The Spanish prime minister’s announcement that he will not run as the Socialist candidate in the 2012 general election was, by the time he made it on April 2, hardly a surprise. Rumours and reports to this effect had been leaking out of the party camp for weeks. But while this decision clears the air of any lingering uncertainty about José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s future, that of his party remains very much shrouded in mystery. According to the Socialists, their leader’s calculated withdrawal puts them on the front foot as the May 22 local elections approach. Zapatero, they reason, has taken the initiative, choosing when to go rather than allowing events to dictate his course. This is … [Read more...] about Zapatero was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t
Politics
The Tejero coup, North Africa and back-slapping
That day is widely seen as a turning point in modern Spanish history – the moment when the country’s commitment to democracy was bolstered following the firm action of King Juan Carlos in putting down the putsch. But in his column Ramoneda identifies an exaggerated sense of self-congratulation in the memory of that day now, charging that “we commemorate 23-F in a tribe-like way, without being capable of thinking for one minute about those who today fight for democracy.” And those who fight for democracy today are on Spain’s doorstep. Spain and Europe have failed to send a clear message to North Africa in recent weeks, Ramoneda charges. Spain is a country with particular … [Read more...] about The Tejero coup, North Africa and back-slapping
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
Sortu puts spotlight on Spanish justice system
There have been many signs that genuine change is afoot in the Basque Country in recent months, as ETA’s political support has repeatedly urged the organisation to give a clear statement showing it is committed to a non-violent future. For the most part these expectations have not been met, with ETA failing to deliver – most recently in a January ceasefire statement that contained some new resolutions, but ultimately not enough. But the unveiling on February 7 of a new party, Sortu, suggests that with or without ETA’s backing, the pro-independence landscape in the northern region has changed. Sortu, which means “to rise up” or “be born” in euskera, is a reincarnation of sorts … [Read more...] about Sortu puts spotlight on Spanish justice system
The market tears up Zapatero’s social contract
“My government’s ambition is to make this an innovative, creative, entrepreneurial country while upholding the social welfare state… I think we should learn the lesson of the Great Depression: when an economy enters a deep recession, the only way we can come out of it is from a big push from the public sector.” José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero uttered these words less than a year ago. At the time, with Spain mired in recession, critics could argue with his ideological stance, but nobody could doubt his convictions. However, the prime minister’s announcement on May 12 of a broad and radical raft of austerity measures has seen him perform the biggest U-turn of his six years in government … [Read more...] about The market tears up Zapatero’s social contract
Awareness grows, but domestic abuse goes on
In 1994, Spanish television used to broadcast a reality show called Lo que necesitas es amor, which translates as What you need is love. On one occasion the presenter sought to reunite a couple who had fallen out and was discussing their problems with them in front of the studio audience. At one point she asked the young woman what she didn’t like about her boyfriend. “For example,” she said smiling: “he doesn’t beat you does he?” This prompted nervous titters from the audience, and the young woman squirmed slightly. “Well…” she began. The presenter turned to the hapless boyfriend, and with mock severity asked him: “you don’t beat her do you?” The boyfriend smiled a little shamefacedly and … [Read more...] about Awareness grows, but domestic abuse goes on
Navigating the impossible?
For someone who sets such great store by being photographed alongside the right people, January 28 was a fairly awful day for the Spanish prime minister. At the Davos World Economic Forum, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was pictured sitting between Greece’s Giorgos Papandreou and Latvia’s Valdis Zatlers. The inference was clear: Spain was in the same boat as Greece, which the EU has now agreed to help resolve its enormous public financing problems, and Latvia, which has Europe’s highest unemployment rate at nearly 23 percent. Much was made of the gaff by Zapatero’s handlers, who failed to put him in more reassuring company. But it was only the beginning of a perfect economic and political … [Read more...] about Navigating the impossible?
Catalonia, immigration and populism
The attorney general’s announcement on January 20 that plans by the Catalan town of Vic to stop registering undocumented immigrants on its census were unlawful appeared to bring the furore surrounding the case to a close. After an outcry on the part of immigrant and human rights groups, Joaquin de Fuentes Bardají insisted that any immigrant should be able to register in their local municipality with just a passport (a visa or other documents being unnecessary) and therefore gain access to health and education services. But while Vic now appears unlikely to push ahead with its controversial initiative, this town of less than 40,000, just under a quarter of whom are migrants, has managed … [Read more...] about Catalonia, immigration and populism
Spain, Europe and the world: Zapatero’s moment
The six-month rotating presidency of the European Union passed on 1 January 2010 from Sweden to Spain. At the formal ceremony of transition in Madrid on 8 January, the Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero outlined a bold agenda: he reaffirmed that his country’s tenure would be one of action and initiative in which financial recovery and the boosting of the EU’s place in the world would be his foremost priorities. It sounds like the expression of confident leadership that a Europe buffeted by the economic crisis, the failure of the Copenhagen summit and its shrinking global role badly needs. But what are the prospects of Zapatero fulfilling his lofty aims? The centre-left … [Read more...] about Spain, Europe and the world: Zapatero’s moment
If language be the food of understanding, talk on
"Why are you interested in learning Arabic?” the teacher probed. It was a question intended to get us talking, to introduce ourselves and explain why we had chosen to give up two hours of our lives twice a week to sit in a drab high school classroom in Palma de Mallorca. For travel, said some of my classmates; an interest in Arabic culture and music, answered others. A few wanted to learn the mother tongue of a husband or wife. The first two of those reasons were also in part my own. But I also had other motives: “Because of the world we live in,” I said. As a journalist writing about Spanish and European politics and social issues for the last decade, I have borne witness to the … [Read more...] about If language be the food of understanding, talk on