Don't believe the hype about Rajoy being replaced by a 'socialist' prime minister – he's no Spanish Corbyn
Pedro Sanchez is nothing more than a photogenic centrist lackey who is sacrificing the principles of his voters in an opportunistic grab for power
Despite prolonging the agony of his vote of no confidence by skipping out on parliament and hanging out at a fancy restaurant for eight hours yesterday afternoon, Mariano Rajoy is now well and truly out of the position he’s held since 2011 as Spain’s prime minister.
After years of scandals, trials and convictions which have seen swathes of Rajoy’s right-wing chums sent to prison for corruption, it was absurd that he was still in power, yet the Popular Party seemed undefeatable. Despite revelation after revelation in an anti-corruption investigation with so many twists it makes the Mueller probe into Trump’s collusion with Russia seem comparatively tame, the party lived up to its egotistical name and bafflingly kept getting elected.
It seems though that its luck might have run out. Last week the party’s treasurer Luis Barcenas was given a 33-year jail sentence after he was convicted of money laundering, tax crimes and receiving bribes. Francisco Correa (also known as “Don Vito” – yes, as in The Godfather), the businessman who was at the helm of the spiders’ web of criminal activity which has engulfed Spain for the best part of a decade, was sentenced to 51 years.
Parliament this morning took a vote of no confidence and elected to remove Rajoy and instate Pedro Sanchez, leader of the so-called Socialist Workers’ Party, as interim prime minister – possibly for the next two years until the next scheduled election. In a close parallel to Britain, Spain has been run by a fiscally conservative party since 2011, so those on the left will be tempted to celebrate. We must resist that urge and remember that – much like the Holy Roman Empire and Carphone Warehouse – the Spanish Socialist Party is not in practice what its name would suggest.
This is the party whose former leader, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, implemented austerity cuts worth €15bn (£12.5bn), including labour reform which allowed employers to sack workers for taking time off (even due to illness) and lowered the amount of compensation workers would receive if they were laid off. Other curious-for-a-socialist choices Zapatero made included pension freezes and cuts both to child welfare and home care for the elderly.
Former economics professor Sanchez, it would seem, is cut of the same cloth. In order to take power he has had to reach an agreement with the minority parties in government, many with views opposed to his party's. He has made no mention of reversing the horrific cuts to social services, education and heathcare which have devastated Spain for the past six years – indeed he would likely be unable to scramble together enough votes to do so, and he knows it.
World news in pictures
Show all 50
World news in pictures
1/50 29 February 2020
Greek border guard use teargas to push back migrants who try to enter Greece at the Pazarkule border gate in Edirne, Turkey
AP
2/50 28 February 2020
A woman makes her way and NGO's members help as a dinghy with 54 Afghan refugees lands ashore the Greek island of Lesbos on February 28, 2020. - Turkey will no longer close its border gates to refugees who want to go to Europe, a senior official told AFP on February 28, shortly after the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in an airstrike in northern Syria.
AFP via Getty Images
3/50 27 February 2020
Snow has fallen in high ground in Tasmania during the Australian summer
Tasmanian Rover Ski Club / Facebook
4/50 26 February 2020
Men ride a motorcycle past security forces patrolling a street in a riot-affected area of Delhi on Wednesday
Reuters
5/50 25 February 2020
Workers disinfect subway trains against coronavirus in Tehran, Iran
AP
6/50 24 February 2020
Turkish-backed Syrian fighters fire their anti-aircraft gun in the town of Sarmin, about 8 kilometres southeast of the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria, as they take part in a military offensive on the village of Nayrab following an artillery barrage fired by Turkish forces
AFP via Getty
7/50 23 February 2020
A security guard wearing a protective face mask stand guard as masked and costumed people walk by during the Carnival in Venice, Italy
EPA
8/50 22 February 2020
People dressed in traditional Czech folklore costumes parade through the village of Vortova near the east Bohemian city of Pardubice during the traditional Masopust carnival. The festival marks the beginning of Lent. This folk tradition of the carnival parade of masks was registered in the UNESCO List of the Intagible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010
Getty
9/50 21 February 2020
An Iranian woman wearing a face mask shows her inked finger after casting her ballot at a polling station set up at the Abdol Azim shrine during the parliamentary elections in Shahr-e-Ray, Tehran Province, Iran. Iranians are heading to the polls to elect their representatives to the Islamic Consultative Assembly amid a worsening economic crisis and escalating tensions with the US
EPA
10/50 20 February 2020
Roger Stone, former advisor to US President Donald Trump arrives at court prior to his sentencing hearing. Trump's longtime aide will be sentenced in a case that has caused a stir in Washington following meddling by the US president and his attorney general. Stone, one of the Republican leader's allies and "oldest friends," was convicted in November of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to cheat in the 2016 election
AFP via Getty
11/50 19 February 2020
Members of the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry take cover during a controlled explosion triggering an avalanche for public safety in the Tien Shan mountains outside Almaty, Kazakhstan
Reuters
12/50 18 February 2020
Women chant slogans during a demonstration against gender violence outside the National Palace, in Mexico City. Dozens of women protested over the murder of a seven-year-old girl in the Mexican capital, a case that generated anger and outrage. The murder of the minor shocked the country two days after hundreds of women protested in several cities in Mexico over the femicide of Ingrid Escamilla, a 25-year-old woman who was killed by her partner north of the Mexican capital
AFP via Getty
13/50 17 February 2020
People gather at the site of a bomb blast in Quetta, Pakistan
Reuters
14/50 16 February 2020
Dogs wearing masks are seen at a main shopping area, in downtown Shanghai, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus
REUTERS
15/50 15 February 2020
Men dressed in loincloths prepare to snatch a wooden stick called "shingi" tossed by the priest during a naked festival at Saidaiji Temple in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture Japan February 15, 2020. The person who grabs the wooden stick is considered the "luckiest man of the year".
REUTERS
16/50 14 February 2020
Squirrels eat treats at a 'Valentine's day party' organised for them by staff in Skopje Zoo, North Macedonia
Reuters
17/50 13 February 2020
Internally displaced children stand on snow near tents at a makeshift camp in Azaz, Syria
Reuters
18/50 12 February 2020
A model presents a creation from the Marc Jacobs Fall/Winter 2020 collection during New York Fashion Week
Reuters
19/50 11 February 2020
Hawaiian surfer Kai Lenny rides a wave during the big waves Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge in Nazare
AFP via Getty
20/50 10 February 2020
A worker wears a protective suit as he stands outside an office building while checking people entering in Beijing, China. The number of cases of a deadly new coronavirus rose to more than 40000 in mainland China. The country has continued to lock down the city of Wuhan in an effort to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts have confirmed can be passed from human to human. The number of those who have died from the virus in China climbed to over 900, mostly in Hubei province, and cases have been reported in other countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and several others. The World Health Organization has warned all governments to be on alert and screening has been stepped up at airports around the world. Some countries, including the United States, have put restrictions on Chinese travellers entering and advised their citizens against travel to China
Getty
21/50 9 February 2020
South Korean film director Bong Joon Ho poses with the awards, his film Parasite, won at the Oscars. It was named best picture, becoming the first non-English language film to do so
AFP via Getty
22/50 8 February 2020
Thailand security forces take cover behind an ambulance as they chase a shooter hidden in a shopping mall after a mass shooting in front of the Terminal 21, in Nakhon Ratchasima
Reuters
23/50 7 February 2020
A Palestinian demonstrator hurls stones at Israeli forces as tires burn near the Israeli barrier during a protest against the US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan, in the village of Bilin, West Bank
Reuters
24/50 6 February 2020
Two people were killed and dozens injured when a train derailed outside the city of Lodi in Italy
AFP via Getty
25/50 5 February 2020
Health teams and fire brigade crews surround a passenger plane which split into three pieces after it skidded off the runway at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Turkey
Anadolu Agency via Getty
26/50 4 February 2020
Sri Lanka's military march with national flags during the 72nd independence day ceremony, in Colombo
Reuters
27/50 3 February 2020
Refugees and migrants confront riot police during a demonstration outside the Kara Tepe camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, February 3, 2020
Reuters
28/50 2 February 2020
An Iraqi demonstrator sits amid burning tires blocking a road during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq
Reuters
29/50 1 February 2020
Horses panic as a spot fire runs through the property of Lawrence and Clair Cowie near Canberra, Australia. The couple stayed to defend their home, with the spot fire destroying part of the property. Chief Minister Andrew Barr declared a State of Emergency on Friday, as the Orroral Valley bushfire continues to burn out of control
Getty
30/50 31 January 2020
Stefan Kraft soars through the air during a qualifying session for the men's large hill individual competition at the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup event in Sapporo, Japan
EPA
31/50 30 January 2020
Commuters with protective facemasks wait to board a canal boat at Pratunam Pier in Bangkok. A Thai surgical mask factory, producing 10 million masks a month, increased working hours to cope with the rising demand following the outbreak of the coronavirus in China
AFP via Getty
32/50 29 January 2020
An Israeli soldier fires teargas towards Palestinian protestors during a demonstration in al-Aroub Palestinian refugee camp, between the West Bank towns of Hebron and Bethlehem
AFP via Getty
33/50 28 January 2020
Firefighters with their face painted with the movie character 'Joker', participate in a demonstration against the pension reforms and for better work conditions in Paris
EPA
34/50 27 January 2020
Flowers outside Bryant Gymnasium at Lower Merion High School, in Philadelphia, as people pay their respects after basketball legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash
Reuters
35/50 26 January 2020
US singer-songwriter Lizzo performs onstage during the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles
AFP via Getty
36/50 25 January 2020
A Lebanese anti-government protester in makeshift protective gear stands under a water jet as security forces move to disperse a demonstration near government headquarters at the Grand Serail, in downtown Beirut
AFP via Getty
37/50 24 January 2020
A protester holds a sign reading "On the move" mocking the LREM party's slogan during a demonstration in Paris, as part as a nationwide multi-sector strike against the French government's pensions overhaul
AFP via Getty
38/50 23 January 2020
A Chinese police officer wears a protective mask as he stands guard next to an ad before the annual Spring Festival at a Beijing railway station. The number of cases of a deadly new coronavirus rose to over 500 in mainland China as health officials locked down the city of Wuhan in an effort to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts have been confirmed can be passed from human to human
Getty
39/50 22 January 2020
Visitors wear face masks as they sit inside the Venetian casino hotel resort in Macau, after the former Portuguese colony reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus that originated from Wuhan in China.
AFP via Getty
40/50 21 January 2020
Marine One helicopter with US President Donald Trump on board arrives for the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland
Reuters
41/50 20 January 2020
A man walks between burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq
Reuters
42/50 19 January 2020
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, (second row, left to right) arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit, African Union (AU) Committee Chairman Moussa Faki, European Council President Charles Michel, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pose for a family picture during a Peace summit on Libya at the Chancellery in Berlin
AFP via Getty
43/50 18 January 2020
Sweden's Jennie-Lee Burmansson competing in the final run of the Freestyle Skiing Womens Freeski Slopestyle at the Leysin Park in Leysin, during the 2020 Lausanne Winter Youth Olympic Games
AFP via Getty
44/50 17 January 2020
Firefighters take part in a demonstration to protest against the attacks against them during interventions in Strasbourg. During the New Year's Eve night in Strasbourg, two firefighters were notably injured following a projectile thrown onto the window of their truck. Last weekend, three firefighters were victims of a stabbing by a person they came to rescue in the outskirts of the city.
AFP via Getty
45/50 16 January 2020
People enjoy the frozen lake of Houhai in Beijing ahead of the Lunar New Year of the Rat. - The Lunar New Year falls on January 25 this year and marks the Year of the Rat.
AFP via Getty
46/50 15 January 2020
Taiwanese soldiers operate a CM-11 battle tank during an exercise at a military base in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan
AFP via Getty
47/50 14 January 2020
A resident who briefly returned home to retrieve belongings carries figurines of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary in Laurel, Batangas province, Philippines. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert level to four out of five, warning that a hazardous eruption could take place anytime, as authorities have evacuated tens of thousands of people from the area
Getty
48/50 13 January 2020
Mini's driver Jakub Przygonski and his co-driver Timo Gottschalk compete in Stage 8 of the Dakar 2020 around Wadi Ad-Dawasir
AFP via Getty
49/50 12 January 2020
People take photos of a phreatic explosion from the Taal volcano from the town of Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of Manila
AFP via Getty
50/50 11 January 2020
An injured Syrian child cries after being transported to a clinic for treatment following an air strike by pro-regime forces on the nothwestern city of Idlib
AFP via Getty
1/50 29 February 2020
Greek border guard use teargas to push back migrants who try to enter Greece at the Pazarkule border gate in Edirne, Turkey
AP
2/50 28 February 2020
A woman makes her way and NGO's members help as a dinghy with 54 Afghan refugees lands ashore the Greek island of Lesbos on February 28, 2020. - Turkey will no longer close its border gates to refugees who want to go to Europe, a senior official told AFP on February 28, shortly after the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in an airstrike in northern Syria.
AFP via Getty Images
3/50 27 February 2020
Snow has fallen in high ground in Tasmania during the Australian summer
Tasmanian Rover Ski Club / Facebook
4/50 26 February 2020
Men ride a motorcycle past security forces patrolling a street in a riot-affected area of Delhi on Wednesday
Reuters
5/50 25 February 2020
Workers disinfect subway trains against coronavirus in Tehran, Iran
AP
6/50 24 February 2020
Turkish-backed Syrian fighters fire their anti-aircraft gun in the town of Sarmin, about 8 kilometres southeast of the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria, as they take part in a military offensive on the village of Nayrab following an artillery barrage fired by Turkish forces
AFP via Getty
7/50 23 February 2020
A security guard wearing a protective face mask stand guard as masked and costumed people walk by during the Carnival in Venice, Italy
EPA
8/50 22 February 2020
People dressed in traditional Czech folklore costumes parade through the village of Vortova near the east Bohemian city of Pardubice during the traditional Masopust carnival. The festival marks the beginning of Lent. This folk tradition of the carnival parade of masks was registered in the UNESCO List of the Intagible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010
Getty
9/50 21 February 2020
An Iranian woman wearing a face mask shows her inked finger after casting her ballot at a polling station set up at the Abdol Azim shrine during the parliamentary elections in Shahr-e-Ray, Tehran Province, Iran. Iranians are heading to the polls to elect their representatives to the Islamic Consultative Assembly amid a worsening economic crisis and escalating tensions with the US
EPA
10/50 20 February 2020
Roger Stone, former advisor to US President Donald Trump arrives at court prior to his sentencing hearing. Trump's longtime aide will be sentenced in a case that has caused a stir in Washington following meddling by the US president and his attorney general. Stone, one of the Republican leader's allies and "oldest friends," was convicted in November of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to cheat in the 2016 election
AFP via Getty
11/50 19 February 2020
Members of the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry take cover during a controlled explosion triggering an avalanche for public safety in the Tien Shan mountains outside Almaty, Kazakhstan
Reuters
12/50 18 February 2020
Women chant slogans during a demonstration against gender violence outside the National Palace, in Mexico City. Dozens of women protested over the murder of a seven-year-old girl in the Mexican capital, a case that generated anger and outrage. The murder of the minor shocked the country two days after hundreds of women protested in several cities in Mexico over the femicide of Ingrid Escamilla, a 25-year-old woman who was killed by her partner north of the Mexican capital
AFP via Getty
13/50 17 February 2020
People gather at the site of a bomb blast in Quetta, Pakistan
Reuters
14/50 16 February 2020
Dogs wearing masks are seen at a main shopping area, in downtown Shanghai, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus
REUTERS
15/50 15 February 2020
Men dressed in loincloths prepare to snatch a wooden stick called "shingi" tossed by the priest during a naked festival at Saidaiji Temple in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture Japan February 15, 2020. The person who grabs the wooden stick is considered the "luckiest man of the year".
REUTERS
16/50 14 February 2020
Squirrels eat treats at a 'Valentine's day party' organised for them by staff in Skopje Zoo, North Macedonia
Reuters
17/50 13 February 2020
Internally displaced children stand on snow near tents at a makeshift camp in Azaz, Syria
Reuters
18/50 12 February 2020
A model presents a creation from the Marc Jacobs Fall/Winter 2020 collection during New York Fashion Week
Reuters
19/50 11 February 2020
Hawaiian surfer Kai Lenny rides a wave during the big waves Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge in Nazare
AFP via Getty
20/50 10 February 2020
A worker wears a protective suit as he stands outside an office building while checking people entering in Beijing, China. The number of cases of a deadly new coronavirus rose to more than 40000 in mainland China. The country has continued to lock down the city of Wuhan in an effort to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts have confirmed can be passed from human to human. The number of those who have died from the virus in China climbed to over 900, mostly in Hubei province, and cases have been reported in other countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and several others. The World Health Organization has warned all governments to be on alert and screening has been stepped up at airports around the world. Some countries, including the United States, have put restrictions on Chinese travellers entering and advised their citizens against travel to China
Getty
21/50 9 February 2020
South Korean film director Bong Joon Ho poses with the awards, his film Parasite, won at the Oscars. It was named best picture, becoming the first non-English language film to do so
AFP via Getty
22/50 8 February 2020
Thailand security forces take cover behind an ambulance as they chase a shooter hidden in a shopping mall after a mass shooting in front of the Terminal 21, in Nakhon Ratchasima
Reuters
23/50 7 February 2020
A Palestinian demonstrator hurls stones at Israeli forces as tires burn near the Israeli barrier during a protest against the US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan, in the village of Bilin, West Bank
Reuters
24/50 6 February 2020
Two people were killed and dozens injured when a train derailed outside the city of Lodi in Italy
AFP via Getty
25/50 5 February 2020
Health teams and fire brigade crews surround a passenger plane which split into three pieces after it skidded off the runway at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Turkey
Anadolu Agency via Getty
26/50 4 February 2020
Sri Lanka's military march with national flags during the 72nd independence day ceremony, in Colombo
Reuters
27/50 3 February 2020
Refugees and migrants confront riot police during a demonstration outside the Kara Tepe camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, February 3, 2020
Reuters
28/50 2 February 2020
An Iraqi demonstrator sits amid burning tires blocking a road during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq
Reuters
29/50 1 February 2020
Horses panic as a spot fire runs through the property of Lawrence and Clair Cowie near Canberra, Australia. The couple stayed to defend their home, with the spot fire destroying part of the property. Chief Minister Andrew Barr declared a State of Emergency on Friday, as the Orroral Valley bushfire continues to burn out of control
Getty
30/50 31 January 2020
Stefan Kraft soars through the air during a qualifying session for the men's large hill individual competition at the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup event in Sapporo, Japan
EPA
31/50 30 January 2020
Commuters with protective facemasks wait to board a canal boat at Pratunam Pier in Bangkok. A Thai surgical mask factory, producing 10 million masks a month, increased working hours to cope with the rising demand following the outbreak of the coronavirus in China
AFP via Getty
32/50 29 January 2020
An Israeli soldier fires teargas towards Palestinian protestors during a demonstration in al-Aroub Palestinian refugee camp, between the West Bank towns of Hebron and Bethlehem
AFP via Getty
33/50 28 January 2020
Firefighters with their face painted with the movie character 'Joker', participate in a demonstration against the pension reforms and for better work conditions in Paris
EPA
34/50 27 January 2020
Flowers outside Bryant Gymnasium at Lower Merion High School, in Philadelphia, as people pay their respects after basketball legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash
Reuters
35/50 26 January 2020
US singer-songwriter Lizzo performs onstage during the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles
AFP via Getty
36/50 25 January 2020
A Lebanese anti-government protester in makeshift protective gear stands under a water jet as security forces move to disperse a demonstration near government headquarters at the Grand Serail, in downtown Beirut
AFP via Getty
37/50 24 January 2020
A protester holds a sign reading "On the move" mocking the LREM party's slogan during a demonstration in Paris, as part as a nationwide multi-sector strike against the French government's pensions overhaul
AFP via Getty
38/50 23 January 2020
A Chinese police officer wears a protective mask as he stands guard next to an ad before the annual Spring Festival at a Beijing railway station. The number of cases of a deadly new coronavirus rose to over 500 in mainland China as health officials locked down the city of Wuhan in an effort to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts have been confirmed can be passed from human to human
Getty
39/50 22 January 2020
Visitors wear face masks as they sit inside the Venetian casino hotel resort in Macau, after the former Portuguese colony reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus that originated from Wuhan in China.
AFP via Getty
40/50 21 January 2020
Marine One helicopter with US President Donald Trump on board arrives for the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland
Reuters
41/50 20 January 2020
A man walks between burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq
Reuters
42/50 19 January 2020
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, (second row, left to right) arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit, African Union (AU) Committee Chairman Moussa Faki, European Council President Charles Michel, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pose for a family picture during a Peace summit on Libya at the Chancellery in Berlin
AFP via Getty
43/50 18 January 2020
Sweden's Jennie-Lee Burmansson competing in the final run of the Freestyle Skiing Womens Freeski Slopestyle at the Leysin Park in Leysin, during the 2020 Lausanne Winter Youth Olympic Games
AFP via Getty
44/50 17 January 2020
Firefighters take part in a demonstration to protest against the attacks against them during interventions in Strasbourg. During the New Year's Eve night in Strasbourg, two firefighters were notably injured following a projectile thrown onto the window of their truck. Last weekend, three firefighters were victims of a stabbing by a person they came to rescue in the outskirts of the city.
AFP via Getty
45/50 16 January 2020
People enjoy the frozen lake of Houhai in Beijing ahead of the Lunar New Year of the Rat. - The Lunar New Year falls on January 25 this year and marks the Year of the Rat.
AFP via Getty
46/50 15 January 2020
Taiwanese soldiers operate a CM-11 battle tank during an exercise at a military base in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan
AFP via Getty
47/50 14 January 2020
A resident who briefly returned home to retrieve belongings carries figurines of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary in Laurel, Batangas province, Philippines. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert level to four out of five, warning that a hazardous eruption could take place anytime, as authorities have evacuated tens of thousands of people from the area
Getty
48/50 13 January 2020
Mini's driver Jakub Przygonski and his co-driver Timo Gottschalk compete in Stage 8 of the Dakar 2020 around Wadi Ad-Dawasir
AFP via Getty
49/50 12 January 2020
People take photos of a phreatic explosion from the Taal volcano from the town of Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of Manila
AFP via Getty
50/50 11 January 2020
An injured Syrian child cries after being transported to a clinic for treatment following an air strike by pro-regime forces on the nothwestern city of Idlib
AFP via Getty
But it’s his opposition to Podemos, the party standing on a platform to reduce inequality and austerity and institute a proper welfare state, which outs Sanchez as a man of little socialist principle.
Podemos was founded from grassroots opposition to the endemic Spanish corruption which has finally lost Rajoy his job. The party and its intransigent leader Pablo Iglesias want radical reform of the government institutions in order to create a system which will actually speak for the people, rather than line the pockets of the greedy megalomaniacs the main parties seem to be unable to shed.
Don’t be fooled – Sanchez is not a Corbyn-esque man of the people, but rather a centrist photogenic lackey who is sacrificing the principles of his voters in an opportunistic grab for power.
Ten years after the credit crunch, Spain still has a youth unemployment rate of 35 per cent. After living there for a decade, I left the country in 2008 to go to university in the UK – I was lucky to have this option. Most of my contemporaries graduated into an economy where a minimum wage, zero-hour contract job in retail or hospitality was the best they could hope for, and things seem to have barely improved since then. I have yet to hear Sanchez make a convincing case for how his party can support the young people who were the worst affected by a recession they had no hand in causing, now approaching their thirties with university debt and no prospect of ever moving out of their parents’ homes. Were he to be invited to a Spanish version of Glastonbury, I can only imagine he would be lucky to escape with an egg-free face.
If Sanchez recognises that his position will raise his profile and little else, he will call an election and hope for a mandate to govern. Were his party to actually achieve a majority I have no doubt that it would be a better option than the corrupt, heartless, right-wing alternative, but what the Spanish government really needs is the radical transformation Podemos is promising, and Sanchez is certainly not the man to deliver that.
Comments
Share your thoughts and debate the big issues
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
-
Newest first
-
Oldest first
-
Most liked
{{/moreThanOne}}Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
-
Newest first
-
Oldest first
-
Most liked
{{/moreThanOne_p}}Follow comments
Vote
Report Comment
Subscribe to Independent Premium to debate the big issues
Want to discuss real-world problems, be involved in the most engaging discussions and hear from the journalists? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Already registered? Log inReport Comment
Delete Comment
About The Independent commenting
Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment.
The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates.