Esperanza Aguirre, President of the Region of Madrid, has had to use Twitter twice this month to remove her foot from her mouth. The first mix-up was on September 1, when she suggested that secondary teachers in Madrid only worked 20 hours a week, “much less than most Madrileños,” she claimed. Aguirre had previously made a rather sloppy attempt at communicating her decision to try to save €80 million for the region by sending a letter to affected civil servants with spelling mistakes. The letter, which stated that secondary teachers would have to increase weekly class hours from 18 to 20, angered educators, who claimed that more teaching hours and fewer interns (approximately 3,000) would … [Read more...] about Tweets and gaffes confuse Madrid’s education debate
Mariano Rajoy
Aznar lets his hair down
Question: who works for Rupert Murdoch, leads a prestigious think-tank, is an accomplished long-distance runner and learned to speak fluent English in his early fifties? Answer: José María Aznar, prime minister of Spain between 1996 and 2004. The above description is highly selective, of course, but it gives an idea of the man we are talking about – probably just the kind of idea Aznar himself would like us to have of him: an active figure on the right-leaning world stage whose discipline and motivation have given him influence and a well-honed body. Aznar, 57, has become something of a fetish figure for many on the Spanish right, and with good reason. He governed for two … [Read more...] about Aznar lets his hair down
Bare-faced cheek gives Spain air of election fever
Sexist taunts, allegations of extremism and the hint of an economic plan – it must be an election campaign. That, at least, is the overwhelming suspicion in the wake of Spanish politics’ recent “cheekgate” affair, which saw the Popular Party mayor of Valladolid, Javier de la Riva, comment of newly instated Health Minister Leire Pajín that “every time I see that face and those cheeks [pun intended], I have the same thought.” De la Riva’s curious train of thought also led him to describe Pajín as “a very well prepared girl who is able and discreet, and will dish out condoms left and right wherever she goes.” Pajín, who at 34 is the youngest member of the Cabinet, has for some time been … [Read more...] about Bare-faced cheek gives Spain air of election fever
The mystery of Rajoy and the Spanish economy
“I know about economics. I’m not an economist but I know about economics and I have aides whom I consult.” This comment, made during a recent television interview, is not very reassuring coming from a man who aspires to become Spain’s prime minister in the near future. But then Mariano Rajoy is rarely unequivocal in his handling of the conservative Popular Party (PP) he leads. According to many, his reluctance to be clear-cut and firm is typical of the ambiguous Galician character. One obvious example is Rajoy’s management of the ongoing corruption scandal rocking his party. The lack of a clear policy on this has meant that some PP politicians facing investigation for the Gürtel … [Read more...] about The mystery of Rajoy and the Spanish economy