There are many occasions in which Pedro Sanchez He referred to the multitude of unexpected crises that he has had to manage since arriving in Moncloa. As soon as the first coalition government of recent democracy was formed with Unidas Podemos, a unprecedented global pandemic.
In between natural disasters have arisen complicated like the storm Filomena or the eruption of the volcano on La Palma. In addition, the outbreak of war in Ukraine after the invasion of Russia and other difficult issues to manage such as the evacuation of Afghanistan after the victory of the Taliban or the indiscriminate entry of thousands of people into Ceuta in the midst of the crisis with Morocco.
Now, since last week, political activity has been practically paralyzed by the consequences of the DANA especially in the Valencian Country. There are voices in Moncloa that see certain parallels in the response at both a political and communication level compared to what happened in 2020 during the covid-19 pandemic.
Sánchez himself made a reference to this last Tuesday during his appearance to announce the aid approved for those affected by DANA. “All these measures are inspired by the experience accumulated in crisis management by this Government during the last six years and mainly inspired by the socioeconomic response that we gave to the covid-19 pandemic and the eruption on the island of La Palma. of the volcano,” he highlighted in his speech.
“As I repeat that we already did during the pandemic, the Government of Spain is going to transfer direct aid for small and medium-sized businesses, for self-employed workers with tax domicile in the areas affected by DANA,” Sánchez insisted. The president made more references to the pandemic during his speech to highlight the use of formulas similar to those used then. The line of guarantees or the ERTEs are included in those similarities.
Sánchez also used the experience with the pandemic to defend collaboration between administrations. “Particularly, since covid-19, we have begun to coin and make common that term called co-governance“, he pointed out. “We live in a composite State, in an autonomous State. We do not live in a centralist State. “This autonomous State has given an exemplary response during the pandemic to an extraordinarily serious situation, such as the health emergency, the worst pandemic in the last 100 years,” he added.
The labor shield
From the Ministry of Employment led by the second vice president Yolanda Diaz They do not hide that the team is experiencing “a deja vu strong” with the pandemic although obviously the situation is different. Now, for example, all the measures developed are being debated with social agents although the essence is similar.
“What worked before will be applied,” sources from Díaz’s team point out. Specifically, ERTEs, which were also included by law in the labor reform to activate them in emergency cases. The same sources recall that then, during the pandemic, there was internal reluctance in the Government with the socialist wing that wanted to limit its duration to one month. “Trust me,” these sources say Díaz told Sánchez in that context.
That experience with covid-19 means, according to sources from the Ministry of Employment, that nowno one in the Council of Ministers casts doubts about the path to follow by Díaz’s team. And a political victory has also become visible. The PP, which voted against the labor reform that included ERTEs, is now demanding them.
Fight hoaxes
Another obvious parallel between both crises is the proliferation of hoaxes. On Tuesday, Sánchez wanted to recognize the role of media professionals in this battle. “That misinformation generates a lot of social alarm in a citizenry that, as we saw during the pandemic and have seen in other emergencies, turns to the reference media so as not to be misinformed and to have the most precise and truthful information possible,” he said after questions from a television journalist. Valencian A Punt.
The ultra movementsalso the traditional right, took advantage of the pandemic to confuse the Government’s powers in nursing homes, to accuse them of hiding data or even censoring an application like WhatsApp to avoid criticism, among many others.
In recent days the hoaxes have not stopped after DANA along similar lines. Especially striking has been what happened with the parking lot of the Bonaire Shopping Centerof which he insistently said that there were thousands of dead inside without any proof. Police authorities have not located any body.
On the other hand, since last Tuesday night the Government established a crisis committee to monitor the effects of DANA. He is still active and has held meetings every day since then. After these committees, Moncloa began to make political appearances before the press, with Minister Ángel Víctor Torres at the helm.
Since Monday, technical profiles ranging from the head of the EMU even the director of the National Police or the Secretary of State for Social Security, among others. During the pandemic, these types of technical hearings were also held after the crisis committees. Not only with Fernando Simón but also with the military, civil guards or police. “What the Government does is rely on the technical and scientific,” they highlight in Moncloa.
“It cannot be said that the Government has had it easy,” Sánchez said in a PSOE Federal Committee in March 2022, shortly after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The feeling these days in Moncloa is the same. But they assure that they will focus on the reconstruction of the Valencian Country and other affected areas.
“The president is acting as in all crises. First, prioritize saving lives, then rebuilding and finally launch the economy“, say sources from Moncloa. The same sources add that Sánchez transmits messages of “strength, serenity and calm,” they conclude.
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