They go hand in hand. In the morning, Carlos Mazón began his investiture debate to be president of the Valencian Community with the extreme right in his government. At night, Cuca Gamarra and Iván Espinosa de los Monteros demonstrated in the debate to seven of RTVE a harmony that has become a distribution of regional and local governments, waiting for what happens after 23J.
Gamarra and Espinosa shared a speech, although each one with his own tone: the two spoke of sanchismo, the Frankenstein government, communism, independence, rapists and ETA philoterrorists. The two were unable to recognize any policy of the Executive, not even those agreed with the European Commission, in the same way that the economic data distorted, despite the fact that there has never been as much employment as now and that inflation is lower than in the rest of Europe, or that growth is greater than the rest of the partners.
To such an extent the lyrics and music between PP and Vox are being so similar that Espinosa even resorted to one of Rajoy’s old slogans: “The best social policy is job creation.” A motto that ignores working conditions, as other spokespersons reminded him, such as Gabriel Rufián, from ERC, for example, who reproached him that this right-wing employment policy generates “slaves.”
And when the lyrics and music of Vox raised the tone, as when Espinosa linked violence against women and violence in general with migration, or when he accused historical communities of persecuting the “Spanish”, including Galicia, or when the spokesman for the extreme right called for the end of the autonomous model, Gamarra preferred to remain silent so as not to bother his political partner and governments.
Of course, in two hours of debate, he repeated the gesture of his leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, of questioning the PSOE to facilitate the government of the most voted list, to which the PSOE spokesman, Patxi López, replied: “Yes Without Pinocchio, their nose would reach the Canary Islands, which is the last place where they have agreed with Vox to take the Government away from the PSOE ”.
Gamarra ended the debate with a minute in which he called for a vote to avoid “blockades and extremism.” Of course, in 120 minutes of debate, the spokesmen for PP and Vox have not gotten into a fight even once: they know that they understand each other and that, if necessary, they will govern together, although Cuca Gamarra has highlighted the popular vote to make the socialist Jaume Collboni mayor of Barcelona and Maider Etxebarria (PSE) in Vitoria. To vindicate the figure of Alberto Núñez Feijoo, the parliamentary spokesperson for the PP has stated that the popular president “wants to be president of all Spaniards.”
For his part, the parliamentary spokesman for Vox, Iván Espinosa de los Monteros, explained “to the PP that the best way to repeal sanchismo is not by agreeing with the PSOE.” Seeking to claim itself as a useful vote and as the only party that confronts the coalition government, the Vox spokesman has pointed out that his party is “the only option to say goodbye to Sánchez and his policies.”
The hypothesis of socialist abstention has also been presented by Rufián, given López’s refusal about which the Republican spokesman cast doubt: “Whenever the PSOE has been able to choose, it has chosen the worst at the worst moment.” Both Vidal and Matute and Rufián himself have recalled in the debate, in this sense, that many progressive policies of these years have been possible thanks to the pressure of their groups.
Unlike the debate on Monday between the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the debate of seven has been less muddy, with more respect for the shifts and with more opportunities to dismantle some hoaxes.
For example, when the spokesman for the extreme right accused EH Bildu of “philoterrorism” while recalling the murder of Miguel Ángel Blanco. And Oskar Matute has had to remind Iván Espinosa de los Monteros that he comes from Alternatiba –a formation that emerged from EB-IU integrated into EH Bildu, along with Sortu, EA and Aralar–, that he was always against violence, that At the time of the murder, he was on watch in Ermua asking for the release of the PP councilor. What’s more, Matute reminded Espinosa that the two main forces in Ermua are the PSE and EH Bildu, while Vox does not exist there.
Patxi López and Aina Vidal (Sumar) have also participated in the reply to the right-wing spokesmen to the discourse of terrorism in the government, who have recalled that 11 years have passed since the disappearance of ETA. “To take out that ghost is to deny that victory to the Democrats; What happens is that democracy is too far away for some”, said López: “ETA does not exist; We defeated ETA and democracy is much better than you”.
“It is shameful to launch terrorism when ETA does not exist”, Vidal has said; .
If those who have responded most harshly to Espinosa de los Monteros have surely been Rufián – he has called him a fascist several times – and Matute, Vidal has been the one who has tried to present the most programmatic proposals, practically at the end of each of his interventions.
Unlike López, who has used more to defend government policies, Vidal has also tried to show ambition in continuing to move forward, something in which he has also been accompanied on occasions by the PNV spokesman, Aitor Esteban, Matute and Rufián, on everything that has to do with the articulation of the State. In this sense, Vidal has accused Vox of wanting to eliminate the autonomous communities because his true interest with this measure is to end “culture, public health and public education.”
Rufián has summoned López on numerous occasions about a sovereign consultation, something that Matute has also requested, speaking of the Scottish example. And Esteban himself has denounced the brake on decentralization, also in relation to some Constitutional rulings on language in plenary sessions.
The macro economy and the micro economy
The economy has been the first point of the debate, and in which a fundamental division was shown between the two parties on the right and the other five: PP and Vox have limited themselves to a negative discourse, while the rest have recognized some data that is objectively good. “It seems that the macro is going well, but it does not reach families and people well,” said Esteban; “It is true that some data is very good, but families are 8% poorer, while Endesa and Florentino are 60% richer”, Rufián has intervened; “We will not be perfect, but it is unappealable that he is better and we are hungry to continue,” Vidal insisted. Both the Sumar spokeswoman and the PSOE spokeswoman have agreed to recognize some economic measures approved by the coalition government.
In contrast, Gamarra has ruled that “Spain is worse than five years ago” while Espinosa, sentenced for not paying for the works on his chalet, has resorted to couplets: “A lot of story and little data. All indicators have worsened. Data kills story. What are not accounts, are stories.
In this section, both Vidal and Rufián and Matute have agreed to bet on “making taxes on large fortunes and banks permanent.” Meanwhile, Cuca Gamarra took the opportunity to continue fueling the toll hoax on the highways starting in 2024. “You’re lying,” López replied: “It’s false and you know it. Since January there is a document that says no.
“Neoliberalism has been defeated”; Vidal added: “They had told us that jobs would be destroyed, and the labor reform has stabilized and given alternatives to dismissal. We have achieved incredible things, Patxi, but we are concerned about the statements by the Minister of Finance to raise retirement to 70 years. If Sumar is in the government, it will be a red line”.
Rufián: “Proud of the Minister of Equality, Irene Montero”
The ERC spokesman was the one who most came out against the criticism of the two right-wing spokespersons of the Sexual Freedom law, to the point that Espinosa has produced a list of alleged rapists who have benefited from reduced sentences: “I am proud of the work of the Minister for Equality, Irene Montero”, said the ERC spokesperson. “And me too”, added the Sumar spokesperson, from whose lists the leader of Podemos has been excluded. “Dozens of women are murdered,” Rufián has said: “A law of yes is yes was necessary. Perfect, like all, but to say that the rapists are from outside is to make fascism ”. In this sense, Gamarra assured that Sánchez “will go down in history for being the president who released rapists”
Indeed, Espinosa has linked migration with sexual crime, given Gamarra’s silence. “They deny sexist violence, they deny climate change and they destroy what has been advanced, they have even managed to get Buzzlightyear banned,” said López.
Controversy over the gag law
“The gag law is one of the failures,” said the ERC spokesperson: “It cannot be that there are dozens of deaths every year on the southern border of Spain and Europe, and that the PSOE and UP proposed a gag law without repeal hot returns. It was disrespectful.”
Matute has joined: “We opposed it because we have our say. That’s why we don’t support it.” On the other hand, Aitor Esteban defended the text presented by the Government, which was never processed: “A great balance was achieved between security and freedom, more than 60% was modified, the rights of assembly and demonstration were guaranteed. And it failed because ERC and Bildu say that all or nothing [y sumaron sus votos a la derecha]”.
“They are very concerned that the progressive bloc agrees with Bildu,” Matute replied to Gamarra, “which is anathema to evil, marked by the devil. And they say that on dates like these it is bad to agree. I want to remind you that in December 1998, a delegation from Aznar, with Fluxá, Arriola and Zarzalejos met in Burgos with Otegi. Six months later, that same delegation met with ETA. So could it? And now not? It’s an exercise in hypocrisy.”
PSOE-Sumar pact
“People know that there will be no absolute majorities”, López stated: “And they know that the Socialists want a progressive government to continue advancing, to continue conquering rights and great challenges such as equality, climate change, mental health policies, the reindustrialization, making the university free… and the alternative is an ultra-right alliance that claims the opposite. the economy at the service of the usual”.
Along the same lines, Aina Vidal has expressed herself: “Either the PP with Vox, or Yolanda and PSOE. It has few votes, we can revalidate this Government or enter the dark waters of PP and Vox. Many people are worried, if there is any vote of hope, that is Sumar’s.”
According to Rufián, however, there are “three scenarios: PP-Vox, which would be a disgrace for any democrat; PP-PSOE, because the PSOE chooses the worst with the worst every time it can, like the reform of the consent law, something shameful; or that they notice that different political forces have forced the PSOE week by week to agree ”.
