General Election in Spain 2011 – the socialists admit ‘mistakes’!

POLITICS IN SPAIN - 'THE YEARS HAVE PASSED...BUT THE DOGS ARE THE SAME ONLY THEIR COLLARS HAVE CHANGED'

I could not resist following up my recent Post about the General Election in Spain that has been called for the 20^th November 2011 – having seen this article in El Pais.

As you will see, the article is about Alfredo Rubalcaba accepting that ‘mistakes’ were made during the past couple of terms (almost eight years) of socialist government in Spain.  Alfredo Rubalcaba, as you probably know, is being ‘shoe horned’ into leadership of the Socialist PSOE party to replace the current leader and Prime Minister Zapatero.  Rubalacaba, of course, has been a senior member (including Deputy Prime Minister) of the current socialist Spanish government throughout their tenure of office.

So, what does Alfredo Rubalcaba say have been the mistakes made by the socialist PSOE government?  I must quote the El Pais article:

One of these mistakes was not having burst the real estate bubble, and another was failing to reform the financial system earlier. “We had eight years but we didn’t do it,” said Rubalcaba.

Incredible.

I say ‘incredible’ because it is recognition that the PSOE party under Zapatero know that they have mismanaged the economy (and thereby brought Spain to its knees) – and yet a leading member nonetheless feels that he can combat the General Election in Spain this year as a potential Prime Minister.

Is there no shame – no sense of responsibility?

Clearly not!

Indeed, I am reminded of the UK’s disastrous last Prime Minister Gordon Brown – albeit that he never (to my knowledge) admitted any liability at all for his appalling Chancellorship of the UK.  Certainly the parallels between the politics of Spain and the UK could continue should Rubalcaba (if he wins the General Election in Spain in 2011) become Prime Minister of Spain and inherit the mess he created.  Meanwhile, Zapatero (like Tony Blair) will gaily disappear into the sunset with the easy conscience of someone totally unaware of the chaos he has caused and the debris he has left behind…

Incidentally, in case you think I am biased about party politics, I should state that (like the Spanish) I have little regard for either of the two major political parties whilst having a sneaking admiration for the (hopeless) Indignados.

Nick Snelling – Culture Spain