A year after he took office on December 21, 2011, many Spaniards would be forgiven for asking: who is Mariano Rajoy? His first 12 months in power have been so full of contradictions that a clear image of the Spanish prime minister is yet to emerge. His conservative Partido Popular (PP) has one of the biggest congressional majorities Spain has seen. And with it, his government has embarked on one of the boldest reform programs of the democratic era, with opponents frequently accusing it of authoritarianism. Yet still Rajoy is seen as hesitant and equivocal, a politician being led by events and EU orders, rather than leading his people. “Mariano Rajoy governs without his own voice, … [Read more...] about Rajoy’s difficult year
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Iberian of the Year 2012: Artur Mas
For most of 2012, Catalonia was just one of many political concerns in the wing mirror of the Spanish government. The region’s premier, Artur Mas i Gavarró, had been pressing for increased economic powers for some time, arguing that Catalonia did not receive enough investment from the Spanish state in exchange for the taxes it paid. For the government in Madrid, this was nothing new or particularly worrying. But on September 11, as Catalonia celebrated its national day, the Diada, hundreds of thousands of people marched through the streets of Barcelona, behind a banner calling for independence for the region. This outpouring of separatist feeling surprised the world – and the rest of … [Read more...] about Iberian of the Year 2012: Artur Mas
Nacho a pawn in Mourinho’s battle with the Spanish media
Until a few months ago not many Spanish football fans, even of his own club Real Madrid, were too familiar with the merits of young blancos defender José Ignacio Fernández Iglesias. In recent weeks however, Nacho, as he is known, has become one of the most talked about footballers in the country, an unwitting pawn in yet another battle between Madrid boss José Mourinho and the city’s sporting press. Nacho joined Real Madrid's La Fábrica youth academy in 2001, progressing through juvenil sides and the C team before establishing himself as a first choice in Real Madrid Castilla (the B team) in Spain’s third tier by 2010. The Cádiz born defender made his debut for Mourinho’s senior side in a … [Read more...] about Nacho a pawn in Mourinho’s battle with the Spanish media
Catalonia’s gambler Mas fails with his biggest bet yet
"Leaders are those who interpret the sense of every historic moment, those who find their path by listening attentively to the heartbeat of society.” Artur Mas’s words on taking power as Catalonia’s new regional premier in 2010 have clearly informed his last three months in office, a period during which Catalonia's relationship with Madrid has been the predominant political issue. His push for greater economic autonomy for Catalans, followed by the more ambitious goal of independence do, he believes, reflect the region’s “heartbeat”. But on Sunday, as results came in from the region’s election, which he called early in the biggest gamble of his career, it became clear that much of … [Read more...] about Catalonia’s gambler Mas fails with his biggest bet yet
Catalan election offers Mas hope of independence mandate
Sunday’s election in Catalonia is probably the most significant in the region since Spain’s transition to democracy in the late 1970s, due to the way the issue of independence has utterly dominated the campaign. Although the central government’s Partido Popular (PP) will not win, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will follow the election extremely closely. The upsurge in pro-independence sentiment in Catalonia has suddenly emerged as Rajoy’s most urgent political challenge and he has struggled to deal with it effectively. Guy Hedgecoe examines the Catalan independence drive (Audio): Catalan Independence (Audio) A resounding win for the incumbent, Artur Mas of the CiU mainstream … [Read more...] about Catalan election offers Mas hope of independence mandate
Spain’s evictions push the defenceless over the edge
On November 9, as the police and bailiffs opened the door of a flat in Barakaldo, Gipuzkoa, to execute a mortgage repossession, 53-year-old Amaia Egaña climbed up onto a chair on her fourth-floor balcony and leapt to her death. Hers was the third suicide in as many weeks shortly before the moment of eviction, and it has apparently triggered a dramatic response on the part of Mariano Rajoy’s government, which announced its intention to suspend all evictions of “vulnerable families”, pending a reform of the mortgage law. It may surprise the more than 300 households evicted every day in Spain that their constitutional rights are being violated, but among the many promises of social justice … [Read more...] about Spain’s evictions push the defenceless over the edge
Spanish education reforms…in the wrong direction
Two of the children in my twice-weekly lunchtime English class return at 6pm on the same days for their French lessons. As well as additional language tuition, most of the pupils who attend the academy engage in an array of extra-curricular activities that include music theory, football, handball and even catechism. All on top of a school day that is essentially 9-5. Amid the recession, English academies are mushrooming all over Spain, many of them doing booming business. I know of at least two cases of friends opening academies only to have to turn people away for lack of space and/or staff. There are several reasons why Spanish parents may think their children need extra schooling. … [Read more...] about Spanish education reforms…in the wrong direction
Spain’s gay marriage ruling through the eyes of a seasoned campaigner
Several conclusions could be drawn from the recent ruling by Spain’s Constitutional Court to reject a seven-year-old appeal against the country’s same-sex marriage law of 2005. Perhaps the most obvious is that the Spanish justice system is slow. For many Spaniards, especially the more than 20,000 gay couples who have got married under the legislation, this was an eagerly awaited ruling. Some even feared they would be “de-married” if the appeal, lodged by the Partido Popular (PP), was upheld. Given the importance of this case, a seven-year delay was both baffling and inexcusable. But also, this ruling reflected how Spain has changed over the last decade. For most Spaniards, rolling back … [Read more...] about Spain’s gay marriage ruling through the eyes of a seasoned campaigner
To be or not to be: Catalonia as an independent state
There’s nothing especially new about the present dispute between Catalonia and Spain’s national political leadership. Arguably most of the key arguments date back at least to the 1970s and the end of the Franco era, while the seeds of the present dispute are to be found in the country’s written constitution which was finally put together in 1978, when the threat of military interference in political life was still a real and present danger. Indeed the one thing that both sides of the argument seem to agree on is that the regional system of comunidades autónomas which was established back then doesn’t really work. Equally, after so many years of constant wrangling, most citizens on both … [Read more...] about To be or not to be: Catalonia as an independent state
A necessary crisis for Spain’s Socialists
As the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) digests its disastrous performance in recent Galician and Basque elections, struggles to find a coherent and convincing response to the upsurge in Catalan nationalist sentiment, and its powerful Andalusian faction mulls overthrowing national leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, it’s hard not to look back to February of this year. The Socialists had confirmed Rubalcaba’s appointment as party leader in the wake of the 2011 general election disaster. His only serious challenger, Carme Chacón, watched as he made his acceptance speech and she wept. According to many, they were tears of anger and disappointment at how the party old guard had blocked … [Read more...] about A necessary crisis for Spain’s Socialists