What we could call “the game of three weights” is deeply rooted in Spanish culture and, more recently, in world political culture. Mà rius Carol remembers in his Historias de la canallesca how at the end of the Franco regime the evils of the country were journalists, whores and the police. Recently Anne Applebaum pointed out three more weight as symptoms of degradation: populism, polarization and partitocracy. Some of these realities appeared in the Spanish chronicle after Pedro Sánchez tried to nullify the echoes of his defeat by calling general elections. But it would be necessary to add two more weight: personalism and podemization.
This call for elections is perhaps more intelligent and cunning than the critical opinions say. Today, the vote is so divided that anything can happen. But that its mere intention to be the main national debate, if not the only one, indicates the extent to which this country has entered a period of 50 days of uncertainty. Uncertainty produces nervousness, and nervousness leads to the perversions that accompany the normal struggle for power.
Leaders override organizations, and sometimes even ideas. The PSOE is no longer the PSOE, blurred and supplanted by Pedro Sánchez, who adopted the great decision “in conscience”, not after consulting his party. The PP has more identity, or at least pretends to, but it is clear that the resurrected “Feijóo effect” has more traction than the party’s brand. Sumar, the invention of Yolanda DÃaz, depends more on the attractiveness of its founder than on its ideology or its weak organization. Only Vox has more strength than Abascal, according to the polls.
Second characteristic of the moment, polarization. If it was already disturbing, the main political agents raise it to a level never seen before. Feijóo does it when he proposes to repeal Sanchism. And Sánchez does it when he tries to expel the PP from the democratic sphere with his definition of extreme right. Since this will be the script of the campaign, let’s get ready for maximum tension and the radical division of politics into two irreconcilable blocs. The damage to dialogue and consensus will be significant. And Sánchez, who accuses the right-wing of being the Spanish version of Trump, is the most pro-Trumpist, because he started the campaign with a fake: announcing that his adversaries will accuse him of sloppiness. It is clear that these 50 days we will not see debates about the needs of the country, but the spread of grievances, the stimulation of fear and the resurrection of the Doberman of sad memory.
And third note, the podemization of the president of the central government. His speech before his parliamentary groups had paragraphs that seemed to be written by Pablo Iglesias. Above all, in relation to the media that, in his opinion, are pushing for the demolition of the progressivism that he represents.
In short, three weights to define the political moment, although I fear that the word that is waiting to come out is muddy. No other has been discovered that is as useful for the fundamental need of struggling blogs: to mobilize.
It should be seen how well Pedro Sánchez got along with the ultraconservative Giorgia Meloni, and the grudge with which he speaks of his Spanish equivalent. There is an explanation: Meloni does not want to remove him from power.
It is very suggestive to see how the PSOE distances itself from this party, to Otegi’s scandal. Neither a pact in Navarre nor in Euskadi. It is the great socialist rectification after 28- M. There is nothing like a good defeat to learn a good lesson.
Ciutadans is diluted and Inés Arrimadas retires. Moisés Naim writes in his latest book: “When the center collapsed, politics began to look more like a relentless battle between ideological extremes than a polite negotiation between colleagues.”
“Sánchez or Spain” is the slogan chosen by Feijóo to start. With something similar, Ayuso conquered the absolute majority. But it was in Madrid. If this is the option throughout the country, what will the pro-independence people paint on the poster?
Sánchez created a new political value: the invitation. With one he got command of the PSOE. With another he arrived at Moncloa. With the third, he hopes to take a step towards eternity in power.
Yesterday marked 50 years since the first broadcast of Protagonistas, by the great Luis del Olmo. It has been half a century of the best radio, which is like saying the best coexistence. And it was a school of democracy.
