[sharethis] Last May, as the campaign for Spain’s local elections got underway, it looked like business as usual. Neither of the two main political parties was managing to inspire voters with hope or ideas as the country’s jobless line grew and the economic crisis deepened. But on May 15, the Sunday before the elections, a group of well-organised, mainly young, activists gathered in Madrid and marched to the central square of Puerta del Sol. They set up a makeshift campsite, declared the Spanish political system unrepresentative and obsolete, and within days their support had snowballed across the country and the eyes of the world were on them. Six months on, los indignados, or the … [Read more...] about Spain’s ‘indignados’
spanish economy
The solution to the Catalan problem?
Catalan separatism has two anchor points, the traditional one is of a cultural nature (with the Catalan language at its core), the other one, of more recent creation and which has built up a new group of pragmatic followers making inroads even among Spanish speakers, is based on money: the fiscal deficit of Catalonia with the central state has over the past year or so evolved into the main argument for secession. This makes one feel that to get rid of the problem of Catalan separatism, Madrid only has to throw money at the region. And that it had better do, because this new group has the potential to grow into a serious problem, unlike the ethnocentrists, whose numbers remain basically … [Read more...] about The solution to the Catalan problem?
Rajoy vs The Washington Post
Maybe it’s because of the condensed format, maybe because he was talking to a non-Spanish newspaper, or perhaps he was just in a particularly open mood, but Mariano Rajoy’s interview with the The Washington Post’s Lally Weymouth seemed unusually revealing. The Popular Party leader, now three weeks away from an apparently certain general election victory, was hardly expansive, but some of his answers were relatively bold for a politician who has made hiding his hand something of an art form. When asked whether he would go beyond Zapatero’s spending cuts, Rajoy is quite forthright: Yes, there is no other way out. I am in favor of reducing all budget items. But the item I don’t want to … [Read more...] about Rajoy vs The Washington Post
How history will judge Zapatero
Jordi Sevilla, a former minister in the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, recalls how his then boss once told him about a massage he had enjoyed a few days after becoming prime minister. “The masseur was amazed at how little tension he had,” Sevilla said. “This guy had spent a week in La Moncloa (the prime minister’s residence) and that’s enough to leave anyone completely spent!” The anecdote, recounted to writer José García Abad, reflects a couple of popular, not entirely accurate, perceptions about Zapatero: that he is a detached, even cold politician, whose meteoric career has been driven purely by calculation; also that he is a featherweight who doesn’t understand the … [Read more...] about How history will judge Zapatero
Flamenco, Aznar and good behaviour: Gaddafi’s Spanish visit
When Moammar Gaddafi made a visit to Spain at the end of 2007, the Socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero faced fierce criticism from various groups for not taking a tough stance against the Libyan leader’s human rights record. Following Gaddafi’s controversial visit that year from December 15-18, the US Embassy gave Washington a full report of the Libyan strongman’s activities in Spain, including details of his eccentricities. Gaddafi arrived with a huge entourage, including a motorcade of over 50 vehicles and his own butchers, and staked his tents on the grounds of his accommodations – all in preparation to sign a string of lucrative economic deals with the Socialist … [Read more...] about Flamenco, Aznar and good behaviour: Gaddafi’s Spanish visit
Ahead of election, Spain’s next prime minister leaves everyone guessing
Mariano Rajoy, leader of the opposition Popular Party, is set to put two election defeats behind him on November 20 and become Spain’s next prime minister. But his all-but-guaranteed victory (opinion polls suggest the PP will win around 190 seats in the 350-seat parliament, its largest ever majority) has little to do with him. Instead, it has much more to do with a three-year economic crisis, an intractable unemployment disaster and escalating worries about Spain’s debt and public account deficits – problems, compounded, if not induced in the eyes of many, by the economic mismanagement of the current Socialist administration of Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Those issues, … [Read more...] about Ahead of election, Spain’s next prime minister leaves everyone guessing
Spain’s Socialists scuttle the ship
The legislature is limping to a close. Since José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's conversion to market orthodoxy in the spring of 2010, the prime minister has made no secret of the fact that his sole obsession is to sail the Spanish ship clear of the turbulent waters of a bailout, and he seems set to succeed. But his government's final manoeuvres have unfortunately had the effect of scuttling the lifeboat of Socialism driven by the party's chosen candidate for the November 20 elections. Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is an able seaman, but he is navigating into an electoral storm made even worse by the last acts of his former Cabinet colleagues. First came the tawdry deal with the Popular Party (PP) … [Read more...] about Spain’s Socialists scuttle the ship
Who’s in charge in Spain?
Question: Who is the leader of the PSOE? Answer: Now, I am. The leader of the PSOE, the leader of a party, is whomever it presents as a candidate at general elections. Question: I’d say that the leader of a party is whoever is in charge. Who’s in charge of the PSOE? Answer: In the Socialist Party, I’m in charge. Question: If you are the leader of the party that supports Zapatero in Parliament, one would suppose that he would consult you on major issues. Answer: One would suppose that. The above is a translated excerpt from the interview published on Sunday that El País editor Javier Moreno carried out with Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, the Socialist (PSOE) candidate in the … [Read more...] about Who’s in charge in Spain?
Fear and resignation in Spain’s deficit cap
A swiftly agreed, bi-party accord to safeguard the Spanish economy’s future. It should be music to every Spaniard’s ears. The governing Socialists and opposition Popular Party have finally reached consensus on a major issue, putting aside their ideological differences and petty electoral interests to introduce a constitutional reform that puts a cap on the public deficit. Such statesmanship harks back to the spirit of the Transition. Or does it? Having heeded the plea by the French and German leaders for deficit controls to be enshrined in eurozone magna cartas, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Mariano Rajoy have responded. This extraordinary measure, they argue, will calm the jittery … [Read more...] about Fear and resignation in Spain’s deficit cap
World Youth Day: Between faith and criticism
The most serious criticism is not aimed at the young pilgrims who came to the Spanish capital to “display their faith” but rather at the planning, organization and financing of a “mass religious event” which could have been done at lower cost, with less religious aims, with less participation of the public sector, without the presence of ethically questionable companies and with the aim of addressing more closely the problems that affect Spanish society and the world today. Although the degree of self-financing of the event was significant it is sensible to ask the Catholic organizations involved to think about how they organize such gatherings. In most cases, there are things that could be … [Read more...] about World Youth Day: Between faith and criticism