Spain Notes, Nov 15: the confidence debate
1/ The confidence debate in Sánchez, in exchange for the amnesty for Puigdemont, began in parliament in Madrid, surrounded by 1,500 extra police offices.
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2/ Sánchez: "We demand an Israeli ceasfire in Gaza and strict compliance with international humanitarian law, that today is not being respected […] the new government will work with Europe and of course in Spain to recognise the Palestinian state".
3/ Sánchez framed it all as part of a global struggle against the far-right, the radical right, the reactionary right, "this scourge", "they only offer a return to the past" vs. his progress, democracy, advance, and said the PP, the traditional right, had to deal with that problem for them too.
4/ Sánchez: “We are no less Spanish than you are”.
5/ There will be "not one step backwards” in the quality of Spain’s democracy as long as he is PM, Sánchez promised, during a confidence debate that is taking place in exchange for his made-to-measure amnesty deal for Puigdemont and the Catalan separatists.
6/ Despite there being 1,500 police reinforcements deployed around Congress, almost no one, a few dozen people, could be seen down the street at the protest outside parliament in central Madrid before lunch. Europa Press later reported 600.
7/ Sánchez finally mentioned the amnesty after more than an hour talking about other issues. He said the real problem for the right was that they just didn’t win the general election as they thought they were going to.
8/ Sánchez: "If the right does deals [to govern], that’s a gentleman’s agreement; if the left does it, that’s treason to the nation”. He added that the right was continually “questioning the legitimacy of the democratic process”.
9/ After lunch, Feijóo wondered if "this is the most feminist government in history, why are you going to sack your Equality Minister (Montero, Podemos)?”
10/ Feijóo was told off by the Speaker, Armengol (PSOE) for speaking for too long. “Can I not say I am committed to Spaniards and that Spain is not giving up?”, he replied. “It’s obvious that Mr. Sánchez does not believe in grand deals” [between the bigger parties, instead of with regional separatists].
11/ The PP leader said separatists now had “the Prime Minister they wanted, better a docile one than one you can trust”.
12/ Sánchez appeared to enjoy his replies, with a comfortable rhetoric, but perhaps went too far against the conservative leader on occasions, coming across as arrogant at times, openly laughing at him in front of the chamber.
13/ Sanchez said he didn’t understand why Feijóo insisted on repeating the general election so much if Feijóo also insisted the PP had won the last one…
14/ “No one has done more for Vox than you have as leader of the Popular Party”
15/ Abascal (Vox): “This parliament cannot repeal the Constitution with an amnesty law that has no place in our legal order”. He compared Sánchez to Hugo Chavez, Nicolás Maduro and Hitler.
16/ Speaker Armengol (PSOE) told him off too, for using the phrase “coup” in parliament. Abascal replied that she was attacking MPs’ freedom of expression: “It’s a coup and the coup leaders are leading a coup”.
17/ Vox MPs walked out and then walked down the road to join the protest outside parliament. “No to the coup”, tweeted the party: “see you in Neptuno (the protest) and then in Ferraz (PSOE HQ, nightly protest”.
18/ Sánchez: “I can’t reply to Mr. Abascal because he has left”.
19/ Yolanda Diaz (Sumar) said she understood "the frustration” on the right, “after trying everything, you have not achieved your aim, Spaniards decided to leave you in opposition”.
20/ Yolanda Diaz (Sumar): “I want to thank milllions of people who have been waiting for this moment for months for their patience, responsibility and respect. It is easier to burn things down than to build, but we will keep building. Spain is today a better country”.
21/ Rufián (Esquerra), to the right: “Did people vote for you to shout slogans in protests like “no Moors, Spain is not a zoo”, “Marlaska is a homo” or “Irene Montero is a whore”? Sánchez is not Prime Minister because he has Esquerra next to him, but because he has you in front of him”.
22/ Rufián (Esquerra): “Every time you have said ‘Spain is being destroyed’, in reality you were just losing”.
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A question of translation: Is it not an "investiture debate" rather than one of confidence? I understand the former as being an application for the job, whereas the latter is an attempt to hang on to it under pressure from the opposition.