Spain Notes, Sept 27: Feijóo loses vote

1/ The PSOE spoiled the PP’s parliamentary party after lunch yesterday. Confounding reports that Sánchez would deliver a more polite and constructive socialist reply, the Socialist Party instead sent in its political doberman, the former Mayor of Valladolid, Óscar Puente, to tear Feijóo to shreds with some rhetorical thuggery.

2/ “It is surprising to think anyone thought you would be a good candidate to promote for Prime Minister of Spain”, spat Puente, among other things: “you are genuine PP old school, the rankest in its history, which is saying something, and you are part of the Galicia PP, that extended family so well illustrated in Fariña [a book and then a Netflix series titled Cocaine Coast in English, about Galician drug dealers]”.

3/ Feijóo and the PP were gobsmacked by the left’s move. Conservative MPs stood and shouted “Coward, coward!” at Sánchez, for not speaking.

4/ El País writes Feijóo’s speech was “political fiction”, all about opposition to the amnesty, and wonders what happened to the explanation of whatever policies have been agreed upon with Vox. For El Mundo, Feíjoo represents “institutional normality” versus the “divisive exceptionality” of the Socialist Party and its “radical partners”.

5/ Feijóo won rhetorically because Sánchez fled the field, writes ABC. “Sánchez turned up to the debate with two ideas: to surprise, to unsettle Feijóo—and he achieved that—and to give the impression that his own reappointment as PM is already agreed upon and practically a done deal”.

6/ This morning, the Basque Nationalist Party said it wouldn’t support Feijóo at the vote, because of Vox and because the PP wanted more regional confrontation. “You can’t pretend Vox is not part of the confidence vote equation”, said spokesman Aitor Esteban, “there is an enormous whale in the swimming pool that is impossible to hide”.

7/ Bildu said it would today appoint Feijóo leader of the opposition, and vote no “to the reactionary block you lead”.

8/ A contemptuous Feijóo said he didn’t want Bildu’s votes anyway, Sánchez could keep them and continue with his “whitewashing” of the far-left Basque separatist party. “For me, everthing Bildu says that is not preceded by a real apology to all of ETA’s victims and by collaboration with the police to clarify more than 350 murders, has no value”.

9/ Beyond the confidence debate today, the First Minister of Castilla la Mancha, Emiliano García-Page (PSOE) said: “the problem is not being in favour of independence, you can ask for that, that is legitimate; the problem is riding roughshod over the Constitution and doing it illegally. They are constitutional delinquents”.

10/ Feijóo lost the first-round vote, 178-172, shortly after 1 p.m., as everyone believed he would. He gets a brief second chance, requiring only a simple majority, more votes in favour than against, on Friday.

11/ But given the numbers are exactly the same as for the Speaker’s vote in August, it is unlikely anything will change. There is no overall majority for a right-wing coalition government in Spain. This was the surprise on general election night in July, after the polls and pundits spent weeks forecasting a PP-Vox done deal. There is a majority, just, by two seats, for a second left-wing separatist coalition government with parliamentary support.

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