Fernando González Urbaneja | A decade ago now, in the midst of the 2008-12 recession, that of the financial crisis which was more than that, the so-called “15M” movement emerged in Spain and “Occupy WS” in New York. They proclaimed loudly, chanting slogans such as: “they don’t represent us”, “they call it democracy and it isn’t”, “Take the square”, “PP and PSOE it’s the same shit”, “no home, no job,…
The Minister for Social Rights, Ione Belarra, has been elected as the new secretary general of Podemos, replacing Pablo Iglesias, with 88.69 percent of the votes cast in the party’s primaries. Of the 139,000 registered Podemos members with the right to vote in the IV Citizens’ Assembly held in Alcorcón (Madrid), 53,443 took part in the vote, of whom 45,753 opted for Belarra. Belarra competed with two other aspirants for…
Joan Tapia (Barcelona) | The PSOE-Podemos Coalition Government has not failed to confront its two main challenges: economic policy and Catalonia. However, now comes the most important issue: to approve the national budget for 2020 for which it needs a vote in favour of ERC. This time the abstention of ERC is not enough, as in the case of the investiture, which was achieved in exchange for the establishment of a dialogue between the governments of Madrid and Barcelona.
J.P. Marín Arrese | This motto struck by Bertrand Russell galvanised those opposed to the nuclear weapons race. In his view, surrendering to communism stood as a less harmful choice than the dire prospect of massive immolation in a new world war. Fortunately, we skipped confronting the bad and worst alternatives Mr Russell thought would inevitably emerge.
Joan Tapia (Barcelona) | As I write this article, three polls have been published – in three Spanish newspapers ABC, El Periodico de Catalunya and Confidencial – which practically agree. If there are no changes in the twenty days that remain before the elections, PSOE will be the largest party with more than 130 seats, far distant from the PP which will remain on 80-90 seats.
Fernando G. Urbaneja | An unprecedented tornado of elections has fallen on Spain in 2019. In the short space of four weeks Spaniards can place their papers with their electoral preferences in at least 5 urns, to elect the Congress, Senate, European Parliament, Townhalls and a good part of the regional parliaments. Spring superelections which will overturn a good part of the structure of the state.
In January 2014, dozens of people got together in the Teatro del Barrio in Lavapies, (in the centre of Madrid), to form a political party to participate in the European Parliament elections to be held in May of that year. They needed 50,000 signatures to formalise their candidacy. Within in few days, they had the signatures and the embrio of what is now (920 days later) PODEMOS was born
Ten million Spaniards watched the most important debate between candidates from the four parties which could form a Government in Spain on Monday night. And yet the participants did not clarify the most important point: Will there be a Government after the elections on June 26?
The extreme left-wing manifesto issued by the Podemos-IU coalition aims, in earnest, to completely change Spain. And it would endow it with a Third World country status. By promising to secure a minimum income close to the current average wage, who on earth would put up with the hardship of working all day long?
The utterly preposterous policy platform submitted by Podemos leaves no room for a left-wing grand coalition in Spain. Its reckless recipes are only aimed at frustrating any hope the Socialist leader might have of forming a cabinet. With everyone manoeuvring to achieve pole position, no serious negotiations can take place on alliances which could lead to the formation of a cabinet. So voters will probably have the chance for a second say just before the summer break.