Well, At Least There’s One Radical Political Party (Not Irish!) Which Does What It Said It Would Do




American progressives distressed about the prospect of being offered a choice this fall between a right-wing billionaire and a one-time
corporate lawyer on the board of Walmart, might look to Spain for a reminder that left-wing leaders with principles and charisma do still exist.

In Madrid on Wednesday, Pablo Iglesias, the 37-year-old leader of
Podemos, an anti-austerity party formed just two years ago, blocked the center-left Socialist Party’s attempt to form a centrist coalition government and demonstrated a flair for political theater that galvanized his supporters on social networks.

During
an impassioned speech to parliament, Iglesias said that his radical-left party, which is now Spain’s third-largest, would not allow the “miserable” leader of the more mainstream Socialists, Pedro Sánchez, to become prime minister because he had adopted the economic policies of the right.






The debate in parliament was
closely watched on social networks, and the Podemos leader then made his opposition to the proposed government even more clear by leaping from his seat to congratulate a Catalan ally who also spoke against it with a bear-hug and a kiss on the lips.

That image, of Iglesias kissing the Catalan representative
Xavier Domènech, was both celebrated and mocked in Twitter memes, as his supporters rejoiced at the sight of the two men kissing directly in front of deputies from the conservative People’s Party — which recently tried and failed to ban gay marriage in Spain — and his detractors evoked comparisons to Soviet-era kisses between the leaders of communist states.

At Last A Radical Party That Keeps Its Word




Well, At Least There’s One Radical Political Party (Not Irish!) Which Does What It Said It Would Do




American progressives distressed about the prospect of being offered a choice this fall between a right-wing billionaire and a one-time
corporate lawyer on the board of Walmart, might look to Spain for a reminder that left-wing leaders with principles and charisma do still exist.

In Madrid on Wednesday, Pablo Iglesias, the 37-year-old leader of
Podemos, an anti-austerity party formed just two years ago, blocked the center-left Socialist Party’s attempt to form a centrist coalition government and demonstrated a flair for political theater that galvanized his supporters on social networks.

During
an impassioned speech to parliament, Iglesias said that his radical-left party, which is now Spain’s third-largest, would not allow the “miserable” leader of the more mainstream Socialists, Pedro Sánchez, to become prime minister because he had adopted the economic policies of the right.






The debate in parliament was
closely watched on social networks, and the Podemos leader then made his opposition to the proposed government even more clear by leaping from his seat to congratulate a Catalan ally who also spoke against it with a bear-hug and a kiss on the lips.

That image, of Iglesias kissing the Catalan representative
Xavier Domènech, was both celebrated and mocked in Twitter memes, as his supporters rejoiced at the sight of the two men kissing directly in front of deputies from the conservative People’s Party — which recently tried and failed to ban gay marriage in Spain — and his detractors evoked comparisons to Soviet-era kisses between the leaders of communist states.

1 comment:

  1. Principles in politics are hard to come by these days. This example stands in stark contrast to the capitulation of other self proclaimed parties of the left in Greece and Ireland. Perhaps the term 'left' is inappropriate to describe the ideological orientation of Syriza. and Sinn Fein. The populist label would be a more accurate description for parties that are essentially driven by the desire for power over all else. Only in Ireland can a party claim to be both for and against austerity and get away with it!

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