The shit in Spain falls mainly in the fan

[The Larch]

So, we're bound for a new motion of no confidence on the government, presented again by VOX with no chance whatsoever of going forward.

I say again because VOX already presented a motion of no confidence on the government back in 2020, because of the management of the Covid pandemic, and failed miserably (everybody but them voted against it).

Now the motion's reasoning is because of the government's reform of sections of the penal code related to some of the charges brought against the Catalan independentists. Nobody but VOX is expected to vote in favour of it, but it has managed to put PP in a bind, either coming up in support of their radical interpretation of the law and thus lunging them more to the right, or not supporting them and possibly jeopardizing their present and potential future alliances. Sánchez must be popping champagne, as this will give him even more ammunition against PP in the run up for local and regional elections in the spring.

The novelty of this motion is that this time VOX has managed to find an independent figure to front it (something that they tried for their 2020 motion but failed to achieve), but the person they've produced is a bit of a head scratcher, as it's 89 y.o. economist Ramón Tamames, a former communist that used to be part of the opposition to Franco and a founding member of IU in the 80s, but who has been drifting rightwards and rightwards since then.

[chipwich]

I just want to say that this might be my favorite thread ever on Languish and every time it gets bumped I have fond memories of the 2017 rollercoaster. Thanks for creating it celedhring.

[celedhring]

I just want to say that this might be my favorite thread ever on Languish and every time it gets bumped I have fond memories of the 2017 rollercoaster. Thanks for creating it celedhring.

Ah well, happy at least somebody enjoyed that clusterfuck, I guess 

[The Larch]

As expected, the no confidence vote went nowhere and will most probably have reinforced the government.

Spanish government sees off no-confidence vote by far-right party
Vox motion had been hoping to capitalise on public anger over botched sexual offences legislation

Spain's Socialist-led minority government has comfortably seen off a no-confidence vote tabled by the far-right Vox party, as the country prepares for regional and municipal elections in two months' time and a general election before the end of the year.

Although Vox's motion, which was debated in congress on Tuesday and Wednesday, was never likely to attract support from other parties, Vox had been hoping to capitalise on public anger over the government's botched sexual offences legislation – which has resulted in reduced prison terms for hundreds of convicted felons – and its overhaul of sedition legislation.

However, as had been widely anticipated, the move was defeated by 53 votes to 201, with 91 abstentions. The conservative People's party (PP), which is ahead of the Socialists in the polls and seeking to return to the centre ground under its newish leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, chose to abstain rather than be seen as cosying up to Vox.

Vox, which has criticised the sexual offences reforms and accused the government of changing Spain's sedition legislation to placate the pro-independence Catalan party on which it relies for support in congress, defended the decision to table the motion. The party has been hoping for a bump in the polls after recent surveys suggested it was losing the momentum that carried it into the national parliament four years ago.

The party's leader, Santiago Abascal, said he was proud Vox had forced a debate that had showed Spain had "the worst government in its history" and said he was "worried" by the PP's refusal to back the motion. "We've accomplished our mission," Abascal said after Wednesday's vote. "There were more than enough reasons for this vote of no confidence, but political and electoral calculations weren't among them."

The PP, which voted against Vox's last no-confidence motion, in 2020, on the grounds that the far-right party was practising a politics based on "fear, anger, resentment and revenge", was more circumspect in its language this time. It did, however, lament the fact that Vox had handed the Socialist leader, Pedro Sánchez, "a smokescreen for his scandals".

Vox's choice of candidate to replace Sánchez as prime minister had attracted considerable attention. Despite disagreeing with many of the party's views, Ramón Tamames, an 89-year-old economist writer and former communist, accepted the role because of his political and patriotic convictions. He said on Wednesday he was "very satisfied and grateful" to have been able to play his part.

During the previous day's debate, the prime minister told Tamames he was sad to see him "helping to whitewash a party that rejects equality between men and women". Sánchez also seized the opportunity to highlight his government's achievements and to criticise his opponents for their nostalgia.

"This is a motion to stop Spain moving forwards; to make it go backwards," he said. "In the PP's case, that's 10 years. In Vox's case, that's half a century."

[Admiral Yi]

Heard on NPR (CBC actually) that six women are suing because a cop infiltrated their antifa group and banged them all.

[Sheilbh]

Heard on NPR (CBC actually) that six women are suing because a cop infiltrated their antifa group and banged them all.

Spy cops has been a big story in the UK for the last ten years or so too - and similar problems. There's an ongoing public inquiry into them and one of the represented groups is 21 women who were seduced by those false personas.

[celedhring]

Yeah, besides the honeypot unpleasantness, in Spain undercover cops are only allowed when infiltrating organized crime or terrorist groups - some random Barcelona antifas hardly qualify for either. I suspect that this will be another example of law enforcement really stretching the "terrorism" bit to take advantage of the powers it gives them.   

[mongers]

The New 'normal' is just crazy:



I'm guessing most of you guys live near the coast, which is why we've not heard about it here?

[Legbiter]

Heard on NPR (CBC actually) that six women are suing because a cop infiltrated their antifa group and banged them all.

[Valmy]

Heard on NPR (CBC actually) that six women are suing because a cop infiltrated their antifa group and banged them all.

That must have been one charming cop...or they just regularly bang everybody in the antifa group.

[Legbiter]

Spy cops has been a big story in the UK for the last ten years or so too - and similar problems. There's an ongoing public inquiry into them and one of the represented groups is 21 women who were seduced by those false personas.

I'm fairly certain I ran into one of these undercover cops by coincidence here way back in the Pre-Cambrian (early 2000s) when one of these infiltrated British leftie groups were protesting a massive dam being built in East Iceland. They did stuff like chain themselves to bulldozers, etc. They came to my grandfathers highland cottage, a mixed gender group (but mostly female) while me and grandfather were there, stayed with us for dinner and got permission from gramps to put their tents up by the brook. They were all chatty and happy to meet us locals. Then a few years later there was an exposé where one of the men was outed as an undercover copper. 

And yeah he apparently had relations with several of the women.

[Sheilbh]

I know I've asked before, but why is Madrid so right wing? It seems like an outlier both in comparison with big cities generally but also with most European capitals.

[celedhring]

I know I've asked before, but why is Madrid so right wing? It seems like an outlier both in comparison with big cities generally but also with most European capitals.

That's not true though? The results in the city itself have been pretty split for a long time. It's the larger region where they get big majorities.

Given our local election laws, Catalan separatists will both get their worst results in many years, yet they'll win Barcelona (they concentrated the vote pretty well). Although their candidate for mayor is super-tame and will lack a convincing majority, so I don't expect much shenanigans.

[Sheilbh]

That's not true though? The results in the city itself have been pretty split for a long time. It's the larger region where they get big majorities.

I looked at municipality elections (not comunidad) and it seems like since about 1990 they've had one mayor from the left, who got one term. That seems odd?

[celedhring]

That's not true though? The results in the city itself have been pretty split for a long time. It's the larger region where they get big majorities.

I looked at municipality elections (not comunidad) and it seems like since about 1990 they've had one mayor from the left, who got one term. That seems odd?

Yeah, but the left has won general elections there quite often (usually when they win the overall election). And the right's local wins have usually been slim. They won in 2019, but the right managed to build a majority.

In general though, PSOE has ran some pretty bad candidates historically (which is why the left's only wins have come from outside PSOE), and there's been lots of infighting inside the party.