It’s always more satisfying when it’s your enemies who admit you’ve won. That subtracts any doubt from the outcome. A week ago, the headlines delved into the differences between the PSOE and United We Can before the debate on the state of the nation. They imagined Pedro Sánchez entering Congress on a tank and promising a large increase in military spending while the UP deputies sang ‘We shall overcome’ and waved the flags of pacifism. Those of the PP would stretch out in their seats contemplating a bloody battle. “This government lacks soul”, Yolanda Díaz had said a few days before. “And sometimes we lack happy measures.”
Sánchez had prepared high doses of happiness for his speech, which included special taxes on electricity companies, oil companies and banks. Sacrifices will no longer be reserved for consumers. Alberto Núñez Feijóo was perplexed and waited 48 hours to give an answer, even though it was clear that it was going to be negative. Ione Belarra and Irene Montero did not need so much time. They rose, like the other members of the Government, to applaud the announced measures. They looked very happy.
“Today the Government begins to reorient the course, as we had requested in recent weeks,” the general secretary of Podemos said later. The socialist deputies were euphoric with the president’s speech.
Feijóo surrendered to the evidence on Friday. He acknowledged that the debate “had strengthened the government coalition.” He also said that families were not going to benefit: “It is already known that companies transfer taxes to customers.” If that’s all he has against the government, it’s not much. The Ministry of Finance has said that the pending law will prohibit companies from passing on the tax increase in their prices.
The media brigade also indirectly awarded Sánchez the title of winner of the debate. In the first place, he did not dare to mount those digital surveys of null sociological value to ask his readers who had won. With Cuca Gamarra’s speech, he did not have a powerful candidate in the race. Later, he tried to pretend that the PP had shown signs of moderation with its decision to abstain from ratifying the anti-crisis decree. What’s more, some media considered him essential when he had not been.
“The Government gets an oxygen balloon with the abstention thanks to the support of the PP” (in the vote), La Razón highlighted on the front page with a headline of somewhat confusing or simply false construction, because the PP did not support the decree. “The PP facilitates with its abstention the validation of the second anti-crisis decree”, they wrote in El Mundo.
The math doesn’t say that. The decree went ahead with 186 votes in favor, 51 against and 108 abstentions. The sum of the seconds gives 159 votes. The abstention of the PP was not decisive nor did it facilitate anything.
The survey offered on Friday by El Mundo was more revealing. 62.7% support the new taxes on energy companies. A similar percentage, 61.7%, to banks. The defenders of these companies are going to have a difficult time in the public debate on the measures.
always remains manipulation resource that is not even dismissed when it is rude. On the front page, the newspaper headlined that “67% believe that the new taxes will be useless”, a percentage taken from a question in which the opinion on taxes was not pressed, but on the debate in general. And in the web version, the news offers nine chartsbut not the opinion of those surveyed on account of the new taxes.
The new director of El Mundo has been in the post for less than two months and has already shown how he cooks up the polls. They come out a little burnt.
Sánchez did not complicate life in the debate more than necessary. He did not want to make a clear and detailed defense of the future increase in military spending. He would have to know what that money will be invested in and it is not yet possible. NATO has not decided what specific military obligations each member country will have in increasing the military presence in Eastern Europe, from 40,000 to 300,000 soldiers.
What he did do was highlight Spain’s responsibility to other Alliance countries: “If we did not accede to the request of Poles, Germans and Latvians when they ask us for solidarity with the aggressor, what legitimacy would we have to ask for solidarity when we need it?” . It is a generic defense of those commitments that no one can deny. Another thing will be when the Defense budget is discussed in detail.
In that so subjective that is the perception of the political stability of a Government, Sánchez has managed to at least straighten the course and clear some clouds. He serves to reach the fall in a situation of certain security.
Friday’s meeting with Pere Aragonès did not go far in public, although it serves to convene another dialogue table at the end of the month. “You can imagine that we have advanced issues and therefore the opportunity to specify and advance them,” said the government spokeswoman.
It doesn’t sound very exciting, but there isn’t much room for big deals either. “As long as the citizens of Catalonia cannot decide their political future in freedom, we are far from resolving the political conflict,” said the president of the Generalitat. Expectations of a full deal will always be low when the priorities on each side of the table are irreconcilable.
The Government can point to the point of having managed to get Esquerra to vote in favor of three fundamental norms, among which was the anti-crisis decree. Since the Pegasus case, it is doubtful to consider ERC as a partner of the Government. Gabriel Rufián has raised the tone of criticism to the maximum. Due to the Melilla tragedy, he made a harsh and derogatory speech towards Sánchez in the debate, which especially annoyed the president. So much so that Rufián came later to try to heal the wounds.
It was the only time Sánchez was seen to be enraged. Now he can relax a bit and start thinking about the holidays. It would be good if you enjoyed them, because the economic panorama that comes in the fall and winter is not one that encourages optimism. Victories in politics never last long.
Add Comment