular caused significant damage to the beaches in the area and caused even more sand to be washed away.

In short, most of this is to do with climate change. 

The beaches that have been most affected and have lost the most amount of sand are those in the lower Maresme region and the towns of Masnou and Badalona.

Barcelona beaches being destroyed during a storm. Photo: JOSEP LAGO / AFP

What’s being done about it?

The Barcelona City Council has been continually adding a little sand to its beaches each year and moving it around from areas that have more to areas that have less.

Aitor Rumín, head of the beach management service of the Barcelona Consistory told El Pais last month that “the last major contribution of sand was made by the ministry in 2010. Since then we have only lost sand”.

“It’s survival, but we can’t do much more. The beaches lose 30 cubic meters of sand per year, especially in the southern parts of each of the beaches. The coastline is receding and we have beaches like Mar Bella, Nova Mar Bella and Llevant, where we can’t do anything to regain the sand,” he said.

Badalona Beach. Photo: JOSEP LAGO / AFP

While moving the sand around and adding a little each year may help to cover up the problem in the short term, it’s not really helping solve the problem and a long-term solution needs to be found.

The Área Metropolitana de Barcelona have been trying to stop the beach erosion with their Resilience Plan, which will ask for greater contributions of sand to try and balance out the current losses and divide the beaches up with breakwaters.

In the case of Badalona, it has been proposed that 13,200 cubic metres of sand be added to the beach each year, as well as to rethink the layout of the equipment located on the seafront. The construction of a breakwater on La Mora beach has also been proposed.

In Sant Adrià, the plan is to build another breakwater, as well as to remove the jetty in front of the old industrial areas. The council also hope to add a further 95,000 cubic metres of sand.

It is thought that similar plans may be carried out on Barcelona’s other beaches.

Is this a problem anywhere else in Spain?

Yes, beach erosion is a problem throughout Spain, as well as throughout the world, due to climate change.

Theocharis Plomaritis from the University of Cádiz who was one of the co-authors of the Nature Climate Change study published in March 2020, told El Periodico that by the end of the century the retreat of the beaches in Spain and Southern Europe could be 86 metres, if no measures are taken to contain climate change. 

According to the study, in the best case scenario – with measures to mitigate the effects of climate – the loss of sandy beaches in Spain would be 60 metres and 27 of these metres by 2050.

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