This week "Españopoly" hit the bookshops in Spain. It is the first full-length book based upon Civio's work, written by brilliant journalist Eva Belmonte.
Its pages cover a lot of ground trying to guide the reader through the complex mechanisms of power in a ‘not-so-open society’. Reading it again this weekend I was left with a distinct feeling: its pages capture hard and honest work, exquisitely well crafted.
At the same time Brice Robin, the French public prosecutor appointed to head the Germanwings plane crash investigation in the Alps, received amazingly positive comments in the Spanish press. These reactions were quite shocking. We are not used to that. Our public officials' perception --even when dealing with a big crisis-- normally range between harsh criticism and insurmountable indifference.
What enabled Mr. Robin to shine away from the norm? Perhaps his reaction to so much praise gives us a hint: as this article puts forward, he explained that French law prescribes that prosecutors inform the public transparently, with precise data, to stop the build up of random speculation. That and --I must add-- the character shown in acting with painstaking honesty vis-á-vis all those concerned throughout the process.
Sometimes it feels like we starve for things very different from food. Hopefully honest hard work informing the public transparently, without a hidden agenda, will over time not be one of them. Eva's book is a significant contribution in this direction. It will feed the honesty-hungry. And there will be plenty more bites. That is our endeavor.
If you haven't yet, you can buy "Españopoly" here. You will not regret this read, I assure you.
