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

[MaxQue]

Section 151 needs to be triggered against any community that has Vox in a coalition.

[MaxQue]

Can the procedure used to ban Batasuna be used to ban Vox?

[MaxQue]

The tweet on the Vox venue 'Viva 21' shared by Zinneke is very interesting. Indeed it's remarkable the vast network of alliances with Latin American reactionaries

https://twitter.com/MarianaSeMendes/status/1447860855018754048?t=kX-kcYGNdSe3MoH...

If you think twice, it's not so weird Latin American right-wingers care little about Vox's imperialistic rhetoric. Keep in mind that, in most cases, they represent racist criollo elites. They are the kind of people fought by the movements supporting the rights of the indigenous peoples.

However, there are limits to such things. Madrid premier Isabel Díaz Ayuso is mimicking Vox's rhetoric on the "discovery" (and she's mot the only one), while criticizing heavily indigenous movements (deemed as communist by her) and the Pope Francis. The latter was recently asking forgiveness for past abuses of rhe Church in America, which is far from being extraordinay given similar statements made by the staunch conservatives John Paul II and Benedictus XVI. During a short trip to Washington DC, Ayuso held a meeting with 4 or 5 Hispanic congressmen (out of 30-something caucus members,  presumably anti-communist), whom refused to endorse Ayuso on her attacks to indigenous movements.

Latin American leaders endorsing Vox's "cultural battle against the left and the globalism" include:

Keiko Fujimori and FranciscoTudela (Peru), Javier Milei and Victoria Villaruel (both Argentinian 'libertarians')
Tuto Quiroga (former Bolivian president)
Eduardo Bolsonaro (son of the Brazilian president)
María Corina Machado (Venezuela)
Andrés Pastrana (former Colombian president)
José Antonio Kast (Chile)

Also endorsing:

Ted Cruz (US senator)
Giorgia Meloni (Italy)
Matteusz Morawiecki (Polish PM)
Viktor Orban (Supreme Leader of Hungary)
MR ANDER VENTURA (Portugal)

Quite impressive list, actually

https://gaceta.es/actualidad/el-apoyo-de-meloni-ventura-orban-morawiecki-milei-y-bolsonaro-muestra-la-fortaleza-internacional-de-vox-20211012-0500/

Which just underline the truth. They do not care about nationalism. They want to create a global dictatorship where they will be able to kill and torture their opponents.

[MaxQue]

4. Hallmarks (identity signs) to defend and recover our hallmarks

I don't get this. What does this even mean?

Bring back the Spanish flags and the Spanish language to Valencia. With the Frankenstein government, the Esteladas (Catalan flags) and the Catalan language completely dominated the Valencian courts.

So, destruction of the Valencian identity and imposition of the Francoist identity.

[MaxQue]

100.00% of precincts counted:

33.1% PP, 136 (+47)
31.7% PSOE, 122 (+2)
12.4% Vox, 33 (-19)
12.3% Sumar, 31 (-7)
  1.9% ERC, 7 (-6)
  1.6% Junts, 7 (-1)
  1.4% Bildu, 6 (+1)
  1.1% PNV, 5 (-1)
  0.6% BNG, 1 (nc)
  0.5% CC, 1 (nc)
  0.2% UPN, 1 (nc)
  3.2% Others
 
70.4% Turnout (+0.5)

How is that parties gained 50 seats but losses only equal 35? Where did the other 15 come from?

Citizens who got more than 10 seats last time didn't run. Teruel Existe lost their seat.

[MaxQue]

Catalonia comprises about 16% of the population of Spain, whereas Scotland comprises about 8% of the United Kingdom's population.

Catalonia is more economically and demographically important, but Scotland is far more strategically and militarily important, makes up a bigger part of the country's territory and is more important for national identity. Spain would still be Spain without Catalonia while Britain would be reduced to the old Kingdom of England (plus six Irish counties which would be an even more pointless appendix to the state than they are now). I suppose you could still call it the United Kingdom (of England, Wales and Northern Ireland..) and keep the Saltire in the Union Jack, but somehow that would be a bit phony. Losing Scotland would make the UK a Greater England whereas losing Catalonia wouldn't make Spain a Greater Castille.  

I don't think Spain would be still Spain without Catalonia. I know that most of the people abroad tend to identify Spain to Castile, in a similar way non-British people often identify the UK to England. Castile was the most powerful of the medieval kingdoms that made up Spain, but Catalonia was rhe most important part of what once was the Crown of Aragon. Spain is not a compact nation state, but rather it's a state with a plurality of nations and a great deal of regional particularism. Spain without Catalonia would be little more than a rump state centered in Madrid,  I have little doubt about it

For now. That will be very different once the Castillan nationalists in Vox get their grubby hands on power.

[MaxQue]

The thing is, realistically speaking, I'm not sure that amnesty laws are feasible from a constitutional point of view. However,  I think it's possible to act pragmatically and find legal formulas that allow Puigdemont and the other "exiled" leaders to return. The PSOE-UP government abolished the crime of sedition and issued pardons for Junqueras and the other jailed leaders, so it cannot be said there's no will to solve the political problems. In what concerns a new autonomy statute for Catalonia, both PSOE and Sumar would be happy sponsoring it. The question is that right now ERC and Junts are not willing to accept that solution and demand the indy ref. In any case, my opinion is that favouring the return of Puigdemont et alii would greatly contribute to normalize the political situation in Catalonia favouring the appropiate climate to negotiate political solutions

That is non realistic, through, because it ignores the Franquist judiciary.

[MaxQue]

That is non realistic, through, because it ignores the Franquist judiciary.

If you haven't got the faintest idea of what you are talking about, it is wiser to remain silent rather than make uninformed statements about a foreign country.

Didn't they timed some judicial decisions about Catalonia at critical times to hamper the government?

[MaxQue]

Feijoo has no charisma at all and never looked liek a leader.

Isabel Diaz Ayuso as leader would work and maybe, hopefully, she would create a coalition government with VOX if possible.

I bet we will get a PSOE minority government for now that will last 12 months absolute maximum when it loses a confidence vote. With Diaz-Ayuso as PP leader then maybe they can succeed and get a VOX coalition.

And when that doesn't happen, you'll do what you did in another thread and accuse PSOE of voter fraud.

[MaxQue]

Junts maiñtains suspense over last minute disagreements with the PSOE, reports El País. Puigdemont and the Junts leadership hold a meeting to decide on investiture agreement. The PP will promote a Senate reform (Feijóo's party has a majority in the Upper House), in order to delay the vote of the amnesty vote. PSOE and ERC will announce their deal this evening with the appearances of Félix Bolaños (PSOE) and Oriol Junqueras (ERC). The PSOE-ERC deal incorporates amnesty law and the transfer of suburban trains to the Catalan government

Live update:

https://elpais.com/espana/2023-11-02/pactos-y-negociaciones-para-la-investidura-de-sanchez-en-directo.html

how long the government last with a pp senate majority?

That's irrelevent, as the House has the power to override the Senate for most bills.

[MaxQue]

As expected, Puigdemont is "stretching the rope" as much as possible and delaying, or rather "derailing", Sanchéz investiture. He now wants a broader amnesty, which from what I understand involves corruption charges, something the PSOE has said it is a "red line".

We'll see how this unfolds.

F**king unbelievable. Catalan nationalists are truly the masters of shooting themselves in the foot.

I think it's pretty clear by now that ERC is the only Catalan nationalist party, while JxC is Puidgemont nationalist.

[MaxQue]

As expected, Puigdemont is "stretching the rope" as much as possible and delaying, or rather "derailing", Sanchéz investiture. He now wants a broader amnesty, which from what I understand involves corruption charges, something the PSOE has said it is a "red line".

We'll see how this unfolds.

F**king unbelievable. Catalan nationalists are truly the masters of shooting themselves in the foot.

I think it's pretty clear by now that ERC is the only Catalan nationalist party, while JxC is Puidgemont nationalist.

Puigdemont is completely unpredictable and is no source of stability. If this drags on, I don't know what Sanchéz gains in trying to cling on to power desperately. Being on the hands of someone like Puigdemont is not a solution.

Because he is unwilling to leave women and gay people in the hands of Abascal?

[MaxQue]

Simultaneously, at an emergency session, the General Council of the Judiciary passed an institutional declaration condemning the proposed amnesty law as an unprecedented threat to the rule of law. This comes after the conservative Professional Association of the Judiciary, representing almost 25% of all judges, stated last week that any amnesty law would mean the beginning of the end of democracy in Spain.

A grave breach of separation of powers. It shows the Spanish judiciary is in need of a root and branch surgery.

[MaxQue]

With an agreement which sows distrust in the court system of a liberal democracy and explicitly states that the executive and legislative branches of government will investigate the conduct of the judiciary branch, whether this is electorally a bad move for the "good guys" should be the least of one's concerns.

The judicial power is independent, but certainly above all and is still accountable to the other powers.