The statisticians may argue for some time to come about the success or otherwise of Spain’s general strike. To nobody’s surprise, the UGT and CCOO unions, which organised the country’s first nationwide strike in eight years, described the protest as an overwhelming success, while the government said participation was “uneven”. Judging by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s insouciant demeanour as he entered Congress on the morning of the strike, his government had little to worry about. And yet, the mass closure of businesses for the day, the crippling of the country’s bus services and thousands (or 70 percent, according to the organisers) of workers marching through Spain’s … [Read more...] about Spain’s general strike: too much, too late
austerity package
Political turmoil threatens to rock Spain’s recovery
Only a few weeks ago, the big argument raging about Spain was whether or not it was “the next Greece”. The size of its deficit, difficulties in getting the economy growing again and its harsh treatment at the hands of international markets all made it look like the prize candidate for the EU’s next massive bailout. Many observers suspected a visit by IMF head Dominique Strauss-Khan to Madrid in June was the prelude to just such a move as José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s handling of the economy came under immense scrutiny. Now, however, the situation is slightly different. The bailout has not transpired and while the country has certainly not emerged blinking in the sunlight of market … [Read more...] about Political turmoil threatens to rock Spain’s recovery
Ideology is first casualty of Spain’s economic crisis
The day José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s dream ended was not even marked by a speech from the unlikely new champion of glum realism. As Congress in Madrid debated in late May cutbacks effectively imposed by Frankfurt and Brussels, the Spanish prime minister, who had tended his very personal flame of optimism with so many smiling words, saw his political future turn to ashes without even taking the stand. The Socialist who had vowed to bring the benefits of economically successful Spain to the disadvantaged now looked on as Catalan nationalist Antoni Duran i Lleida announced that his bloc would save the government in the vote to cut public workers’ wages and freeze pensions, but declared that … [Read more...] about Ideology is first casualty of Spain’s economic crisis
Zapatero’s summer of discontent
It’s not easy for any politician to be told he is a “political corpse.” But when the person saying this has just saved your skin it’s particularly hard to digest. So when Spain’s prime minister now looks at Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida, spokesman for the centre-right Catalan CiU grouping, it is with mixed feelings. CiU ensured José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s €15-billion austerity package went through Congress on May 27 by abstaining during the vote. The abstention meant the governing Socialists’ 169 deputies scraped the measures through, with 168 voting against. The Catalan conservatives justified their abstention by insisting that while they did not agree with all the measures, the … [Read more...] about Zapatero’s summer of discontent