Buenos Aires: Land of protests and hysteria

It was a sunny but cold May, May of 2004 when I first visited Buenos Aires. The entire nation was in state of emergency;  it has been two years since one of the worst economical crisis hit the country and the streets of its capital were filled with people from all social spectrum protesting, chanting, blocking roads.  Between 2002 and 2003 %25 of the work force lost their job.  The unfortunate series of events (closing of the factories, etc) related to crumbling of the Argentine economy  created a new phenomena:  a large group of people called piqueteros, the blockers. 
Piqueteros had a great relationship with the government at the beginning, and for a long time, as they were against the "evil capitalist" business owners and not the Kirshner's who seemed to be fixing problems by offering social reforms and a bit more decent unemployment salaries. 
As the economy revived---at least partly-- and the President Nestor Kirshner's populist government became even more popular, piquetes almost diminished (except the university and secondary education professor's who did not get any raise or funds in the last couple of years) from the streets of Buenos Aires, until last year. 
According to the spanish think-tank Nueva Mayoria, since September of  last year the government of the new Argentine President, Nestor's wife, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has faced 7.658 street protests and blocked routes.  This is  68% more than the 4.451 protests that  took place during the four years mandate of her husband. 
Road blocks (soy farmer's protests) last autumn and recently workers from Terrabussi factory bought by US company Kraft, teachers who are seriously underpaid, teamsters who wants god knows what else, even Malvinas war veterans have taken the streets. Last week's subway worker's strike created a massive chaos in the capital as people flocked to their cars and the city's roads were cramped with 360 thousand more cars.  The same poll suggest %91 of the residents of the city are fed up with the situation and expecting the executive branch to do something about it. 
Yet once friendly piqueteros, now almost considered an independent organization,  are not keen to letting it go. 
The conflict has also triggered strong recriminations between government and opposition. Cristina claims "there are groups interested in destabilizing the country," meanwhile cabinet chief Anibal Fernandez said during a congressional committee hat "protests are not casual and there is an ongoing investigation to determine some specific actions and attitudes."  The opposition on the other hand managed to distance itself from such claims and stated protests were "the consequence of the government's incompetence and inefficiency."  Far from resolving the problem, piqueteros are here to stay and seems to me that they are very flexible with what side they are on, depending on the day! 
Today they incarcerated the chief of police on spying charges, it is on the news and some people protest that too. 
Just another day  in Argentina I guess. 

Art and politics in Buenos Aires

"social justice"

I am not sure what this afiche is for but the imagery they are using to reinforce Argentina's new president Cristina Kirshner's image as the 21st century's Evita, is way too obvious, no?