Spain Notes, Nov 30: amnesty + Israel row + Gibraltar + paella croquettes
1/ There were criticisms on social media about the ceremonial aspects of the King’s visit to parliament yesterday: the rather basic ceremonial elements (also present in previous years), the royal photographer for taking slanted photos, the national anthem, which the military band somehow managed to mess up, or the Prime Minister’s scruffy suit.
2/ Sánchez defended the amnesty deal again in an interview on TVE, as a move towards normalisation in Catalonia, “to get over a conflict from 2017”.
3/ The PP, who are saying Sánchez is now subject to the whim of the separatists, has called a protest near PSOE HQ for Sunday.
4/ Abascal (Vox) said outside Congress yesterday, after the King’s speech, that “this is the beginning of the end of democracy” in Spain, “we are faced with a coup against the state and a coup against the nation”.
5/ After Weber (Germany, CSU EPP) got involved in Barcelona on Feijóo’s side, Tajani (Italy, Forza, EPP) is tweeting about it: “In Spain, the far-left is in government. In Italy, we defeated it. We respect the rule of law. Is that happening in Madrid? The EPP governs in Italy, the secessionists in Spain”.
6/ As Junts and the PSOE get ready for their first meeting in…Geneva…media are asking who the “mediator” between the two sides will be. What are they all going to talk about and how transparent is it all going to be?
7/ And as the question of the amnesty and the rule of law in Spain move to the European level, Spain’s judicial council has rejected, reportedly for the first time, the new government’s name for the post of Director of Public Prosecutions. It’s just an opinion, though, it doesn’t bind Sánchez.
8/ The PM also accepted in his TVE interview that “lawfare”, the use of legal institutions to political ends, had been a problem in Spain.
9/ Israel is angry with Sánchez again, insisting it is acting within international law in Gaza: “Following the outrageous remarks by the Spanish Prime Minister, who once again repeated baseless accusations, I decided to recall our ambassador to Spain for consultations in Jerusalem”.
10/ Podemos leader Belarra, now released from the shackles of government and with her party somewhat ostracised on the left, is busy taking part in marches against “the genocide of the Palestinian people” and lamenting that Kissenger was “one of the biggest war criminals of the last century”.
11/ The Spanish Foreign Secretary, Albares, met the British Foreign Secretary, Cameron, in Brussels to talk about the post-Brexit deal for Gibraltar. The report describes a pleasant meeting, with “advances” towards a “practical” solution. The sticking point appears to be the airport.
12/ El Mundo reports a top diplomat, head of the Gibraltar office, has been sacked because he was publicly critical of the amnesty deal.
13/ Abascal (Vox) is going to Milei’s inauguration as President of Argentina.
14/ The Science Minister, Diana Morant, is pleased about a “historic” commitment in Spain to invest a billion euros in new research.
15/ In the UK, Marks & Spencer has started selling paella and chorizo croquettes, which has obviously caused a cultural stir. The story has made the front page of The Times and the British Ambassador has jumped in.
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