Surrender to democracy, they say

The great triumph of the Spanish right, in terms of narrative, will have been the appropriation of terms that traditionally belonged to the left. First, it was freedom, now it's time democracyThe People's Party (PP) has chosen the perverse alternative of "Democracy or Mafia" to try to force an early election, and the press sympathetic to it has made sure that the magic word appears in most of the headlines dedicated to this Sunday's demonstration. A march, by the way, that must have been more discreet than expected, because at least in the digital editions I haven't found the usual tide, clamor, stream or the appeal to the magic number of one million people gathered. In OK Diario, for example, prefer to go lyrical, with romantic headlines like "Ayuso dazzles the protesters." Ayuso the enchantress. In white in the photos, like a fairy who with her wand brings us democracy and cold beer to the terraces. Ayuso, on the cover ofAbc On paper, he says his main contribution to the upcoming PP congress will be the also very democratic "One member, one vote" format. All this democratic fervor from the Popular Party, once the faithful are aware of the PP's historical roots, at least raises a disbelieving smile.

The parallels with other eras are uncomfortable, but all this destruction of the profound meaning of words takes us back to the most disastrous moment of the last century. Is democracy trying to oust a legitimate president with a current mandate by means of an incendiary mob? And what representativeness do 100,000 people have, with their little mustaches, their flags, and their lips still wet with wine from Mass—if you'll pardon the caricature—in the center of Madrid? Looking at the newsstand, both the paper and the digital ones, it would seem that this is Spain.