Is Sánchez the "fucking boss" like Trump?: Felipe González's criticism of Sánchez's policies

MadridTo listen to a talk given by Felipe González at the Ateneo in Madrid is to hear one of the most critical voices against Sánchez's policies right now. —beyond the PP and Vox—. The former Spanish president dislikes everything Pedro Sánchez is currently doing, criticizing him for failing to articulate a project that could be accepted by the "majority of Spanish citizens" due to his pacts with the Basque radical left and the Catalan independence movement. González took his seat on Tuesday with the intention of returning all the questions posed by journalists Esther Palomera, Pedro García Cuartango, and Lucia Méndez. He did so with irony, but with a scathing underlying message against what the plurinational alliance forged by the PSOE this legislature represents. He even confessed that, if elections were held now, he would cast a blank ballot and that he sees parallels between the leadership of Pedro Sánchez and Donald Trump, with whom he has a close relationship. Moncloa is now seeking confrontation.

For González, the reason there is no alternative to Sánchez's leadership within the PSOE right now is because he believes Sánchez's style prevents any alternative from emerging, despite what he sees as alarm bells ringing among voters following the electoral setbacks in Extremadura and Aragón. This reflection ties in with what a former high-ranking Socialist official privately suggested a few days prior: that the lack of internal criticism of Pedro Sánchez stems from the fear of any dissenting voice being eradicated from the party, of disappearing from the picture.

Paraphrasing Minister Óscar Puente, who, in one of his unorthodox remarks, called Pedro Sánchez "the fucking boss," Felipe González offered this reflection: "If Sánchez is the fucking boss, it's because there's an attitude of subservience." And at this point, he brought up Donald Trump. "Does Donald Trump want free citizens or servants?" González asked, adding that he was convinced that sooner or later someone within the Socialist Party would aspire to replace Sánchez. In fact, he said that for him, any term that reaches a decade should end. "I lasted too long [...]. Ten years is the maximum lifespan of materials," he said. Sánchez has already been at the helm of the PSOE for almost ten years and in government for eight, and has just become the third president. longest-serving in the history of democracy.

Equates Vox and Bildu

Felipe González expressed his disappointment at the PSOE's lack of self-criticism following their recent defeats in the regional elections, lamenting a result he believes "foreshadows" what's to come at the national level. The former Spanish president believes Spain "isn't working," and if that's the case, it's no longer the fault of Mariano Rajoy or José María Aznar, but rather the result of the policies accumulated over the past few years by the PSOE-Sumar coalition. "When you've been in government for two years, you start to become your own heir," he asserted, questioning whether the continued need for a social safety net and the anti-eviction measures implemented during the pandemic stems precisely from the government's failure to address existing problems. For this reason, González is clear that if he were Pedro Sánchez and couldn't pass a budget, he would call elections now. "Is not having a budget grounds for calling early elections? Constitutionally, yes. Does the Constitution matter? It does to me," stated the former Spanish president, who also didn't hold back his criticism of Sánchez's alliance with Basque and Catalan separatists. He particularly targeted the radical Basque nationalist left, which he equated with Santiago Abascal's party. "Is it really more legitimate to make a pact with EH Bildu than with Vox?" he asked, admitting that he wouldn't make a pact with Santiago Abascal's party, but he is "much further" from making a pact with Arnaldo Otegi's party. González had already said he wouldn't vote for the PSOE if elections were called now, but today he added that he would opt for a blank ballot because he isn't convinced by any option. He won't vote for the PP because Alberto Núñez Feijóo's only project is "ousting Sánchez," he asserted, and for him, "that's not enough." However, he won't abandon the PSOE either, which he still considers his own. "Let whoever destroys the PSOE leave," he concluded. A final message for Pedro Sánchez?