Feijóo, the anti-leader who hasn't understood how politics works in Madrid

BarcelonaAlberto Núñez Feijóo still hasn't fully grasped how politics works in Madrid. He hasn't yet grasped that what gives Pedro Sánchez oxygen is the configuration of two irreconcilable blocs. And that politics isn't just a matter of parliamentary arithmetic, as he wants to sell with the entire debate over the motion of censure, but encompasses other factors such as leadership, instinct, and the capacity for resilience. And it is on the issue of leadership, especially important in Madrid, where Feijóo fails.

The Galician politician is aware that his refusal to present the motion could undermine his value as a leader, as it paints him as a soft and fearful politician. And that's why he has tried, demonstrating that he doesn't have enough support, to shut down the debate. But the result has been very different. Because what most damages his image as a leader is his unstoppable tendency to commit unforced errors just when things are going best for him. And sending Miguel Tellado to call Pedro Sánchez's associates, especially parties like ERC and Junts, to explore a motion of no confidence has been one of those errors, a colossal blunder.

List of errors

First, because it has allowed these parties to humiliate the PP with their responses. Second, because Tellado, the antithesis of diplomacy, has angered even the PNV (Basque Nationalist Party). And finally, because it has made Isabel Díaz Ayuso herself grumble, as she isn't at all interested in a vote of no confidence that would give Feijóo all the spotlight, even for a few days.

This impression of a clumsy and unreliable leader persists despite favorable polls. Everyone remembers the horrible second week of the June 23rd general election campaign, when he had everything going for him and made textbook mistakes like skipping a debate or getting into a mess over pensions in response to questions from the relentless Silvia Intxaurrondo.

Or when he put his foot in it during an informal meeting with journalists in the middle of the Galician election campaign. Now he's projecting the same image again: why is he putting the motion of no confidence in the public debate when Santos Cerdán's imprisonment is still looming? Why is he publicly displaying his parliamentary weakness? And he'll think that, for once, he's making a decision, everything goes wrong.