It is not only the refrain of the song by the great Raffaella Carrà, but also a tribute to the third consecutive government led by Pedro Sanchez, current Spanish Prime Minister.
Since in our parts political continuity (democratic!) he’s not exactly at home, I tried to understand what the recipes might be adopted by his coalition, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), which governs together with Unitas Podemos, and I have to say I was very surprised, not to say stunned..
From social policies to economic maneuvers, from migrant management to labor reforms, Spain seems to have decided to set an example for many European Union countries whose constitution, for the sake of truth in an age of fake news, was created to defend and transmit values such as human dignity, democracy, equality, and the rule of law.
How do you translate so many beautiful words into political choices?
Starting from economics (Sanchez was a university professor of Economic Structure and History of Economic Thought), the increase in the minimum wage and the reform of the Workers’ Statute code to limit the use of fixed-term contracts helped restart the country from stagnation, increasing citizens’ income and spending capacity, as well as the choice to propose rail passes valid throughout the country at low costs (from 30 to 60 euros depending on the age of the travelers) has made it possible to ‘distribute’ resources within the country itself, increasing domestic tourism and creating a virtuous circle.
The choice to separate the price of gas from that of electricity also had the desired effect: the reduction in bills and production costs favored household savings and business competitiveness.
As for ‘job creation’, Spain has invested almost 7 billion euros in 10 years in work-training programs, extended to the ‘foreign’ population in order to promote access to employment for all, and migration policies have also been oriented towards inclusion: over 600,000 people who have arrived in the country since 2022 have been included in the regular work fabric, now accounting for 13% of the overall labour force and 20% of GDP growth.
Certainly, their origin (mostly from Latin America) was a factor in favor of integration, both for the language and for the common Catholic tradition, but even on this there is one detail that is not really a detail: the Government of ‘very Catholic’ Spain has in fact been entrusted for over 8 years to an avowedly atheist prime minister!
Sure, Sanchez has had his problems too, with scandals involving him closely (his wife has been at the center of a corruption investigation), but the fact that he hasn’t started any war to divert attention from his own troubles and instead continues to staunchly oppose the disastrous decisions of Trump and Co. seems to be paying off.
In fact, his choices regarding foreign affairs were clear and unequivocal:
In addition to opposing the US, refusing to offer military bases on its territory to support the war against Iran because it is outside international law, for over two years Spain has been the European country with the most ‘hard’ positions on Gaza.
Throughout 2024, his government first recognized the State of Palestine, a gesture that led Israel to withdraw its ambassador, and then co-presented a resolution to the United Nations General Assembly to coordinate diplomatic and economic actions against the Netanyahu government, as well as supporting the Freedom Flotilla’s mission in terms of logistics, crews, and civil mobilization.
There is also no shortage of more ‘popular’ initiatives, such as the boycott of last year’s Vuelta (the Spanish Giro d’Italia) or the possible withdrawal from Eurovision 2026.
As for domestic politics, Sanchez’s decision to resign after the poor results in the regional elections may have contributed to strengthening the electorate’s esteem, which in fact rewarded him by renewing his confidence in the subsequent elections.
That consistency is a rare commodity and therefore even more appreciated?
Finally, his government recently approved a decree to ‘create a state catalogue of Francoist symbols and vestiges’ aimed at their removal: in fact, it is estimated that there are over 4,000 symbols of fascist exaltation throughout Spain.
Given the ‘nostalgic’ atmosphere in our area, it seems like a good way to come to terms with the past, given the ability of certain minorities to organize themselves to prevail.
In short, it seems that defending the values of humanity is good for political longevity.
Maybe power wears down those who think they don’t have it so come on, let’s go vote.
In many, always.
Marco Randisi
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