Waiting for the barbarian invasion

BarcelonaUlpiano Fernández-Checa was a Spanish Romantic painter of the late 19th century. One of his best-known works, The barbarian invasion (about the Hunnic sack of Rome) disappeared in 1939. Inspired by this story, Chema Cardeña wrote a play about Francoist repression, which the Valencian director Vicent Monsonís has now adapted into a film. In this case, the barbarians are the Francoists. Well, Spanish politics is anxiously awaiting the results of its political heirs. But what else awaits us in 2026?

The political year should begin with the figures for regional funding, which are sure to cause a major scandal. Minister María Jesús Montero must present a proposal for the distribution of funds where Catalonia and Andalusia come out favorably and Madrid is disadvantaged. In Catalonia, the figure must be attractive enough for ERC (Republican Left of Catalonia) to be more conciliatory in the negotiations for the Generalitat's budget.

Elections in Aragon and Castile and León

February will see elections in Aragon, where one of the leading figures of the Sánchez administration, former spokesperson Pilar Alegría, is running as the Socialist candidate. At La Moncloa (the Prime Minister's residence), they hope things will go somewhat better than in Extremadura and that, in any case, the People's Party (PP) will continue to depend on Vox. March will be the turn of Castile and León, a conservative stronghold, where the Socialists only aspire to maintain their current position. March or April could be the months of Puigdemont's return, an image that will have a strong impact on conservative and deep state sectors, and which Sánchez wants to portray as a personal victory against all those who want him politically dead. Together, they will also face a new stage, pending the role the former president wishes to adopt and the possible definition of a new political line.

In June, Juanma Moreno Bonilla will risk losing his absolute majority in crucial elections. If he loses, Sánchez will have the narrative he needs to face the next elections. The left also hopes that in November the midterm Americans must put an end to the global reactionary cycle and punish Trump. And thus we will reach 2027, which will be, if Sánchez holds on, the year of the great clash in Spain between left and right.

The details

The screening in cinemas of the anti-Franco film The barbarian invasion In Valencian cinemas, it has become a true phenomenon, as the educational community has mobilized to ensure that as many secondary school students as possible can see the most important Valencian-language film of recent times. The constant influx of viewers has meant that it has already been showing for eight weeks, something unprecedented.

The leader of the PP's Barcelona city council group, Daniel Sirera, has a knack for appearing in photos alongside Alberto Núñez Feijóo and the other male members of the party, as if he were the leader of the PP in Catalonia. Last Monday, he was seen being very effusive with María Guardiola and in the traditional Christmas photograph. In contrast, there was no sign of Alejandro Fernández.