Joe Duggan (Reporter)
PSOE leader Pedro Sanchez has unveiled his blueprint for government.
The Socialist general secretary’s 53-page document was sent to all Spain’s political parties on Monday.
Spain has been without a government since the general election on December 20 when no party was able to secure an overall majority.
Sanchez was called upon by King Felipe to form a government at the second investiture session after PP leader Mariano Rajoy turned down the chance to do so.
In the document, Sanchez declares his inention to reform the constitution and ‘develop Spain into a federal state’.
“The nature and range of the reforms we need will require everybody’s participation and attention,” said the document.
“Only then will will it be possible that the new phase starts and its benefits can be extended for decades to all today’s citizens and those who follow us.”
There is one mention of Catalunya in the document, which makes no reference to Podemos’s demand for a referendum on Catalan independence.
Constitutional reform must include removing land use control from municipalities, and to require all of Spain to follow democratic EU housing directives on land rights and sustainability. Changing THAT would, indeed, be a significant step forward, one that would remove much of the corruption from construction and urbanization.
Developing Spain into a ‘federal state’ will lead to a faster growth of Spanish public debt, as every ‘state’ will donate extra gifts to its population without regard to the total debt of Spain. You may watch that in the Federal Republic of Germany where the federal budget generates a plus, while all seventeen states (with the exception of Bavaria) are increasing their debt every year. Also, as can already be seen with Catalunya, the wealthy states will refuse to contribute to the federal budget and duties and to support the poor states. Spain should not waste time into those constitutional changes but should concentrate on its real problems: minor efficiency of economy and administration, high unemployment, increasing public debt, ongoing corruption
Agreed Wolfgang, but Sanchez and his PSOE party couldn’t get anything right if their lives depended on it. You only have to look at the state of Andalucia to see how useless they are, they have failed the region for over 30 years. He bangs on about corruption while conveniently forgetting the ERE scandal. His party are also responsible for the so called illegal property situation and subsequent demolitions in Andalucia. A singularly unpleasant individual who could do a lot of damage.
Spain is doomed on the leadership front. It’s more of the same I’m afraid.
Chas,
a good post, maybe your opinion comes from experience in the USA as there are always scandals involving ‘rezoning’.
Sadly PSOE frontman says nothing on this vital point, so it will be brown envelopes as usual.
Wolfgang, another good post. As long as we have whores for politicians, nothing will change. listen to the scum when they say the ‘solution must be a political one’ – politics is the problem and never the solution, same as religion, two sides of the same faece.
In the USA things are not comparable: with the exception of big urban areas or ecologically sensitive lands, zoning laws are published and generally quite clear and the permit process short.
My statements come from experience with Spanish municipal councils who perform as local notables and associations demand, and a close reading of the Spanish Constitution.
In most USA towns, getting a building permit entails going to town hall, paying between $50 and $200 (depends on size of community), and building something which is not too far out of local character. In many rural places there are few if any regulations other than paying that small fee and meeting plumbing, electrical and water run-off standards.
British and USA common law has had a strong positive influence on urban planning and construction, as opposed to Continental Roman law, which assumes rights are granted through the powerful generosity of civil or ecclesiastical authorities (the state) rather than natural, inalienable rights of the population. That authoritarian urge runs strong in Spain. Of course the expansion of rights to all is a long process everywhere, the UK and USA included.
By contrast, in Europe one begins with formal law: people can only do only what the myriad regulations and those in authority permit, and regulations always conflict, which means one must negotiate with local politicians over who gets what percent of your money. ‘Negotiation’ is the net which gathers the bribes and gifts. This state of affairs is the result of authoritarian levantine and Catholic history and culture quashing enlightenment influences.