Chile is under a state of emergency A 30 pesos (4 cent) rise in the price of a Metro (Subway) ticket has unleashed a level of anger few outside observers predicted. People have rioted, train stations burned, a state of emergency imposed and there have even been deaths. This is tragic, but perhaps not entirely surprising. Chile is Latin America’s success story. From socialist tatters to dictatorship and on to the neoliberal beacon of hope and prosperity that has fuelled a boom

Yesterday I sat on a street corner in Cuenca, Ecuador and talked with Cesar from Maracaibo, Venezuela. He was sitting with his 5 year old daughter. His wife had gone to the hospital with their son as he had developed a fever. They had walked 18 days across Colombia and halfway through Ecuador. They left their home, car (no fuel or money) and the friends who had not yet fled. Cesar’s family were solidly middle class, but food shortages worry them so much they decided to leave.

Much Ado About Something …. While waiting to board the ‘Stena super fast ferry’ to Scotland, two immigration officials wandered through the waiting area. Two days beforehand, we technically crossed an international border at 100 km/h whilst driving between Eire (Republic of Ireland) and Northern Ireland. Of course, many people in the North feel far more Irish than British. A small majority are devout ‘Unionists’ who much prefer to be part of the United Kingdom. Whichever side