Question: Who is the leader of the PSOE? Answer: Now, I am. The leader of the PSOE, the leader of a party, is whomever it presents as a candidate at general elections. Question: I’d say that the leader of a party is whoever is in charge. Who’s in charge of the PSOE? Answer: In the Socialist Party, I’m in charge. Question: If you are the leader of the party that supports Zapatero in Parliament, one would suppose that he would consult you on major issues. Answer: One would suppose that. The above is a translated excerpt from the interview published on Sunday that El País editor Javier Moreno carried out with Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, the Socialist (PSOE) candidate in the … [Read more...] about Who’s in charge in Spain?
Featured
Truth is the casualty as Spain’s campaign heats up
The last few days haven’t been good ones for truth and accuracy on Spain’s political scene. In fact, for those who follow the news closely, it’s been downright confusing. Popular Party (PP) spokesman Esteban González Pons should shoulder at least some of the blame, after sheepishly backtracking on a pledge, made on September 7, that his party would create 3.5 million jobs over the next four years if it wins the November 20 general election. It was a target that meant slashing Spain’s unemployment rate by 70 percent. 3.5 million? Of course not, González Pons said the next day, after PP apparatchiks were left scrambling to make sense of his boast. What he meant to say, he explained, was … [Read more...] about Truth is the casualty as Spain’s campaign heats up
Stable Valencia dreams of challenging Spain’s top two
A couple of years ago, Valencia CF were staring into the depths of an abyss that included foreclosure of their assets and potentially the end of their very existence as a football club. The club’s debts were huge, they had finished out of the Champions League places in sixth, and the departure of their prize players, David Villa and David Silva, looked a certainty. Enter Manuel Llorente, the latest and apparently looniest of a long line of very loopy Valencia presidents. Llorente’s ingenious policy towards tackling Valencia’s money troubles seemed to be to pretend they didn’t exist and hope they would go away. Behold the mysteries of the times we live in, it seems to have worked a … [Read more...] about Stable Valencia dreams of challenging Spain’s top two
Fear and resignation in Spain’s deficit cap
A swiftly agreed, bi-party accord to safeguard the Spanish economy’s future. It should be music to every Spaniard’s ears. The governing Socialists and opposition Popular Party have finally reached consensus on a major issue, putting aside their ideological differences and petty electoral interests to introduce a constitutional reform that puts a cap on the public deficit. Such statesmanship harks back to the spirit of the Transition. Or does it? Having heeded the plea by the French and German leaders for deficit controls to be enshrined in eurozone magna cartas, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Mariano Rajoy have responded. This extraordinary measure, they argue, will calm the jittery … [Read more...] about Fear and resignation in Spain’s deficit cap
Zapatero: a pope’s best friend
A mock “Popemobile” was present at Wednesday evening’s demonstration in central Madrid against the pope’s visit. In it, a skinny man in late middle age dressed as the pontiff was blessing the crowd of protesters around him in jocular fashion. Then, looking slightly jaded, the faux-pope put down his crosier, pulled out a cigarette and smiled as he took a deep drag. It was a funny moment, but it seemed to me the real pope had every reason to be as satisfied during his marathon Spanish visit as this imposter. No doubt Benedict XVI and those who think like him will disagree. After all, it was he who decried Spain’s “aggressive secularism” last time he came to visit, less than a year ago. … [Read more...] about Zapatero: a pope’s best friend
In Catalonia, the fringe is setting the agenda
The last Catalan elections saw a shift both to the centre-right and to moderate nationalism, both embodied by Artur Mas’s Convergència i Unió (CiU). Although Mas didn't win an absolute majority, as president of Catalonia he has been able to implement austerity measures, revise the existing legal corpus and get moving on his favourite issue of a new fiscal pact with Spain; all well within his mandate, the statutes of his parties and the legal framework. However, there is another, key matter Mas might have lost control over, handing it to the radical fringe: Catalan identity and whether or not Catalonia will continue to be part of Spain. Mas has certainly sought to continue the … [Read more...] about In Catalonia, the fringe is setting the agenda
Anarchy in the UK, headed Spain’s way soon
A number of commentators in the Spanish media have pointed out the differences between Spain’s indignados and the young people involved in the looting in London and other British cities. In doing so most point out the similarities between Spain and Britain: both countries are in the midst of recession, subject to severe public spending cuts, have high youth unemployment rates, and where the mainstream parties are widely regarded as out of touch with, or powerless to do anything about, the situation. “So what do the English do,” asks John Carlin in El País, “they go out and steal flat-screen televisions and trainers… and the Spanish? Well, what the indignados have done,” is to stage … [Read more...] about Anarchy in the UK, headed Spain’s way soon
Who benefits from Spain’s early election?
The Spanish prime minister’s announcement that general elections will be held on November 20 rather than in the spring, as previously scheduled, was not altogether surprising. Pressure had been mounting on him for weeks to bring the date forward, especially from the opposition and the right-wing media. Another factor is Spanish voters, who rightly see Zapatero as a lame duck leader, especially since stepping aside to let Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba become Socialist candidate. But there was also pressure from within Zapatero’s own party to hold an autumn election, including from Rubalcaba himself. The former interior minister was concerned that any momentum his nomination as candidate … [Read more...] about Who benefits from Spain’s early election?
Celebrating Santiago’s ever-changing afterlife
When Spanish troops arrived in Iraq in 2004 to help the allied occupation of the country, they looked much like any other force of Western troops, wearing uniform and wielding guns. But a closer look showed them wearing something that spoke very clearly of their Spanish identity and history: the red cross of Santiago Matamoros, or Saint James the Moorslayer. It was a crass gesture, given the Muslim enemy they were going to fight, but Spain and particularly its military have used St James as a symbol of inspiration in different guises for the last 1,200 years. July 25 is the feast day of Spain’s patron saint, when he and the extravagant legend surrounding his afterlife are … [Read more...] about Celebrating Santiago’s ever-changing afterlife
¡Viva la corrupción!
The unthinkable has happened and Valencia regional premier Francisco Camps has stood down due to his imminent trial to face corruption charges. The decision, it seems, did not come from Camps himself, who had clung to his post like a limpet despite mounting evidence that he received around €14,000 worth of tailored clothes from businessmen in exchange for awarding lucrative contracts on behalf of the regional government. Instead, it was reportedly Popular Party leader Mariano Rajoy who pressured Camps to either step aside or declare himself guilty. Either option would avoid a damaging corruption trial of a high-profile PP baron in the autumn, when the party might be waging a general … [Read more...] about ¡Viva la corrupción!