Spain may have voted in a new prime minister in 2011, but it’s fair to say that Mariano Rajoy has not been a towering figure on the country’s political landscape. Instead, he let his Socialist rivals’ desperate struggle with the economic crisis do his talking for him. The Popular Party (PP) leader revealed little of his own plans for the Spanish economy, but others in the party were more forthright. Among them was party number two María Dolores de Cospedal. This year saw her step further into the limelight as she overthrew a longstanding Socialist government in Castilla-La Mancha to become the region’s new premier. On taking power there, she swiftly announced heavy, controversial cuts to everything from tourism associations to healthcare and education, in a bid to control the region’s enormous deficit. This, she declared, was “an example for Spain”.
oh, please! spare Euzkadi this woman. Let her deal with the economy in Castilla, but please keep her quiet when it comes to dealing with the Basque problem. So far she has uttered drivel about it.