Dirty Dog Sanchez

BarcelonaAccustomed to living in a hostile environment since his arrival on the political front lines, Pedro Sánchez has developed undeniable adaptability skills. He always has a trick up his sleeve when it seems that the multiple crises his government has had to face have him on the ropes. He is a master of surprise, but, moreover, like Johan Cruyff on the Barça bench, he has a silver spoon in his mouth. How else can one explain that the world's leading tech gurus have fallen head over heels for the Moncloa strategy? First Elon Musk (X) and then Pavel Durov (Telegram). They have gone for the jugular of the Spanish presidentHe once announced that he would prohibit access to social media for those under 16. And Sánchez hasn't even bothered to hide his satisfaction at having struck a nerve.Let the techno-oligarchs bark, Sancho, it's a sign that we're riding."," he wrote precisely on social media (a phrase, by the way, that doesn't appear on the Quixote(although many – it seems Sánchez included – attribute it to himself).

The international sphere is one of those that has most exploited the Spanish president during his term, and opposition parties have often linked him to the government's attempt to divert attention from other, more thorny issues for the Moncloa Palace, such as corruption, cases of sexual harassment, and now, accidents. The recognition of the Palestinian state generated an intense rhetorical battle with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. The conflict over NATO military spending and the United States' intervention in Venezuela has provided him with a window to the world thanks to disputes with the US President, Donald Trump. He has also clashed with the ultraliberal president of Argentina, Javier Milei, who, when visiting Spain, has preferred to meet with Santiago Abascal (Vox) and Isabel Díaz Ayuso (PP).

For the Moncloa strategy to work, it is essential that its adversaries take it into account. And, despite the limited political weight one might assume Spain has internationally (it is merely a non-voting guest at the G-20), Sánchez has achieved this. He presents his government as "the greatest counterweight" to the far right and refers to Trump, Musk, Milei, etc., as the "international far-right." And he not only reacts to announcements or actions from this supposed conglomerate of wealthy and powerful anti-Sánchez figures, but he also goes on the offensive. publishing articles like the one about New York TimesThe leading newspaper of journalistic resistance against Trump.

Problems are piling up

However, in Spain, the polls aren't exactly smiling on the PSOE, which is about to suffer its second consecutive defeat in the Aragonese elections, and instability in Congress is becoming evident with defeats like the one over the social safety net. Nor does it seem to have secured the majority it needs to pass the new financing model, and trials are approaching that could mark the end of the legislature, such as the one involving former minister José Luis Ábalos. But there's always time for the international front. And Musk awaits them there with insults like the Dirty Sánchez, whose name may well end up printed on the t-shirts in the PSOE store, which he already popularized. Sanxe Dog merchandise, turning around a campaign that aimed to ridicule the socialist leader.

The week's details

The Minister of Transport has spent the last few weeks giving interviews, appearing before the Valencian Parliament (Les Corts), and participating in meetings related to train accidents and the chaos on the commuter rail network. For days he had been heard mentioning the Gelida accident as if the name of the town in the Penedès region were pronounced "Gélida," without anyone daring to correct him. That is, until Isidro Gavin, a Junts deputy in the Congress, was unable to attend and pointed out the minister's error.

David Cid, a member of parliament for the Commons, had his microphone malfunction during the Economy Committee session, so he was moved to a different seat next to the ERC (Republican Left of Catalonia) members. "Good move," quipped former regional minister Joan Ignasi Elena, who switched from the PSC (Socialist Party of Catalonia) to the Republicans a few years ago. "I hope it goes both ways," Cid replied, playing along.