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
spain politics
Time for Spain’s ‘indignados’ to prove their relevance
As the 15-M movement, or indignados, prepare to commemorate their first anniversary, it says plenty about the state of Spain and its economy that much of the news coverage has focused on the possibility of clashes between demonstrators and police this weekend. With gatherings and marches scheduled across the country, from Saturday until the symbolic May 15 date itself, the scene is set for a huge turnout and another expression of anger and outrage at Spain’s political class and their handling of the economy. Many fear that this will spill over into violence, either on the part of the protesters, or the police. Violent confrontation was not something associated with los 15-M when they … [Read more...] about Time for Spain’s ‘indignados’ to prove their relevance
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
What now for Spain’s monarchy?
The dung from King Juan Carlos’ accident, while on a private trip to Botswana to kill elephants during which he broke his hip, has well and truly hit the proverbial fan, with Spain revelling in an unprecedented outpouring of criticism in the media that looks set to continue. The King has apologised for the gaffe, promising on state television to Spaniards before limping out of hospital: “it will never happen again.” Ouch: that must have hurt more than the crack he gave himself after tripping over his tent peg on safari. However humbling the experience, his plea to be given a chance to redeem himself and get back to being the king everybody loves may have been too little, too late. He … [Read more...] about What now for Spain’s monarchy?
Is Catalonia going the way of Slovenia?
When, at his party's congress on March 28-29, the former Catalan president Jordi Pujol exclaimed that "we live in a state that has no Constitution", he touched the nerve of a Catalan nationalism that has become increasingly belligerent. It’s a nationalism that openly defies court sentences it believes threaten the nation it claims to represent, such as the Constitutional Court's ruling on the region’s Statute of Autonomy (or Estatut) in 2010 or more recent ones by the Supreme Court related to language use in Catalonia. No wonder that at the same congress, Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (CDC) adopted a strategy that, even though it avoids the word "independence", strongly argues for … [Read more...] about Is Catalonia going the way of Slovenia?
Spanish government seeks to muzzle protest with reforms
“Our judicial system is not frightening enough ”, said Felip Puig, the Catalan interior chief, a few days after the March 29 general strike. In the wake of that protest, the Spanish government has unveiled a series of changes to the Criminal Code that it hopes will be approved by June and which would criminalise the actions of movements such as 15-M (or indignados), despite their peaceful nature. Last week, Interior Minister Jorge Fernández gave more details: peaceful resistance will be deemed a form of illegal undermining of authority, punishable with one to three years in jail; the punishment for civil disobedience, which is currently six months to one year in jail, will be increased … [Read more...] about Spanish government seeks to muzzle protest with reforms
Andalusia election gives Rajoy a reality check
Mariano Rajoy’s Partido Popular (PP) may have won the most seats of any party in Sunday’s regional election in Andalusia, but he will view the result as a resounding failure. Rajoy’s conservatives finished the vote count with 50 seats, compared with the Socialists’ 47. In the Socialists’ biggest regional stronghold, that might look like a triumph, but with the United Left (IU) taking 12 seats, the left did enough to govern in coalition. This election came three months into the tenure of Rajoy as prime minister and was seen as a gauge of his national government, as much as the performance of his Andalusian candidate, Javier Arenas. Andalusia has enormous symbolic significance. Ever … [Read more...] about Andalusia election gives Rajoy a reality check
Privatisation through the back door
The messages that have come out of the recent demonstrations in Valencia are not just about the effect of the cutbacks on schools and the poor spending decisions of the Valencian government. Even police brutality is only a small part of the story. There is also the underlying accusation that private schools, unlike the state sector, are having their budgets protected. This is not an austerity measure. This is a political spending decision that will create a trend of irreversible privitisation of schools. And it’s not just in Spain. The coalition government in the UK is responsible for something very similar. As school budgets are squeezed and the UK braces for more cut backs, the … [Read more...] about Privatisation through the back door
Rajoy’s smoke and mirrors have worked – for now, at least
If we have learnt anything about Spain’s new prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, since he took power in December, it’s that his reputation for being anything but straightforward when conveying his intentions is well deserved. Rajoy has often been portrayed as the embodiment of retranca, a tendency his fellow Galicians are known for to answer questions with ambiguity and multiple meanings. The first two months of his tenure have seen Rajoy behave every bit like the stereotypical Galician. An early example of this was when the prime minister deployed his front-line ministers to announce a major tax increase, just days after himself announcing that “my intention is not to raise taxes.” And now … [Read more...] about Rajoy’s smoke and mirrors have worked – for now, at least
Rajoy, reform and the burden of employment expectations
As thousands took to the streets at the weekend, it quickly became clear that the Partido Popular’s approach to job creation had more than a few critics. Focusing their anger on reforms passed on February 9, critics called out the new government’s efforts to reduce mandatory severance pay from 45 to 33 days per year worked and allowing what they felt was an unfair freedom for companies to opt out of collective bargaining agreements and adjust wages and hours according to their financial standing. The Rajoy government insisted that it “wants to give firms the ability to modify workers' hours in response to demand rather than simply laying them off, bringing an end to the rapid rise in … [Read more...] about Rajoy, reform and the burden of employment expectations