There's little room for doubt now that the May 22 regional and municipal elections will mark a hugely significant change for Spain’s political map. The Popular Party (PP) is heading for an overwhelming victory, as underlined by the latest poll published by Metroscopia. The pollster points to major gains across the country for the conservatives, but the fact they now look poised to take traditional Socialist strongholds such as Seville and Castilla-La Mancha is the most striking development. Given that such enormous changes are afoot, it is strange –and frustrating– that this election campaign has not been more compelling. Instead of seeing the Socialists dig deep to fight for their … [Read more...] about Banality and pragmatism on Spain’s campaign trail
Iberoblog
Common sense prevails as Bildu is allowed to run in elections
Just as the campaign leading up to the May 22 local elections was starting, the Constitutional Tribunal ruled on Friday that the Bildu Basque nationalist coalition should be allowed to take part. A vote of six votes to five reflects the intense political pressure surrounding this landmark vote. While there will inevitably be outraged voices in Madrid, the ruling is an encouraging sign that Spain’s highly politicised courts can take tough decisions based on the evidence before them, rather than vague suspicions that ETA terrorists must be at work behind the scenes. The izquierda abertzale, the pro-independence Basque left, has made substantial moves to prove its own democratic … [Read more...] about Common sense prevails as Bildu is allowed to run in elections
Mixed feelings in Spain over Libya mission
Publicly, however, Spaniards are split over the merits of an intervention in an Arab state, which to some observers at least brings back uncomfortable memories of the former Popular Party administration’s backing for the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. While the Iraq intervention was widely unpopular – drawing millions of Spaniards onto the country’s streets in protest – the Libya mission has drawn no such outcry. Among Iberosphere readers, 45 percent support Spain’s involvement in the NATO mission, according to an (admittedly unscientific) poll on this website last month. Forty percent oppose Spain being involved, and 15 percent said they were indifferent. Spain is backing the NATO … [Read more...] about Mixed feelings in Spain over Libya mission
Floyd Patterson’s Spanish adventure
It’s not often that Spain is associated with boxing, particularly heavyweight boxing. The country has no tradition of producing top-flight fighters and some media do not cover the sport on principle. You certainly wouldn’t expect heavyweight great Floyd Patterson to have spent any time in Spain. But he did, under strange circumstances. In 1962, Sonny Liston fought title-holder Patterson for the world heavyweight belt. Despite his prowess in the ring, Patterson, a deeply insecure man, always kept a disguise in his fight bag in case he should lose and need to escape the venue incognito. Two minutes and six seconds into the Chicago fight, Liston had knocked the champ down and he didn’t … [Read more...] about Floyd Patterson’s Spanish adventure
Who cares about corruption anyway?
With the May 22 local elections looming, we now know the content of political parties’ electoral lists. El País’ assertion that over 100 of the candidates on those lists are under investigation for alleged corruption may be shocking, but it’s hardly surprising. There a several main reasons for the enormous wave of political corruption in Spain in recent years, which I explored in an article last year: the mad money generated by the real estate bubble; the country’s system of autonomous regions, where local politicians can hoard power; a laissez-faire attitude on the part of many voters, who refuse to punish their corrupt representatives; and a media that rarely indulges in profound … [Read more...] about Who cares about corruption anyway?
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Orwell and the evil conspiracy
Let’s forget, for the moment, the fact that Real Madrid and Barcelona had an absorbing 1-1 draw in their liga meeting on Saturday. Instead, let’s look inside the heads of two of the night’s protagonists: Barça midfielder Xavi Hernández and Real Madrid coach José Mourinho. “Everyone could see that Barça were the better team, that we totally dominated. Although that’s not so great given that it was them that gave us the ball and them that shut down at the back in their own stadium.” This was the verdict of Xavi after the game. He had a point in that Barcelona did dominate possession, during one phase enjoying 79 percent of it (according La Sexta television’s onslaught of statistics). … [Read more...] about Real Madrid, Barcelona, Orwell and the evil conspiracy
How did an independence vote become such a headache for Catalan nationalists?
Two very different interpretations can be made of the referendum organised on April 10 in Barcelona by a Catalan nationalist group. With just over 90 percent of votes backing the motion of an independent Catalonia, it could be argued this was an overwhelming success. But only one in five voters took part and the ballot is not legally binding, instead it is an attempt to promote separatism and the profile of those who want to break away from Spain. The organisers insisted that a 20-percent turnout was in fact a victory in itself, given that the series of similar referendums held in previous months across the region saw lower participation. Given the merely symbolic nature of this vote, … [Read more...] about How did an independence vote become such a headache for Catalan nationalists?
Zapatero was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t
The Spanish prime minister’s announcement that he will not run as the Socialist candidate in the 2012 general election was, by the time he made it on April 2, hardly a surprise. Rumours and reports to this effect had been leaking out of the party camp for weeks. But while this decision clears the air of any lingering uncertainty about José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s future, that of his party remains very much shrouded in mystery. According to the Socialists, their leader’s calculated withdrawal puts them on the front foot as the May 22 local elections approach. Zapatero, they reason, has taken the initiative, choosing when to go rather than allowing events to dictate his course. This is … [Read more...] about Zapatero was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t
Adios to Zapatero in 2012?
The likelihood of Zapatero seeking a third term in 2012 has been looking increasingly slim for months as the economy has remained mired by the global financial crisis and his Socialist Party’s ratings have deflated in opinion polls. The party looks likely to face a severe lashing in local elections in May. Several surveys, including one (admittedly unscientific) poll by Iberosphere, have found that few people think Zapatero will try to stay on. In the Iberosphere poll, published on the home page for the past month, a full third of respondents said they thought Zapatero would not seek re-election, versus 22 percent who thought he would and 12 percent who said they didn’t know or didn’t … [Read more...] about Adios to Zapatero in 2012?
Spain still doesn’t understand the separation of Church and State
Pedophile priests who will never see the inside of a court, child robbers at large, unpunished crimes from the Franco era, corrupt politicians at all levels and in most parties, a banking system in cahoots with construction companies that has dragged the economy into ruin… Meanwhile a provincial court in Valladolid, seemingly unaware of the Spanish Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of expression nearly four decades after the death of the dictator, has hauled comedian Leo Bassi up before a judge to answer charges of “offending religious feelings, slander, and libel.” The Italian-born actor and comedian, noted, it might be safely said, for his love of political controversy, gave a show at … [Read more...] about Spain still doesn’t understand the separation of Church and State