Robinhood part one: Jose Ortega " Ley de Costas"

As i sat awaiting his arrival, i began to feel slightly anxious with anticipation.
Idar and i were finally to meet, after months of exchanging emails, which with time had evolved into text messages and finally culminated in a long and very pleasant phone conversation.
His voice and manner were everything i had hoped they would be, deep and serious yet tinged with a hint of vibrancy and humour.
He was, of course, extremely articulate.
This is the point where I should clarify a few details: My initial reservations with regards to our meeting were based on the fact that i had met " Idar Dorainn" online;
Writer and documenatary maker, a creative individual with whom i shared a mutual interest in many "alternative" viewpoints and lifestyle options, as well as a deep dislike for corporate and state corruption.
While i was aware that Idar was evidently a pseudonym, I did not know at this stage that his "other" identity was equally as fascinating;
 Jose Ortega, a name that would soon become synonymous with "traitor", "enemy of the state," seemingly rather far fetched, but then again perhaps not.

At a time of quite severe economic downturn, neither the government nor the unscrupulous property developers look kindly upon an individual who is hellbent on drawing the world´s attention to the corruption and infringement of human rights that is rife on the Spanish Costas and beyond.
 An indivdual with a quest to destroy the evident corruption that permeates way beyond the already badly hit constuction sector and into the halls of both regional and national government.

Jose Ortega and I meet on a warm and sunny afternoon, during "siesta "time, the most tranquil time of day.
A dreamy and almost surreal time where the population tends to vanish and just those mad dogs and Englishmen/women (such as myself!) venture out into the ghost town.
We greeted each other in a relaxed manner, almost like old friends and my anxiety diminished.
We fell into conversation easily and began to discuss our experiences of the internet.
 I describe it as " a law unto itself , a universe of lost souls- a place of infinite freedom with no boundaries", a double edged sword, where many, including myself, discard our true identities, in name at least, and dare to reveal a part of ourselves that few have had the fortune, or misfortune, to discover.
He tells me he likes restless souls such as myself and seems to find my anecdotes amusing. I point out that he has turned this around and he is now interviewing me.
Perhaps this is part of his strength, the ability to draw confidence and honesty.

I turn the conversation to the more serious aspects of his work and he gives me a brief overview of the facts.
He has become driven with the desire to defend those affected by the so called " Ley de Costas" that affects both those on the Spanish mainland and the Islands.


Jose tells me how financial gain has never been a driving force in his life and indeed how some of those that he is representing cannot pay his fees, and yet still he will fight on their behalf.
He has been humbled by the love and gratitude shown him by some of those affected and indeed seems almost transformed into a modern day hero.
 I joke that he is a Robinhood, of our times. Perhaps he has still has some way to go , but he is on the right path.
I am curious as to what drives him, what motivates him to continue on a path that could be self destructive; I may admire him but others won´t take kindly to his actions.

" I am not driven by social or economic ambition. I do not percieve my profession as a way to climb the ladder to higher realms. I have clients such as Jose Elvira, a retired fisherman, who has partially lost his vision due to the stress induced by the battle to save his family home. Humble, hardworking people who cannot aford to pay my fees and yet represent some of those worst affected.
There are those who are incapable of understanding that injustice alone can drive me to represent such people.
Indeed those same people have attempted to discredit my name and circulate rumours regarding my supposed insincerity; I have been accused of corruption and of secretly working on behalf of  the government!"

 According to Jose, he is not exactly warmly recieved by those same members of government with whom he is accused of collusion; he has been refused an audience with members of parliament on more than one occasion. 
Fortunately there are those within the mass media who are willing to give him a platform to air his grievances.
He has appeared on television programmes such as " Callejeros" and on numerous radio programmes.

   Jose and i meet again, this time at the beach, where we sit and contemplate the natural beauty before us.
Behind us sits yet another unfinished monstrosity that simply reflects the hypocrisy and contradictory nature of the "Ley de Costas."
After a seemingly futile quest to engage the Spanish government in talks to discuss this shameful situation, Jose´s visits to Brussels have finally borne fruit: The European Parliament is investigating the apparent abuses of the Spanish "Ley de Costas".