Exercise Democracy or Lose It
Tomorrow is the general election in Spain. It was brought about two years early because the Socialist government tried various times to get a budget agreed upon but failed. Ever since it took over after the no-confidence vote last summer against Mariano Rajoy's conservative Partido Popular government, it hasn't shown itself strong enough to enact legislation and govern. Every time they tweaked the budget, one of its partners would veto it, along with the opposition. Most of the laws passed these months were passed by royal decree, including raising the minimum wage to €900 a month, and extending paternal leave. So, general elections were called.
This time around, beside the two major parties, the Socialists and the Populares, there are leftist Podemos and rightist Cuidadanos, which already showed up in the previous elections, and Vox, a newcomer.
Vox has shown up like a white headed pimple on a face already scarred from past pimples. Franco would have been proud of its leader, Santiago Abascal. This personage talks about the "reconquest" of Spain that is imperative. If he gets into power, he promises to do all he can to delete the autonomous regions, outlaw Podemos for being "communist" and the different regionalist parties for being "treasonous." The gender violence law will change to a family law that will focus only on violence within the family, and Ceuta and Melilla will have great big walls built around them to protect them from the migrant "hordes."
Most likely, they will not get the majority of votes to form the government. But, if the other two rightist parties, Partido Popular and Ciudadanos, get enough votes, they could enter the government within a three party coalition. The other two parties have not turned up their noses at the extremism preached by Vox. Instead, they seem to have embraced much of it. They have played to the lowest denominator by accepting some of the more popular propositions made by the extremists in an attempt to attract back lost votes.
The left are also playing the fear card. They warn that if the right get enough votes to form a coalition, it will mean a return to the dark years of the dictatorship. They are warning that the days of having personal freedoms curtailed are around the corner, waiting to pounce on us like an angrily awakened tiger. They also promise to keep raising pensions at the same rate as the price index, raise the amount of scholarships for students, keep raising the minimum wage to €1200, and eventually have completely free public schooling from preschool to university (the last two promised by Podemos).
I try to focus on the promises. I like the ones on the left, because I believe in social justice and don't want a return to those years that need to remain in the textbooks. I do know that promises made during a campaign can't (or won't) always be put into practice. Still, the promises say a lot about political intentions and beliefs. There is no way on this earth I will ever vote for a rightist party.
Who on the left I will vote for, I leave to the urns tomorrow. But I will definitely vote. More than anything to keep social justice alive in this country, but also to say thank you to all the women in the past who fought for my and my daughter's right to vote. It's not a right to be taken lightly. It's one to exercise every time I am called to do so.
On Election Day, go vote.
This time around, beside the two major parties, the Socialists and the Populares, there are leftist Podemos and rightist Cuidadanos, which already showed up in the previous elections, and Vox, a newcomer.
Vox has shown up like a white headed pimple on a face already scarred from past pimples. Franco would have been proud of its leader, Santiago Abascal. This personage talks about the "reconquest" of Spain that is imperative. If he gets into power, he promises to do all he can to delete the autonomous regions, outlaw Podemos for being "communist" and the different regionalist parties for being "treasonous." The gender violence law will change to a family law that will focus only on violence within the family, and Ceuta and Melilla will have great big walls built around them to protect them from the migrant "hordes."
Most likely, they will not get the majority of votes to form the government. But, if the other two rightist parties, Partido Popular and Ciudadanos, get enough votes, they could enter the government within a three party coalition. The other two parties have not turned up their noses at the extremism preached by Vox. Instead, they seem to have embraced much of it. They have played to the lowest denominator by accepting some of the more popular propositions made by the extremists in an attempt to attract back lost votes.
The left are also playing the fear card. They warn that if the right get enough votes to form a coalition, it will mean a return to the dark years of the dictatorship. They are warning that the days of having personal freedoms curtailed are around the corner, waiting to pounce on us like an angrily awakened tiger. They also promise to keep raising pensions at the same rate as the price index, raise the amount of scholarships for students, keep raising the minimum wage to €1200, and eventually have completely free public schooling from preschool to university (the last two promised by Podemos).
I try to focus on the promises. I like the ones on the left, because I believe in social justice and don't want a return to those years that need to remain in the textbooks. I do know that promises made during a campaign can't (or won't) always be put into practice. Still, the promises say a lot about political intentions and beliefs. There is no way on this earth I will ever vote for a rightist party.
Who on the left I will vote for, I leave to the urns tomorrow. But I will definitely vote. More than anything to keep social justice alive in this country, but also to say thank you to all the women in the past who fought for my and my daughter's right to vote. It's not a right to be taken lightly. It's one to exercise every time I am called to do so.
On Election Day, go vote.
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