Spanish elections and politics III / Pedro Sánchez faces a new term as PM

[Velasco]

I guess that ultraconservative pro-Israel asssociation endorses PP snd Vox  but anyway they are wrong pointing to UP or MM. Expressions of antisemitism in Spain usually come from the far-right

https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2021-02-16/spains-jewish-communities-call-for-an-investigation-into-a-neo-fascist-demonstration-in-madrid.html

The Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain (FCJE) has called on the hate crimes public prosecutor to investigate antisemitic accusations made during a demonstration in honor of the División Azul, or Blue Division, held in Madrid on Saturday. The military unit, which was made up of volunteers, was sent by former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco to support Adolf Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union during the Second World War.

In a video that has been shared online by the digital magazine La Marea, a young woman is seen at a lectern with a microphone surrounded by dozens of people carrying neo-fascist and Nazi symbols and paraphernalia. The woman in the video is heard saying that “the enemy is always going to be the same albeit wearing different masks: the Jew.” She adds: “Because there is nothing that is more true than this statement: the Jew is to blame, the Jew is to blame, and the Blue Division fought for this.” She later states that communism is “a Jewish invention to pit the workers against one another.”

Can someone explain to me how such a "liberal and multicultural" city like Madrid turns in big vote totals for Vox, especially around Chamberí and Salamanca.

It's true that Madrid leans to the right, but it's not a good thing to fall in generalizations. Big cities around the world are diverse and Madrid is not an exception. While there are areas with a strong conservative vote, there exist left-leaning areas with more liberal attitudes.

The reasons why Madrid has been voting to the right in the last 30 years or so are not easy to explain. I'd say a major factor is the concentration of wealth, a process that began during the Franco regime. Prior the Civil War industries were more developed in the periphery, but later in the 1960s Madrid became a pole of economic attraction with the development of industry and services. Economic development in addition to the advantages if being the capital (plus lower taxes) attract activities and people with higher incomes. Also, we discussed earlier in this thread the surge of new urban developments in the last decades, which residents are middle class professionals that lean to the right.  There is a strong economic vote in Spain; affluent and upper-middle class voters lean strongly to the right. Vox in particular attracts the more radical and conservative voters in this sector and, unlike other right-wing populist oarties in Europe, it usually performs stronger in affluent areas

[perpetual_cynic]

I guess that ultraconservative pro-Israel asssociation endorses PP snd Vox  but anyway they are wrong pointing to UP or MM. Expressions of antisemitism in Spain usually come from the far-right

https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2021-02-16/spains-jewish-communities-call-for-an-investigation-into-a-neo-fascist-demonstration-in-madrid.html

The Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain (FCJE) has called on the hate crimes public prosecutor to investigate antisemitic accusations made during a demonstration in honor of the División Azul, or Blue Division, held in Madrid on Saturday. The military unit, which was made up of volunteers, was sent by former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco to support Adolf Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union during the Second World War.

In a video that has been shared online by the digital magazine La Marea, a young woman is seen at a lectern with a microphone surrounded by dozens of people carrying neo-fascist and Nazi symbols and paraphernalia. The woman in the video is heard saying that “the enemy is always going to be the same albeit wearing different masks: the Jew.” She adds: “Because there is nothing that is more true than this statement: the Jew is to blame, the Jew is to blame, and the Blue Division fought for this.” She later states that communism is “a Jewish invention to pit the workers against one another.”

Can someone explain to me how such a "liberal and multicultural" city like Madrid turns in big vote totals for Vox, especially around Chamberí and Salamanca.

It's true that Madrid leans to the right, but it's not a good thing to fall in generalizations. Big cities around the world are diverse and Madrid is not an exception. While there are areas with a strong conservative vote, there exist left-leaning areas with more liberal attitudes.

The reasons why Madrid has been voting to the right in the last 30 years or so are not easy to explain. I'd say a major factor is the concentration of wealth, a process that began during the Franco regime. Prior the Civil War industries were more developed in the periphery, but later in the 1960s Madrid became a pole of economic attraction with the development of industry and services. Economic development in addition to the advantages if being the capital (plus lower taxes) attract activities and people with higher incomes. Also, we discussed earlier in this thread the surge of new urban developments in the last decades, which residents are middle class professionals that lean to the right.  There is a strong economic vote in Spain; affluent and upper-middle class voters lean strongly to the right. Vox in particular attracts the more radical and conservative voters in this sector and, unlike other right-wing populist oarties in Europe, it usually performs stronger in affluent areas

Would you say that most neighborhoods of Madrid, regardless of party affiliation, are socially liberal?

[Velasco]

Would you say that most neighborhoods of Madrid, regardless of party affiliation, are socially liberal?

I can't evaluate the degree of social liberalism in Madrid by neighbourhood. I would say the most "social liberal" areas of Madrid are very localized and are easily recognizable, namely centric beighbourhoods like Malasaña, the Podemos home turf of Lavapiés or the LGTB friendly neighbourhood of Chueca. These places in particular lean to the left and I think they are not very different in that regard to other downtown neighbourhoods elsewhere. In what concerns the Spanish society as a whole and Madrid in particular, it has developed a great degree of secularism and generally speaking there exists a remarkable tolerance. Said this, let's not fall into generalizations or pretend that Spain is a sort of paradise for LGTB people where intolerant attitudes have been eradicated. That's simply not true and, despite the society is mildly tolerant on average, homophobia and violence against women are sad realities that exist here and everywhere. On the other hand, the surge of Vox is the proof that there exists a reactionary sector that is deeply homophobic and misogynist, for it's notorious that party is enemy of feminist and LGTB movements and wants to banish the Gay Pride festival to Casa de Campo in the outskirts of Madrid.

[Velasco]

Today we commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Second Republic's proclamation on April 14, 1931. It was an attempt of modernization that ended tragically, but those years witnessed a cultural flowering that ended abruptly in 1939. One of the main goals of the Franco regime surged with the Civil War was to erase the legacy of the Republic, particularly the advances in education

https://ihr.world/en/2020/04/13/the-mission-of-the-school-is-to-transform-the-country/

Universal education is now considered one the most important duties of the state. This is, however, a recent development. Today, 14 April, to mark the anniversary of the proclamation of the Spanish Second Republic in 1931 (...)

Spain had been one of the first European states to recognise the importance of universal education. The 1812 Constitution proclaimed that every village should have a primary school (article 366) and the Moyano Law of 1857 made school attendance obligatory until the age of nine.

These ambitious aims were, however, not translated into reality and the state relied heavily on the Church to provide education, both at primary level and at secondary, where some of its schools were among the most prestigious in the country.  In 1931 the Ministry of Education estimated that there were 32,680 schools and 27,151 more were needed [see Educación y Cultura en la Segunda República]. Based on an assumption that the average rural primary school would have one class of 50 pupils, there was a deficit of one million primary school places (...)

For the political leaders of the Second Republic universal literacy was fundamental. The Republican project did not simply represent the replacement of the monarchical form of government, but rather the opportunity to modernise Spain. Part of that modernisation was the creation of a literate and informed citizenry who would be capable of exercising the responsibilities necessary to support a system of representative government. This was recognised, for example, by Manuel Azaña, who became Prime Minister in October 1933, when he stated that “the state school should be the shield of the Republic”  

The Second Republic also established women's suffrage thanks to pioneers like Clara Campoamor


https://ihr.world/en/2020/03/08/pioneers-the-first-spanish-women-deputies-clara-campoamor-victoria-kent-margarita-nelken/

Clara Campoamor, Victoria Kent and Margarita Nelken were all elected under the 1890 electoral law which restricted the vote to men.  Women only received the vote under the constitution of the new Republic, passed by the Constituent Cortes in December 1931. This enabled women to vote for the first time in the Cortes elections held in November 1933.

Paul Preston has pointed out that “pressure for the female vote had come not from any mass movement but from a tiny elite of educated women and some progressive male politicians, most notably in the Socialist party” (“Doves of War: Four Women in Spain”, Harper Collins, 2003).  Female suffrage was above all the work of Clara Campoamor, who was a member of the commission which drafted the constitution and who led the argument for women’s legal equality in the Cortes debate in October 1931. Article 36, which would give the vote to women over the age of 23 – on the same terms as men – passed by the Cortes by 161 votes to 121, mainly due to support from the Socialist party.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

¡Viva!

[Velasco]

The Congress of Deputies passed yesterday a pioneering law on child protection, championed by British pianist James Rhodes


https://english.elpais.com/society/2021-04-16/spain-approves-pioneering-child-protection-law.html

Spain’s lower house of parliament, the Congress of Deputies, approved on Thursday a pioneering new law aimed at protecting children and adolescents against violence. The legislation was voted through with an absolute majority – a far from a common outcome in the current divisive political climate – with 268 votes in favor, 57 against and 16 abstentions.

The new legislation is known as the “Rhodes law” in recognition of campaigning by British concert pianist James Rhodes in defense of children’s rights. The British pianist, a Madrid resident who suffered sexual abuse when he was a boy, has been one of the most public faces pushing for a law to combat violence suffered by youngsters and adolescents (...)

The goal of the new law is to spark a paradigm shift in how the defense of children’s rights is understood, just as the gender violence law also helped change attitudes on violence against women. It guarantees the rights of children and adolescents against all forms of violence, from physical and sexual violence to online harassment, and includes measures to raise awareness of violence against children, and to detect, protect and compensate victims.
 

It's the first legislative measure from the Social Rights Ministry since Ione Belarra replaced Pablo Iglesias. Vox and PNV voted against the legislation for different reasons.

The child protection law is the first legislative measure from the Social Rights Ministry, which is headed by Ione Belarra, from Unidas Podemos. Speaking to Congress, Belarra, who took over from Pablo Iglesias when he resigned to run as a candidate in the Madrid regional election, explained the law “had high consensus, but low intensity.”

The minister also criticized the Spanish Catholic Church for its “complicity” in covering up sexual crimes against children, and made a direct address to the victims of child abuse. “If someone tries to make you feel to blame for what has happened to you, I want you to listen closely to my words: nothing that has happened to you is your fault. Ask for help because someone is going to help you,” she said.

Opposition
Only the far-right Vox party and the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) voted against the child protection law. In the case of the PNV, the party opposed the bill on the grounds that it overstepped the separation of powers between the central government and regional authorities.

Vox lawmaker Teresa López, meanwhile, argued that the government had created the law to “clean their consciences” over its support for women’s reproductive rights. “Protecting childhood is not promoting abortion. That is violence,” she said.  

Growing pressure on Spain's government to extend the state of alarm, which expires five days after Madrid regional elections

https://www.thelocal.es/20210416/pressure-on-spanish-government-to-extend-state-of-alarm/

Activated in October, the state of alarm allows the central and regional governments to adopt measures that curb individual freedoms, such as imposing curfews and closing regional borders to anyone moving without just cause. It is due to expire on May 9th.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said his government does not intend to prolong it, arguing the regional authorities have “sufficient tools” to tackle the crisis and that a vaccine was now available.

“The circumstances are different,” he said during a debate in parliament on Wednesday. “The alternative to a state of emergency is a vaccination programme, which is intensifying.” (...)

But many regional governments – which are responsible for health care – fear that lifting it will throw them into a legal limbo that will hurt efforts to control the spread of Covid-19 and are pushing for an extension.

Inigo Urkullu, head of the northern Basque Country region, has warned it would remove the “legal guarantees” for imposing measures like restrictions on mobility.

Regions popular with domestic tourists are especially worried about losing the ability to ban travel in and out of their territory, fearing an influx of visitors from areas with higher infection rates, once the emergency ends.

In election related news, former Cs leader in Valencia Toni Cantó was disqualified by the Constitutional Court from running in the PP list alongside former Toledo mayor Agustín Conde, for they hadn't been registered in the Madrid electoral roll closed on January 1. The court members were splitted in two, so the president had to broke the tie (quality vote). The PSOE and the Attorney's office appealed the inclusion of both men in rhe list topped by Isabel Díaz Ayuso.

Political analysts say the rule is not a serious setback for Ayuso, since the desired effect has been achieved. The treason of Cantó is a serious blow ro the already weakened and nearly destroyed Cs and the PP will reward him one way or another.

[Former President tack50]

Given how one of the big issues from Madrid's campaign seems to be taxes (especially for PP; Madrid's PP branch has long been the staunchest advocate of low taxes), with Ayuso pledging a tax cut, Iglesias and MM wanting to increase taxes and PSOE wanting to keep taxes as they are (although there is a clash here between the national party and Madrid's candidate Gabilondo); I found this graph from Expansión which comes in very handy.

It basically shows the "fiscal pressure" of each Spanish region. For some dumb reason 100 = the average EU fiscal pressure and not the Spanish average but it still shows the differences in taxation across the country



Not too many surprises, though I find it funny how Castille-Leon (PP's best region historically and staunchly conservative) has a slightly higher pressure than Castille-La Mancha (a region that has trended right over the years but still easily votes PSOE at the regional level)

[Velasco]

It basically shows the "fiscal pressure" of each Spanish region. For some dumb reason 100 = the average EU fiscal pressure and not the Spanish average but it still shows the differences in taxation across the country

I always heard the Soain's tax burden was below EU average. As of 2019 Tax to GDP ratio in Spain was 35.4% , while the average in the EU was 41.1%. I don't know why Expansión says fiscal oressure in Spain is 10% above average, but that's not accurate.

EDIT: The source for the inaccurate data on Spain's tax burden used in that graph is a 'libertarian' foubdation. Looks like Ayuso propaganda. Even though I don't dispute Madrid and Basque Country have lower taxes than other Spanish regions, the false claim that Spain's fiscal pressure is above the EU average is used by the right to demand more tax cuts. In the case of Madrid, the new cuts proposed by Ayuso favor a very reduced group of top eearners amounting some 10,000 ibdividuals.

https://www.epdata.es/datos/presion-fiscal-espana-ocde-impuestos-dato-estadisticas/485

[Former President tack50]

It basically shows the "fiscal pressure" of each Spanish region. For some dumb reason 100 = the average EU fiscal pressure and not the Spanish average but it still shows the differences in taxation across the country

I always heard the Soain's tax burden was below EU average. As of 2019 Tax to GDP ratio in Spain was 35.4% , while the average in the EU was 41.1%. I don't know why Expansión says fiscal oressure in Spain is 10% above average, but that's not accurate.

EDIT: The source for the inaccurate data on Spain's tax burden used in that graph is a 'libertarian' foubdation. Looks like Ayuso propaganda. Even though I don't dispute Madrid and Basque Country have lower taxes than other Spanish regions, the false claim that Spain's fiscal pressure is above the EU average is used by the right to demand more tax cuts. In the case of Madrid, the new cuts proposed by Ayuso favor a very reduced group of top eearners amounting some 10,000 ibdividuals.

https://www.epdata.es/datos/presion-fiscal-espana-ocde-impuestos-dato-estadisticas/485

Oh, I didn't realize it was pure Ayuso propaganda

I will say however that at least that propaganda is still better than the classic right wing talking point of "actually fiscal pressure is useless and the good metric is the fiscal effort index" (which is a metric even worse)

[Velasco]

The campaign has begun

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210418-campaigning-opens-for-madrid-s-may-4-regional-election

With virus cases rising and its vaccination drive delayed, Madrid heads into an election campaign Sunday ahead of a vote likely to cement the right-wing's hold on Spain's wealthiest region.

If the latest polls are correct, the May 4 vote looks set to hand victory to the region's right-wing leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso, whose Popular Party (PP) could end up governing with the support of the far-right Vox.

The vote could have important ramifications for Spain's broader political scene, and particularly for the political future of some of the leaders involved, although analysts say it's unlikely to have an immediate impact on the left-wing coalition of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Sunday marks the start of a two-week election campaign which ends on May 2, two days before the snap election which was called on March 10 by Ayuso after she abruptly broke off her coalition agreement with the centre-right Ciudadanos party.

At stake is the "jewel in the crown" -- leadership of Spain's richest region, with a population of 6.6 million, but which has suffered the most deaths and infections since the coronavirus epidemic began in March 2020 (...)

Polls suggest the right-wing bloc would get approximately 52-53 percent of the vote, but there could be last-minute shifts that could end up tipping the balance," Pablo Simon, a political scientist at Madrid's Carlos III University, told AFP (...)



The vote comes at a tricky time for Ayuso as infections keep rising in Madrid, which has a 14-day incidence rate of some 350 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with a national average around 200, and accounts for 20 percent of Spain's 76,900 deaths.

Known for her fierce opposition to Sanchez' government, Ayuso called the election in an apparent bid to shore up political capital she has earned through resisting pressure to impose tighter virus restrictions on the local economy.
 

The last poll so far is Sigma Dos for El Mundo

PP 40 9% (56-60 seats)
PSOE 21.1% (29-31)
MM 14.9% (20-22)
Vox 9 4% (13-14)
UP 8.1% (11-12)
Cs 4.5% (0-7)

If polls are correct Ayuso will govern with the support of the far-right,  either in coalition or with a confidence and supply agreement. The bad result predicted for the PSOE shows the moderate hero aporoach of Ángel Gabilondo is not working,  possibly because he's appealing to evanescent centrist voters that don't exist or have disappeared. The good result predicted for Más Madrid,  a party that appeals strongly to youngsters,  or the stronger UP performance are not enough if the PSOE fails to catch moderates and low income areas fail to show up in great numbers, in order to counter the mobilization of high income right-leaning areas.

[Skye]

I've already seen a few of the posters. I'll upload pics of them once I've gotten at least one from each party.

[Velasco]

Isabel Díaz Ayuso claims that people suffering economic hardship and looking for food in the "hunger queues" before organizations like Caritas are a class of subsidized loafers, created by the leftwing government for clientelistic purposes.  I wouldn't be surprised at all if she had also mentioned the existence of "welfare queens". This woman is the likely winner of the upcoming Madrid regional election. Those who understand Spanish can hear the words of Ayuso in the video posted in the tweet below:

https://twitter.com/AnabelAlonso_of/status/1383717657778610178?s=19

[Skye]

Isabel Díaz Ayuso claims that people suffering economic hardship and looking for food in the "hunger queues" before organizations like Caritas are a class of subsidized loafers, created by the leftwing government for clientelistic purposes.  I wouldn't be surprised at all if she had also mentioned the existence of "welfare queens". This woman is the likely winner of the upcoming Madrid regional election. Those who understand Spanish can hear the words of Ayuso in the video posted in the tweet below:

Who is this 'Ayuso' you speak of, good sir? I only know of △yuso:

[Velasco]

 I only know of △yuso:

Either that triangle is the anarcho-capitalist symbol, or it denotes the divinity of △yuso. The triangle is also a symbol used by feminists in other contexts.  It's a good graphic design, I have to admit

[Former President tack50]

Isabel Díaz Ayuso claims that people suffering economic hardship and looking for food in the "hunger queues" before organizations like Caritas are a class of subsidized loafers, created by the leftwing government for clientelistic purposes.  I wouldn't be surprised at all if she had also mentioned the existence of "welfare queens". This woman is the likely winner of the upcoming Madrid regional election. Those who understand Spanish can hear the words of Ayuso in the video posted in the tweet below:

For what is worth that just strikes me as the generic right wing point of "socialism loves the poor so much it multiplies them" and/or general critique of "socialism makes people dependent on government to eat, we must break clientelism".

Though the way she worded it it is basically "saying the quiet part loud" lmao

[Former President tack50]

And as it's tradition for me to do, here is a quick overview of the various campaign slogans and posters of the 6 main parties contesting this regional election in Madrid

PSOE: Do it for Madrid

Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

Show

PP: Freedom

Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

Show

MM: For what matters the most

Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

Show

Vox: Protect Madrid

Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

Show

UP: Let the majority talk

Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

Show

Cs: Choose the centre

Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

Show

My thoughts

-Fairly boring poster from PSOE, and one which is too similar to Sanchez's own posters from the 2019 general elections. Unlike Vox at least that was 2 years ago and not 2 months ago but still awful.

-Interesting poster from Ayuso, very centered around her and she seems to have no PP logos, trying to distance herself from the party. A bold move, but Casado is unpopular among conservatives so it will probably pay off

-Fairly normal poster from MM, not much to say about it. They seem to play it safe.

-A very bad poster from Vox, which rips off their poster for the Catalan elections (in fact Abascal's picture is the exact same picture!). I praised Vox on the Catalan elections but repeating the same poster twice is bad.

-Unlike MM; UP has decided to go with a very bold move of not putting their candidate on the poster. Given they have such a high profile candidate in Pablo Iglesias, this is a very surprising thing. Let's see how it goes

-Fairly normal poster from Cs with again not much to say

My ranking

Cs>MM>PP>UP>PSOE>Vox

[Velasco]

The best posters in my opinion are the Ayuso's triangle and her nemesis Mónica García smiling while pulling her mask off.  The PSOE and Cs posters are as boring and dispirited as their campaigns so far.  I don't understand the UP's,aesthetic choice (the image is a bit anguishing), but the message appealing to the majority to show up goes in the right direction. The Vox one is the worst. It looks like a Green Falange poster, with José Antonio and the Sección Femenina leader Pilar Primo de Rivera replaced by Abascal and Monasterio

Isabel Díaz Ayuso claims that people suffering economic hardship and looking for food in the "hunger queues" before organizations like Caritas are a class of subsidized loafers, created by the leftwing government for clientelistic purposes.  I wouldn't be surprised at all if she had also mentioned the existence of "welfare queens". This woman is the likely winner of the upcoming Madrid regional election. Those who understand Spanish can hear the words of Ayuso in the video posted in the tweet below:

For what is worth that just strikes me as the generic right wing point of "socialism loves the poor so much it multiplies them" and/or general critique of "socialism makes people dependent on government to eat, we must break clientelism".

Though the way she worded it it is basically "saying the quiet part loud" lmao

Ayuso claims that we are twisting her words, but she literally says what she says. Banalizing fascism as Ayuso does, or insulting people in dire straits are too serious affairs to mininize. The horrible covid figures in Madrid are serious, too. But Ayuso has a powerful propaganda machine behind her and she has a clear advantage, so this disciple of Bolsonaro with a beer crate is set to rule over the Spain's capital region, transformed in a sort of stronghold for radicalism and selfishess in a critic monent for the country. At least there is a second round in 2023,  but this looks like the construction of a hegemony

[Velasco]

Some things I heard to sociologist and 40dB chief pollster Belén Barrero in the Hora 25 podcast.

● There is a clear bloc dynamics, with a slight but not decisive advantage for the right.

● There exists a clear age gap, but unlike in other recent elections, the cleavage is not new politics (Podemos, Cs) vs traditional politics (PSOE, PP). Younger voters under 40 years old are left-leaning, while voters older than 40 are clearly right-leaning. There exists the possibility of a negative effect in turnout caused by an increase in contagion rates (on paper this could affect older people)

● One of the keys of this election is the fate of Cs. According to Barreiro, a month ago Cs was not on the brink of disappearing. But recent polls have been consistently estimating Cs is below threshold, which might have had an effect in the decrease of Cs support. Right now Cs retains approximately 1/4 of its 2019 voters. That remainder is a core of loyal voters, which could eventually save the party. Given that Cs got 19% of the vote in 2019, retaining 1/4 means that oranges are on the edge.

● Belén Barreiro is sceptic with polls predicting a 70% turnout.  Her data points to a slight decrease with regards 2019.  Right-wing voters are clearly more mobilized.

On a separate note, Pol Sci professor Lluis Orriols points in Twitter the promise of not raising cuts made by Gabilondo favors Ayuso, in the sense that the latter only needs to push harder with her tax cuts. Socialists make a mistake trying to compete in that ground and not focusing on redistributive policy proposals   it's a pity because I heard recently how a candidate in the PSOE list debunked quite efficiently the tax cut proposals of Ayuso and Monasterio, pointing the tax cut won't have significative benefits for low and middle incomes (they would save 5 to 50 euros, while the richest 7% would save more than 4500 euros). It happens that candidate is a Finance Ministry technician.  

I also heard to Pablo Iglesias that he's confident about the chances of the left.  Apparently Iglesias believes his good skills will benefit him in the upcoming debates.

[It's Perro Sanxe wot won it]

Madrid regional election campaign: José Luis Ábalos (PSOE), the Transportation minister, is PISSED that Isabel Díaz Ayuso gets to be called by both of her surnames and not just one of them. In a less important part of his remarks during a campaign act, he attacked a controversial Vox election poster as racist, comparing its message to the antisemitism propagated by fascist movements in the 1930s.

Here’s the poster in question:

“One MENA*: (costs the State) 4700€/month”
“Your grandmother: 426€/month in pensions”

*Menor extranjero no acompañado/ Non-accompanied foreign minor

Más Madrid and UP also denounced it, calling out the dehumanization of underage immigrants. Furthermore, they are both taking legal action against Vox, alleging a hate crime. In the meantime, the regional president distanced herself from her prospective allies and supported the integration of MENAs in society, blaming the Interior ministry for the lack of resources in this endeavor.

Vox defended itself by denying the allegations of racism, saying that they doesn’t have anything against immigrant minors and wish them well, just far away from Spain. Social services should be reserved for Spaniards, according to candidate Rocío Monasterio. This comes within the context of a pro-working class rhetorical shift in their campaign, along with other statements such as “the left has abandoned the workers” or “where’s the social safety net promised by Iglesias?” (at the same time, the party espouses an economic platform that amounts to radical Thatcherism with Iberian characteristics).

[It's Perro Sanxe wot won it]

And as it's tradition for me to do, here is a quick overview of the various campaign slogans and posters of the 6 main parties contesting this regional election in Madrid

PSOE: Do it for Madrid

Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

Show

PP: Freedom

Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

Show

MM: For what matters the most

Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

Show

Vox: Protect Madrid

Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

Show

UP: Let the majority talk

Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

Show

Cs: Choose the centre

Spoiler alert! Click Show to show the content.

Show

The best posters are of course those who post in and follow the Spanish politics thread. 

[Skye]

I just passed through the Sol station to take a pic of that poster in question, but I didn't see it. Really appalling stuff.

[Former President tack50]

Yeah regarding the Vox poster it is uh.... very controversial to say the least (I assume the reason Skye didn't find it cause it's been removed; Spanish courts are looking into the matter of whether it can be considered a "hate crime" or not)

I actually looked into the claims of the poster and it seems to be one of those things where there is sort of a grain of truth behind it but it is bending the truth so much it may as well be false. Here is the background, from an El Pais article which I think explains the whole debacle quite well:

Some regional authorities also note that Vox’s message twists the facts. “There is no office that gives minors arriving without a guardian €4,700 to spend on whatever they want,” said a source at the Madrid Department of Social Policy and Family Affairs, which is in charge of seeing to the needs of minors requiring protection, regardless of their nationality or social background. Figures provided by this department show that, to March 31, there were 3,709 minors under the guardianship of the Madrid regional government. Of these, 2,637 were Spanish nationals and the rest from other countries. Out of this latter group, 269 arrived in Spain without an accompanying adult, representing 7.2% of the total.

According to this department’s data, €96.1 million was budgeted in 2020 to offer 1,903 spots at centers for minors, which comes out to an average of €4,208 per spot. The same source noted that this money covers everything from the salary of staff at the center to food and clothing for the minors, and that “some centers are more costly while others are less so.”

The way Vox makes it you'd imagine each of those unaccompanied minors gets 4700€ every month directly into their bank account lmao (which is roughly 3 times the average wage in Spain!)

This other article from El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish) also does a great job at debunking the poster, but it can be summed up as:

1) No, the 4700€ datapoint (really 4200€, Vox is inflating the amount by 500€) is the amount budgeted by Madrid's government for all minors in government centres

2) 71% of minors under government protection in Madrid are Spanish. Of the remaining 29% (1072) only around 269 of them can be classified as "MENAs"

3) Madrid's government has no power over pensions and social security as that is a "federal" power. (I will add to this that 96 million, in the context of Social security, is basically peanuts. The budget for social security in all of Spain in 2021 was 169 Billion €. Even adjusted to Madrid's population, 96 million is roughly around 0.41% of what pensions in Madrid cost)

4) Pensions in Spain are higher than 426€. The minimum persion for a widow or someone who never married is 690€. The average pension is higher, at 1031€

[Former President tack50]

Social services should be reserved for Spaniards, according to candidate Rocío Monasterio. This comes within the context of a pro-working class rhetorical shift in their campaign, along with other statements such as “the left has abandoned the workers” or “where’s the social safety net promised by Iglesias?” (at the same time, the party espouses an economic platform that amounts to radical Thatcherism with Iberian characteristics).

Yeah, there is a big clash between Vox's platform (I laughed at "Thatcherism with Iberian characteristics" lmao; very true) and Vox's wish to appeal to the working class.

Sadly Vox has been slightly successful at that. Most of their gains between April and November '19 came from working class areas; though it's not really because they took that many votes from the left but rather because Vox seems to have been very successful at grabbing many votes among the 30% minority that votes for the right in such working class areas, stealing the minority of PP votes there.

I will add that Madrid isn't even the kind of place where I could see Vox having some sort of big appeal among working class areas. I would be very surprised if Vox made big inroads in Madrid's poor southern neighbourhoods like Vallecas or Villaverde.

They were very succesful at grabbing votes from the very new exurban "Green Belt" that has grown just outside the traditional "Red Belt" but I don't think those are exactly working class places (though I've heard that there was a decent amount of industry that now no longer exists; which would theoretically point out towards strong far right support; but those claims seem to be more applicable to the Toledo side of the border and quite a bit further west than Madrid; I am thinking here of areas like Talavera de la Reina and its surroundings). The areas Vox won big in Madrid are really right on the average.

[Velasco]

I just passed through the Sol station to take a pic of that poster in question, but I didn't see it. Really appalling stuff.

Apparently that poster in Sol has been "vandalized" and Vox has complained vía Twitter. Vox account says they won't take a step backwards and "will continue showing the reality throughout all of Madrid"

Madrid regional election campaign: José Luis Ábalos (PSOE), the Transportation minister, is PISSED that Isabel Díaz Ayuso gets to be called by both of her surnames and not just one of them. In a less important part of his remarks during a campaign act, he attacked a controversial Vox election poster as racist, comparing its message to the antisemitism propagated by fascist movements in the 1930s.

Regarding fascism in the 1930s and in relation to a Tweet posted earlier in this thread with stuff from a pro-Israel association called ACOM.

"Action and Communication About the Middle East" (ACOM) is a pro-Israel lobby based in Madrid and founded by the  investor David Hatchwell; its chair is a certain Angel Mas. Ideologically ACOM is reactionary and ultraconservative, as well this association has a heavy affinity with Vox. On the other hand, ACOM has requested Vox in several occassions to purge neo-nazis and antisemitic elements. Despite the oresence of these elements and the blatant racism of the party, the pro-Israel lobby endorses Vox and justifies its policies. The organization is also very enthusiastic about the figure of Isabel Diaz Ayuso, who is compared to the heroine of the anti-Napoleon resistance Agustina de Aragón. ACOM is launching a campaign against Unidas Podemos and Mas Madrid, with special focus on candidate Pablo Iglesias, accusing the leftwing parties of antisemitism. The official Jewish federation takes distance from the attacks launched by ACOM and Jewish members of Más Madrid reject them out of hand.

[Former President tack50]

To keep with the theme of Vox's vote in Madrid, I decided to take a look at their strongest precincts. There were 4 precincts in Madrid (that I was able to find) where Vox broke 40% of the vote

Madrid 08-002
In a very hilarious twist this precinct covers Zarzuela palace, the house of King Felipe VI lmao. In an equally hilarious twist it also covers El Pardo palace, where Generalissimo Franco used to live.

Realistically however, most of the vote here will come from the part that it covers, just in between Mingorrubio and El Pardo proper. And which is, suprise surprise, a Spanish Army base



Madrid 07-134
This precinct seems to be in the Vallehermoso neighbourhood of downtown Madrid, just in between this neigbourhood and Madrid's main university complex.

And it covers, suprise surprise, the main headquarters of the Guardia Civil (Spain's gendarmerie). Although to be fair this doesn't seem to me like a place where Guardia Civil members actually live in, it just seems to be an office. In a hilarious twist it also covers the main headquarters of Spain's tax collection agency (AEAT).

Neighbouring precincts are all very right wing and with a heavy PP vote, but for some reason in this one Vox's votes spike from around 20% to 41% (while PP remains steady at 40%).


Valdemoro 02-006
The only one outside of Madrid city limits, has 2 distinct areas. In the north, there is an industrial area, with businesses and what not. I don't think many votes come from here.

In the south you have (sigh) the Guardia Civil instruction centre Duque de Ahumada, where young recruits get training and what not; as well as the Guardia Civil headquarters in this town. I am starting to sense a pattern here. Neighbouring precincts are mostly Vox voting though wtih less votes (around 30% instead of 42%)


Madrid 08-130
Vox's strongest precinct in all of Madrid region, with 55% of the vote, this is located along highway A-1, right to the east of Alcobendas. It seems to cover Madrid Autonomous University (not many votes coming from here) to the south and the very tiny housing in Las Jarillas (literally 2-3 households) to the north.

In the middle? El Goloso Army base.


TL;DR: Of the 4 strongest Vox precincts in Madrid, 2 have Spanish army bases, a 3rd has a Guardia Civil base and the 4th, while it doesn't have military or GC bases; has the main HQ for Guardia Civil.

I think there is a pattern here Not like we didn't know that Guardia Civil/the Army votes for Vox. (the most hilarious example is some Guardia Civil base in Barcelona surrounded by heavily left wing and secessionist precincts)