Filling the Sink

Rapper Hasel jailed and riots on streets – freedom of speech debate spills over

On February 16, the Catalan rapper Pablo Hasel was arrested at the University of Lleida after being sentenced to two years and nine months in jail for two cases of glorifying terrorism and insulting the Spanish crown in his tweets and lyrics. 
His arrest has led to widespread protests in cities and towns across Catalonia and Spain, with dozens of arrests and injuries following clashes between demonstrators and police. 
Cristina Tomàs White and Natacha Maurin join Lorcan Doherty to discuss Hasel's case, a similar one involving the rapper Valtonyc, and the debate around the boundaries of freedom of expression and Spain's controversial so-called 'gag law.' 

Catalan election - winners, losers, and what's next

The Catalan election is over, but how the extremely fragmented results will translate into the next government is up in the air. Episode 15 of Filling the Sink brings you everything you need to know about the election winners, the biggest losers, and what lies ahead.
Held amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the Catalan election turnout dropped to a historic 53%, but the stakes couldn’t be higher for the next parliament. While the Socialists won the most votes, they tied with Esquerra in number of seats, and pro-independence parties combined surpassed 50% of the vote for the first time. 
Who will lead the next government? Will this be a turning point for the independence movement? And how to explain the stunning rise of the far right, entering parliament for the first time with 11 seats? 
Lorcan Doherty puts these questions to Catalan News deputy editor Guifré Jordan and ACN political reporter Gerard Artigas, and Cristina Tomàs White reports on a nail-biting election night. 

Catalonia's booming videogame industry

Barcelona is a global hub for game developers, with Catalonia accounting for more than half of the industry's earnings in Spain. 
Anna Guxens, an indie developer on her studio's game – The Pizza Situation – which plays on our worst social media habits. Oscar García Pañella of the University of Barcelona on how gaming principles can be applied in the outside world "to make miserable tasks memorable." Jon Davis, the technical director of one of Catalonia's gaming successes – Socialpoint's Monster Legends – on what drew him to the Barcelona tech scene. 
Alan Ruiz Terol joins Lorcan Doherty to reminisce about his past life as a gamer, and discuss the industry's rapid growth and the challenges it faces.

Catalan election – the runners and riders

It's election time. After weeks of uncertainty the courts have confirmed that the Catalan election on February 14 will be going ahead. Episode 13 of Filling the Sink has got everything you need to know about the parties, the polls and the permutations.
Will the independence bloc retain a majority in parliament? Will the far right enter the chamber for the first time? Which party will top the polls and what will the next government look like? 
Lorcan Doherty puts the questions to Catalan News deputy editor Guifré Jordan and ACN political reporter Gerard Artigas. 
And with only 5.3 million entitled to vote in Catalonia, home to around 6.2 million adults, Cristina Tomàs White asks: Who should have a say in a democracy? 

The climate crisis threatening Catalonia

Forest fires, floods, rising temperatures and sea levels: Catalonia is vulnerable to climate change. 
One year on from the destruction caused by Storm Gloria, Cristina Tomàs White and Cillian Shields join Lorcan Doherty to examine the consequences that extreme weather events are having. 
Cristina travels to the Ebre Delta to see how flooding – most recently from Storm Filomena – is affecting both the fragile ecosystem and people's livelihoods.  
Cillian reports on the hidden paradise that has emerged where the River Tordera meets the Mediterranean Sea. 

Brexit – Listener questions answered (and more)

Don't know your TIE from you NIE? Or how you can prove residency? Bradley de Abreu from Age in Spain answers questions from British Catalan News readers.
Alan Ruiz Terol on how Catalan businesses are adapting to the new trading relationship with the UK. 
With the UK opting against remaining part of the Erasmus exchange programme, Natacha Maurin asks University Pompeu Fabra and Ramon Llull University what the future may hold for British and Catalan students alike. 
Presented by Lorcan Doherty.

Coronavirus – vaccine rollout, research, and latest measures

Leading coronavirus researcher Dr Bonaventura Clotet on why vaccine research can't stop now, the threat of the UK Covid variant, and some of Catalonia's contributions to the global scientific effort. 
Cristina Tomàs White on the "day of hope" that saw 89-year-old Josefa Pérez make history by becoming the first person in Catalonia to receive the Pfizer vaccine. 
Lorcan Doherty and Natacha Maurin discuss the latest social restrictions in force in Catalonia and look at how the vaccine rollout is going so far. 
CatalanNews.com 

2021 – a look ahead

A preview of what is in store for Catalonia in 2021 and a look back on the last 12 months. Guifré Jordan and Cristina Tomàs White join Lorcan Doherty to discuss the vaccine rollout, the Catalan elections on February 14, and the Covid-19 pandemic and its social and economic consequences.  

Christmas in Catalonia

Who needs Santa Claus? In Catalonia, kids hit a Christmas log with sticks until it poos out presents. And what nativity scene is complete without the traditional figure of a peasant crapping in the corner? It's fair to say that Catalonia has some unusual Christmas traditions. Lorcan Doherty gets the lowdown from Cristina Tomàs White and Guifré Jordan, and Cillian Shields visits the Santa Llúcia Christmas market in this festive edition of Filling the Sink. Bon Nadal!
 
Visit CatalanNews.com for the latest news in Catalonia.

Catalonia's late eating habits - time for a change?

Have you ever tried to book a table for 7pm at a restaurant in Catalonia? Or gone to do a little bit of shopping in the afternoon, say around 3? Well, you might well have run into a little trouble because Catalonia and Spain don't keep the same hours as the rest of Europe. 
Campaigners for timetable reform – reforma horària in Catalan – have long argued that late meal times and long breaks in the middle of the working day are inefficient and unhealthy.  
On episode 7 of Filling the Sink, Lorcan Doherty, Natacha Maurin and Guifré Jordan discuss the origins and effects of Catalonia's day-to-day schedule, and whether the curfew in place since October might lead to more permanent changes in people's habits. 
For the latest news in Catalonia: CatalanNews.com 
Music used: Inspired by Kevin MacLeod [Creative Commons] 

BCN and tourism – a love–hate relationship

Barcelona has a love–hate relationship with tourism, vital for many jobs and businesses but a bane for many residents. And after years of concern about overtourism, the problem has flipped in 2020, with the industry hit hard by a lack of tourists due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Lorcan Doherty is joined by Alan Ruiz Terol and Cillian Shields to discuss the issues, and we hear from two official tourist guides working in the city. Marta Roigé, who set up Pasapas with three friends to provide tours for people who live in Barcelona, takes us on a tour of the Ciutat Vella, or Old Town. Resi Nickl of tour guide association AGUICAT explains the steps she believes need to be taken to ensure a sustainable tourism industry. 
 
For the latest news in Catalonia: CatalanNews.com 

Barça – A Catalan Icon in Crisis

FC Barcelona is one of the world's biggest football clubs. To its supporters it's more than a club, 'més que un club'. But what's behind the current malaise, both on and off the pitch? History, culture and politics are all part of the Barça story, as Lorcan Doherty, Cillian Shields and special guest Ernest Macià from Catalunya Ràdio discuss. They look ahead to the election of a new club president and evaluate the reign of the last one, Josep Maria Bartomeu. Alan Ruiz Terol watches a match online with fellow Barça fan – and Messi fanatic – Ida, an Argentine living in Texas. 
For the latest news in Catalonia: CatalanNews.com