Political pedagogy for Marc Márquez and his defenders

Given the accumulation of criticism -positive and negative- generated by the news of Marc Márquez (Spanish rider bi-world champion of Moto GP) on his will to register in Andorra and pay taxes in the country of the Pyrenees in his subsequent declarationsI have decided to give my opinion on the case and thus contribute a grain of sand to the established debate. To this end, I propose an exploration at different levels of analysis: social, political and economic, of the economic and tax situation in Spain.

My contributions must be framed within a logic of healthy, free and open debate. I don't mean to offend anyone. Likewise, I would like to point out that the controversy over Márquez will not monopolize my analysis, but rather that I intend to prevail over the context in which he finds himself inscribed.

Conceptualization and brief history of neoliberalism

Today we live in a particular period of capitalism. The neoliberalism, stage of capitalism, is an ideology and method of liberal analysis, the result of a new economic vision of the world, whose development took place in the years of government of

Roland reagan Y Margaret Tatcher, who commanded the breaking of the pacts of Breton Woods (1971). The latter established the rules of the global financial system, which had to respect the centrality of the dollar as a currency of exchange. With its breakup, a system called floating changes.

The neoliberalism seeks, in general terms, to denounce a strong or interventionist state in the economy as well as to diminish the power acquired by the working classes translated, in part, by a Welfare state. In the words of David Harvey, in his book Brief history of Neoliberalism, “Neoliberalism is, above all, a theory of political-economic practices that affirms that the best way to promote the well-being of the human being consists in not restrict the free development of the capabilities and entrepreneurial freedoms of the individual, within an institutional framework characterized by rights of private property, strong free markets and freedom of trade. " In theory it is very beautiful, but in practice it translates into policies whose purpose consists in dismantle part of the state, or in other words, bankrupt the public sector keeping just enough to maintain stability or social cohesion so that companies can compete without many regulations. This inexorably leads to less State intervention in the economy, in order for private companies to substitute that management, previously guaranteed by the State, to obtain more opportunities for its accumulation of capital at the expense of the society.

In short, the neoliberalism, as well as the globalization that accompanies it, is the direct effect of the need of certain companies or large capitals (initially, especially American financial companies) to guarantee economic expansion at the expense of the stateand, after all, at the expense of the working classes, who cannot take advantage of the benefits of free trade in the same way, since their capital accumulation is too small to leave the ideological and administrative reality imposed on them: the Nation state.

The normalization of neoliberal ideology

Márquez's case has been highly publicized, and perhaps it doesn't deserve so much punishment. On the contrary, a scandalous case like the one carried out by the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and the "Tax ruling" in Luxembourg they have had a testimonial relevance and have barely passed the sieve of the desktop. However, this event seems interesting to us since it is inscribed in a context of ideological domination neoliberal, settled in the minds of a good part of us, crystallizing in the daily work of the citizens.

The main problem is in the undemocratic logic of neoliberalism. This new system liberal it is used, to a large extent, by those who have the capacity to transfer capital outside some borders to the interior of others. The argument for a neoliberalconscious or not, is based on your perception of the Liberty acquired by that hegemonic vision. The Liberty for a liberal consists of the mercantilist logic: freedom of flows of capital, goods and people with almost no restrictions or regulations. Following this logic, Europe would be one of the freest places in the world. I do not share such a perception, at least partially, because, as this ideology implicitly shows, freedom is linked to the ability to accumulate monetary resources and, in fine, of your social class. The more you have, the freer you are and the easier it is to accumulate capital, since you can take advantage of other taxes and facilities available for large capitals.

The application in the case of Márquez? Very simple. While most of us do not have the capacity for accumulation, reality, which is presented as a range of possibilities, is basically that limited by the Nation state. On the other hand, the Márquez or the Pujol have a mass of capital whose quantity calls them to move from one place to another, understanding -actively or passively- the possibilities that the neoliberalism offers them. First conclusion? The neoliberalism It gives more capacity to those who have more so that they can get away, for example, from national taxation, which in the case of elite athletes is at 56%. This characteristic, recently denounced by numerous senior police officers in France (such as Jean-François Gayraud), brings a criminal dimension to the capitalist system.

Many times the example of the acts of tax evasion of Google or Manzana to legitimize the action of the young athlete. That these companies take advantage of the system of free movement of capital to pay taxes where they are offered the best conditions is absolutely true. But this does not legitimize that others can do it. In fact, the responsibility of a patriot, whether he feels Catalan or Spanish (it doesn't matter too much), is to respond to his Nation. Especially in a historical moment in which its citizens need it the most, since they do not enjoy the same Liberty. It must be understood that the young pilot takes advantage of the follow-up of a large number of fans who are reflected in him, precisely because of his national “brother” condition; from prodigal son. A few days ago, the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), an organization made up of most of the world's most developed states, showed statistics that classified Spain as the fourth country, of those that make up the OECD, with the most inequality between rich and poor. Only three countries surpass this bad data: Turkey, the United States and Mexico. Furthermore, the study showed that Spain took the trophy from the country where these inequalities have worsened since the economic crisis. Welcome to Marquez's money for those who can't pay for their heat or fill the fridge! Or to be more realistic, it is welcome to try to safeguard our public accounts and our Welfare state decimated, in part, by the rescue of nearly 100,000 million from private banks Spanish.

To add another icing to the matter, it should be mentioned that, in Spain, some large companies and fortunes were taxed $ 107.35 billion in 2011 according to Tax Justice Network. Elite athletes are part of this elite capable of evading capital from state taxation and there are not few cases found in Spanish sport (Lionel messi It is one of those cases, recently prosecuted and that finally reached an agreement with the Treasury to pay what was claimed).

The nation: "farce for the rich, reality for the poor"

Many times it has been debated whether or not capitalist interests still respond to the interests of the Nation state. The truth is that this problem is complex and I would like to cover it assuming that both cases are possible (in the next article I will propose a more in-depth analysis of this debate). The case of Márquez leads us to wonder about the schizophrenia appeared between the national ideological values ​​and the contradiction with the individualistic interest resulting from neoliberal capitalism. The tax evasion of large fortunes, as we mentioned in the previous point, puts this question at the center of the debate.

The national ideological anchor acts as a limiter, since it grants an identity feeling of horizontal solidarity without class distinction (identity distinctions prevail) and ties society within a framework with borders "Real". The neoliberalism and the globalization open wide these borders while maintaining the ideological reality of the nation to cloister the claims of those who do not benefit from the privileges arising from the possession of large capitals. My personal opinion is that a patriot is the one who pays taxes in his country, exercising political responsibility, and not the one who strongly waves the flag.

Marc Márquez will be a mess. The media pressure seems to have exerted an important weight: the one from Cervera seems to have understood that he is fed, in part, thanks to the Spanish fans and, without them, his Image as a national idol and advertising icon can be punished, losing part of its commercial appeal and, ultimately, being able to compromise a not inconsiderable income. Schizophrenia occurs at the moment in which that great mass, which gives it that social value, sees in its desire to change residence a betrayal of national values. These values, for the most part, remain chained to the reality of the Nation state (both sentimentally and tax). The nation, as we have been saying, is a concept that prevails over the question of identity over the question of social class, allowing a kind of solidarity or pact between classes. When this cultural paradigm is threatened, all the popularity gained by excellent work in the world of motorcycling and its wide media coverage can be destroyed in a matter of seconds.

Marquez has understood many things in a short time (or he should have). His national responsibility to his compatriots it could be one of these things. That money does not give everything, it could be the second. The third, and more complex: that the national ideology It is incompatible with the interests of the great fortunes, who are freed from that reality as well as a neoliberal system that allows them, exclusively, a greater mobilization; some tricky rules. To be legitimized in public opinion, Márquez must understand that he must play the fiscal game with the same rules as them. In the days to come, we will see what representation will prevail in the head of the "crack" motorcyclist:national solidarity or freedom of capital characteristic of modern capitalism. I have no doubt ...