SPAIN NOTES, Jan 11: politicians and the pellets + immigration policy to Catalonia
A Complex, Global 21st Century
1/ South Africa argued its petition for an ICC injunction against Israel on the question of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, relating to a breach of Articles 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d of the genocide convention: killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, and imposing measures designed to prevent births within the group. Israel replies at the court tomorrow.
A Changing Spain
2/ “The 25 tons of plastic pellets that spilled on the Galician coast threaten the marine environment & economic activities like fishing”, said Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries.
3/ Regional First Minister Alfonso Rueda (PP) replied that his executive was doing what it could but “It is imperative that the Government of Spain gets involved now”. He wants Sánchez to send ships…and a submarine.
4/ “The day before yesterday the regional minister was telling mayors that it’s not possible to clear up the waste in the sea”, retorted the Transport Minister Óscar Puente (PSOE): “and today he wants me to send the Seventh Fleet and a submarine”.
5/ The PP in Galicia used “the Sri Lankan fish” against the PSOE in its propaganda.
6/ Spain’s new left-wing coalition government got (most) of its economic support bill past parliament…just, at the last minute, by voting again, and giving Puigdemont more concessions.
7/ Podemos voted AGAINST the unemployment benefits reform…because it was tabled by Sumar.
8/ The most headlined concession to Puigdemont this morning seems to be….immigration. The Catalan regional government will now get to decide on its own immigration policy. In theory, the Constitution reserves such matters exclusively for the national government in Madrid.
9/ A major police union, the SUP, published a statement against the move, denouncing it would mean “the almost complete disintegration of the National Police in Catalonia”.
10/ Abascal formally announced his candidacy to continue as the leader of Vox
11/ Vox has lost half of its grassroots members in the last two years: from 66,000 at the beginning of 2022 to 33,000 at the end of December.
12/ Carla Toscano, a Vox MP considered close to the rumoured rival to Abascal, Ortega-Smith, resigned her seat as an MP.
1,000 subscribers = engine of independence = better Spain analysis
"Despite the horror of the genocide against the Palestinian people being livestreamed from Gaza to our mobile phones, computers and television screens, the first genocide in history where its victims are broadcasting their own destruction in real-time in the desperate so far vain hope that the world might do something" (South Africa, ICC, Jan 11, 2024)
Understand a changing Spain better
Guarantee the independence of this analysis
Access all exclusive premium subscriber articles