Politics In A Time Of Crisis: Podemos and the Future of Democracy in Europe - Softcover

"There are few precedents for such an explosive political ascent in modern western Europe Podemos has thrived because it has shredded the old left rulebook." Owen Jones "Iglesias and his Podemos party are radically shaking up Spain s political establishment." New York Times "Iglesias is an outspoken critic of political elites in Spain and Europe, and their austerity-led response to the recent financial crisis." Financial Times "What shines through is Iglesias's determination to rid the left of its ambivalence towards political power. He ridicules the "white knights of the purity of principle", too obsessed with theory to actually fight for change." Tobias Buck, Financial Times "Iglesias mixes the serious with the playful, political theory with pop culture. He cites Billy Elliot and The Wire alongside Francis Fukuyama and David Harvey to discuss neoliberalism's corrosion of the postwar social democratic consensus, Game of Thrones alongside Gramsci to illustrate the meaning of power. The book is aimed at the 'youth without a future', the generation for whom adult life will begin with the considerable difficulty of getting away from the family home." Dan Hancox, London Review of Books "What's clear from Iglesias' passionate arguments is that there is another, deeper agenda afoot. Podemos is trying to restore public faith in democracy: in the notion that a party can win power and administer the state without falling under the lure of greed and corruption, and without violating their promises to the electorate or selling out quality public services." - Hans Rollman, Pop Matters

'Now is a time of systemic change, at all levels. This is a call for rejuvenation, radicalization, and effective communications to carry out the ideological battle, as well as a real aspiration to govern.' The political party, Podemos, stands on the edge of a historic victory in Spain. Only formed in 2014 in response to austerity measures imposed by the EU, the party gained 5 seats in the European Parliament that year but is expected to become the new government following elections in December this year. In Contesting Democracy, party leader, Iglesias, sets out his agenda for social justice, a fair economy and a new democratic Europe. Contesting Democracy looks as the problems of Spain but also sees that there is a global challenge to democracy that needs to be resisted. This consists of the Troika, large corporations and 'the Wall Street Party' that make decisions and control economies without engaging with the people whose lives are affected. The Great Recession, he shows, was an excuse to dismantle the welfare state and bolster the power of the elites.