The tied right, against "the worst government in Europe"

He was speaking before a hemicycle dotted this Thursday by dozens of fans that stirred the charged air of the Lower House, seeking to take advantage of every last breath of fresh air that the 27 degrees of the decree allowed. “It’s hot here, but it is what it is,” admitted a parliamentarian from United We Can in braces. In front sat, suits and ties, all the male deputies from PP and Vox without exception. A frontal and etiquette opposition to the recommendation that the Government details in its plan and that in the blue bench only Minister Escrivá skipped.

Before the first big scuffle took place in the hemicycle, another one of transoceanic dimensions had already taken place. From Colombia, Pedro Sánchez evaluated Alberto Núñez Feijóo as a worse opposition leader than Pablo Casado. And the reply came from Pontevedra: “The Government does not meet, does not speak, does not call, does not want to agree. I regret that you prefer to agree with Bildu and with the Esquerra Republicana than with the Popular Party”, Feijóo complained.

The leader of the opposition was referring to the so-called energy saving decree, the terrain chosen by the Government and the opposition to wage their particular political battle at the beginning of the course. “This is the most inefficient and unsupportive government in history, the worst government in Europe”, came to synthesize the popular spokesperson, Cuca Gamarra, the opinion of the PP on the measures deployed to save energy. Before, the minister Raquel Sánchez had also gone toe-to-toe with the PP: “There are two types of conservatism: the retrograde and negationist, which sits between us, and the modern European right, which wherever it governs adopts measures similar to those ours”.

The fact is that after the exchange of accusations, the Executive rounded off a placid afternoon from the point of view of the result, thanks also to the fact that Feijóo ended up supporting the other two decrees presented by the Government (the reform of the self-employed and the anti-fire plan) . Something that the leader of the PP himself put in value from his Galician summer vacation to avoid pigeonholing his party in the same ‘no to everything’ of Casado.

The energy saving plan went ahead, however, thanks to the majority of the investiture that, however, spared no reproaches for the lack of negotiation. “The lack of dialogue and the way of communicating it to the Autonomous Communities is not the most appropriate to take care of the multinational and progressive majority”, complained the deputy of EH Bildu, Mertxe Aizpurua. “We agree with the substance of the decree, but not with the forms. There is a lack of dialogue with the autonomies”, lamented the PNV.

The Canarian deputy, Ana Oramas, came to exemplify the importance of dialogue with the regional governments and the need to adapt the measures to each territory: “Here there is aid for the train, and in the Canary Islands we have a bus. And there are VAT rebates, and in the Canary Islands we do not have VAT”. Obviously, she voted against it.

After knowing the votes, the Government was satisfied with the result, although a minister did not want to throw the bells on the fly regarding the state of health of the parliamentary majority of investiture and preferred to be prudent. “Things always have to be negotiated,” she stated, accepting part of the criticism from the partners that allowed the bulk of the legislature’s measures to be carried out.

Another minister from the socialist part of the Executive summed up her impression of the PP’s position at the end of the plenary session with an energy decree that all of Europe defends: “In this matter and in almost all of them, the initiative is taken by Ayuso and she is the one who marks the step. Feijoo shows no leadership.” When asked about the alternative measures promised today by the leader of the opposition from Galicia, she concluded: “It is bad and late. The Government cannot wait for him to decide to return on vacation.”

A group of Vox deputies observes from a distance the huddle of that minister with the journalists in the courtyard of Congress. One proposes to go out for a drink. “Wait I’ll take this off and put on something cooler,” says another, holding on to his tie. The session was already adjourned.