The proposal is to geolocate arsonists? Really?

This week, the new political term begins, with the panorama focused on political responsibility for the fires that, even now, are ravaging parts of the northwestern Iberian Peninsula. Amidst this drama, the PP has been trying for days to take advantage of the opportunity to increase pressure on Pedro Sánchez's government, or rather, on the president himself. They are doing the same thing they did with the DANA (National Fire Protection Agency) in Valencia, when, to avoid taking responsibility for the criminal actions of Carlos Mazón and his government, they attempted to blame the central government for any decision related to the disaster.

Confidence in the technical and professional capacity of PP governments to manage crisis situations is increasingly being called into question. What has happened in recent days, especially with the fires in Galicia and Castilla y León, demonstrates that they have been unable to create an organizational and planning structure that could meet the needs of an emergency of this magnitude. It's as if they've disavowed the regional powers they should be managing, which they surely don't want to, and they trust that if something happens, the State will come to their aid. And indeed, it should, but if they, who control the territory, don't know what's going on, it ends up generating organizational chaos that makes action difficult.

In this context, and as a preview of both today's Cabinet meeting, in which the government's plan to address the affected areas will be explained, and the appearances in the Senate by several ministers at the request of the People's Party (PP), the leader of the Popular Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, wanted to get ahead of the curve yesterday by presenting a plan with 50 measures aimed at both the... Some are common sense and were surely already included in the central government's plan. It's surprising, however, that the supposed flagship measure is to create an official registry of arsonists in which people with a final conviction for having intentionally started a fire are required to wear an electronic bracelet that allows their geolocation, as is done with some sexist aggressors. Really? Is that the flagship measure?

To begin with, according to official data, although some fires are indeed started intentionally—168 people have already been arrested or investigated for this summer's fires—it cannot be said that 80% of fires are intentional, as the PP claims. According to official data, that percentage is less than 10%. Intentional fires started by arsonists are one thing, and accidental or negligent fires caused by human activity—that is, not caused, for example, by lightning—are quite another. The PP's lack of trust not only in science—which warns that the climate crisis is indeed worsening the fires—but also in the extremely important technicians and professionals specialized in emergencies, including the military, is a serious problem. Any credible plan should start there: an organizational chaos that hinders action.