Why more dignity is needed in politics
MadridThese days we have entered a new phase of the current electoral cycle. This is one of the windows that open between the various elections, a period that institutions and parties take advantage of to hold commemorative and/or propaganda events. Between the results of the regional elections, we are seeing celebrations and initiatives of all kinds. We had the event celebrating that the 1978 Constitution has become the longest-lasting in Spain – 47 years – surpassing that of 1876. And in parallel, we are seeing, in all its forms, the political parties' warm-up maneuvers, both in the short term regarding preparations for the general elections. These are supposed to be in 2027, as the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has reiterated, taking the opportunity to return the favor to his predecessor, Felipe González. He had said he wouldn't vote for the PSOE while the current Socialist leader was at the top of the list, and the person in question responded that he was very pleased to hear it, adding that the former president would have to be patient, because it would be some time before he supported his party's candidates again, given that he plans to run again next year.
This exchange shows the respect and consideration they have for each other. It's no wonder that, as Sánchez himself says, the Socialist electorate seems demotivated and passive, prone to abstention, when the debate between the most important leader of the PSOE during the Transition and the early years of democracy and his current successor consists of constantly highlighting the great political and personal distance that separates them. This gap in the Socialists' "line of succession" hurts them more than it seems. If the PSOE's difficulty in communicating with younger generations is combined with incentives for veterans to stay home when it's time to vote, things are going badly.
If they persist in this type of confrontation, the initiatives emerging to try to stimulate a coordinated response from the progressive electorate to the polls predicting political change starting next year, under a PP government allied with Vox, will be of little use. Sometimes, Felipe González should apply the principle of silence when silence cannot be improved.
The overall current situation is already lamentable enough without adding squabbles of this kind. Quite a contrast to the aforementioned commemorative event marking the 47th anniversary of the Constitution. There was also the same contradiction between the parliamentary activity recorded in the last question time session, last Wednesday, and the speeches delivered the day before in the same place, in the Congress chamber. There, King Felipe VI wanted to reiterate—as he had already done in his Christmas message—an exhortation for harmony. He said that Spain's journey over the past half-century has been positive, even "brilliant," and that "the future will be no less so, as long as we continue to write it together." And the very next day, what we witnessed was the radical nature of the political debate, with positions that often disregard proven facts, focusing instead on the simple desire to wear down the opponent. This is the case, for example, with the argument concerning the various cases of sexual assault and gender-based violence.
Sánchez closes ranks with Marlaska
Regarding the dismissal of the National Police's Deputy Director of Operations, José Ángel González, accused of rape by a subordinate, the People's Party (PP) and Vox appeared in Congress to clamor for the resignation of the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska. They assumed the minister was aware of the allegations, without providing any evidence to support this claim. The episode is quite illustrative of the current state of Spanish politics.
In Parliament, there was shouting without evidence, with the president absent, traveling to India—an important visit, no doubt—and who used his first press conference to reiterate his confidence in Marlaska for having reacted to the rape victim's complaint by effectively dismissing the alleged perpetrator, even though he lent him the name. Until it can be proven that the minister concealed the case, he has no reason to resign. However, it has been far too long since the Ministry of the Interior has been in the news for events that, as Defense Minister Margarita Robles says, demonstrate that "from a public standpoint, we are failing." The months of uncertainty experienced by the assault victim show that there are no appropriate protocols in place to ensure the safety of women who decide to file a complaint. Furthermore, the People's Party (PP), in particular, should consider the contradiction of demanding resignations while still facing the case of the former councilwoman from Móstoles who has taken legal action against the town's mayor for sexual assault, after accusing her party of advising her to remain silent to avoid harming herself. Meanwhile, crimes that are an expression of gender-based violence continue, and once again, minors are being added to the list of victims. In the political arena, energy is wasted on denigrating the adversary, while many problems affecting specific individuals—women who are victims of violence—but which also have a social dimension, await more effective action that never comes. We have a Constitution that, as was said the other day in Congress, recognizes and proclaims fundamental rights, most importantly the right to life, and yet, in many situations and aspects, we fail to protect and guarantee it.
The lesson of these days should be that we need to make better use of our time, that politics cannot be merely a ruthless struggle for power. Between regional elections, events like the DANA storm, the train accidents in Adamuz and Gelida, or the prevention of deaths from gender-based violence should carry more weight. The country's seams sometimes fail spectacularly. I find no comfort in the fact that corruption exists elsewhere. Here, we need a moral regeneration that brings more dignity to politics.
