Should María Dolores de Cospedal weather the latest corruption allegations to hit the Popular Party (PP), there’s every likelihood she will progress from being its secretary general and premier of the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha to replacing Mariano Rajoy in the top post and go on to become Spain’s first female prime minister. Cospedal’s rise has been rapid. Born in 1965, she grew up in Castilla-La Mancha, training as a government lawyer after finishing university, and joining the Labour Ministry in 1997 after José Maria Aznar ushered in the first PP administration the previous year. During the PP’s two terms in office she moved up the ladder, making it to under-secretary … [Read more...] about Ladies and gentlemen, the next prime minister of Spain…?
Mariano Rajoy
Rajoy’s difficult year
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
Choosing the Iberians of 2012
Picking a person of the year is difficult enough in times of economic calm and social stability, but in times of crisis it’s arguably harder. When the economy is struggling and leaders are held in low esteem, it’s hard to find individuals whose achievements make them stand out, for better or worse. So inevitably, the shortlist of Iberians of 2012 that managing editor Andrew Eatwell and I have drawn up has been dominated by the crisis that the peninsula – in particular the Spanish side of it – is suffering. There’s always a risk that calling those nominated the “people of the year” glorifies them, or at least suggests they are being cast in a positive light. But our nominees are not … [Read more...] about Choosing the Iberians of 2012
Mariano Rajoy
To his supporters he’s calm, considered, strategic and resilient. But to his critics – whose ranks have swelled this year – Spain’s prime minister is hesitant, rigid, poorly advised and uncharismatic. Whatever your view, few will argue that even his previous experience as a government minister and eight years in opposition can have prepared Mariano Rajoy adequately for the torrid 12 months he has just had. Having made few electoral promises other than to fix the economy, his fortunes were always going to mirror those of the country’s credit risk premium and its jobless queue. Both hit dangerously high levels in 2012, belying Rajoy’s apparent belief on taking office that a change of … [Read more...] about Mariano Rajoy
Malcolm Tucker meets Mariano Rajoy
Far be it for me to tell Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy whom he should hire as his press secretary. But recently, as two members of his cabinet once again clashed in public (this time Energy Minister José Manuel Soria and Finance Minister Cristóbal Montoro contradicting each other over energy policy) I wondered, after watching an episode of The Thick of It, if the answer wasn’t staring me in the face. Malcolm Tucker, the rabid, Scottish, über-swearing PM’s press secretary in the TV series, could be the answer to Rajoy’s prayers. Witness his "handling" of wayward minister Hugh Abbot: Admittedly, Tucker would either have to learn Spanish, or Rajoy would need an extraordinarily clever … [Read more...] about Malcolm Tucker meets Mariano Rajoy
A dilemma for Spain’s Socialists
Leading an opposition party during a time of economic crisis should, in theory, be a straightforward job, with none of the worries and responsibility that governing in such times entails. But in Spain, that’s not the case for Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, who was chosen to continue heading the Socialist Party earlier this year, despite losing the 2011 general elections. Rubalcaba is one of Spanish politics’ canniest figures. Critics confer on him the sinister powers of a Rasputin, due to his alleged ability to manipulate issues and people behind the scenes. But his gift for communicating also puts most of his political colleagues in the shade. One television reporter tells of how, when making … [Read more...] about A dilemma for Spain’s Socialists
Spain’s true crisis isn’t economic, it’s institutional
As Spain has moved closer to what looks increasingly like economic disaster, there have been a couple of surprising - even heartening - moves by the country’s senior politicians lately. One was the announcement made by Socialist leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba that his party offered its full support to the conservative government going into the key European summit in Brussels on June 28. This rare instance of political unity was accompanied by an unusual show of stark public honesty by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. “We can’t finance ourselves at these levels of interest much longer,” said the man who had denied that Spain would request a bank bailout days before it did so, and who said he … [Read more...] about Spain’s true crisis isn’t economic, it’s institutional
Rajoy’s labyrinth
When looking back on the first five months of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s government, it’s hard to recall many striking images of the man. That’s probably because he is so studiously media-shy, giving as few press conferences as he possibly can, and leaving most major policy announcements to his number two, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría. But while Rajoy has been typically low-key during his opening spell in office, events have not and a couple of moments from those rollercoaster first months do stick in the mind, telling us apparently contradictory things about the man. One is his comment to his Finnish counterpart, Jyrki Katainen, back in January, that the labour reform he was … [Read more...] about Rajoy’s labyrinth
A victory for Hollande, a victory for Spain
François Hollande’s French presidential election win has been trumpeted as a triumph for Socialists across Europe. Not only does it stem the tide of centre-right governments that have taken control of most EU countries, it also vindicates the European left’s resistance to austerity at any cost. And the champagne was being uncorked on Sunday at the headquarters of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), as its leaders enjoyed the thought that finally, their neighbour to the north has a left-leaning president. We don’t know whether Hollande will deliver on some of his bigger promises, such as reducing the retirement age or renegotiating fiscal targets with the EU. But the fact that one of the … [Read more...] about A victory for Hollande, a victory for Spain
Catalonia’s immigrants face lonely road ahead
Sitting across the table from Xavier Alonso Calderón, Catalonia’s head of Immigration and Labour Relations, it was hard not to feel for everyone within a hundred paces of his office. In one of many sweeping cuts to government spending since coming into office late last year, the Partido Popular-led national government had slashed Spain’s immigration and integration fund to nearly nothing. Established under the Zapatero government in 2005, the fund had set aside up to €200 million to be distributed to Spain’s autonomous communities to help finance programs aimed at reporting, educating and integrating the country’s foreign-born population – a group that had exploded over the past decade, … [Read more...] about Catalonia’s immigrants face lonely road ahead