Robles challenges Belarra and Díaz to explain in Ferrol that they stop building frigates and Podemos warns that the Budgets are “the cotton test”
The tensions within the coalition government due to Pedro Sánchez’s commitment to increase military spending to 2% are increasing every day. This Monday, given the complaints launched by Podemos on this issue, the Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, challenged the head of Social Rights, Ione Belarra, to ask the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, that “let’s see if she says in Ferrol that they stop building the F-110 frigates there, which are creating many jobs ».
But this time Robles did not just stay on the dart, asked about whether it is compatible to be within the Government and make such harsh criticism of the Executive’s action, the Minister of Defense replied that “everyone will know if they are comfortable in one place, if you can contribute something or not.
Beyond the verbal dispute, the PSOE already considers the decision taken and hopes to include it in the General State Budgets (PGE) of 2023. Not in vain, the increase in GDP in Defense to 2% before 2029 was a commitment that The Executive reached with the rest of the NATO allies at the Madrid summit last week. That is why in Podemos, although they are revolted by their born anti-militarism, they are aware that the frog will be difficult to swallow and they assume that their minority position only leaves them two ways out: either leave the Government in just over a year so that the legislature (an option that they categorically rule out) or try, at least, that this assignment does not come free to the PSOE.
This Monday, after a week relegated to the background by the celebration of the Atlantic Alliance summit, Belarra met with the State Coordination Council of the purples to mark red lines for the PSOE in the Public Accounts. The objective, party sources acknowledge, is to try to “lock up” the socialists in the social framework they long for, which inevitably involves “forceful” social measures.
Belarra set the priorities of Podemos in setting a maximum price for fuel that complements the aid of 20 cents per liter and also the launch of an extraordinary fund of 10,000 million euros for communities to dedicate to health and education.
The purples are committed to extending maternity and paternity leave to six months and extending the aid of 100 euros per month per child under three years of age also to unemployed mothers. In addition, they link these measures with the roadmap that must mark the Government’s action if it wants to revalidate its mandate after the next general elections, especially at a time of crisis with the partners of the investiture bloc and at a time when Citizenship is being hit by inflation and high fuel prices. “It is the way to walk towards an electoral victory,” settled the general secretary.
difficult relationship
The darts of the Minister of Defense to Minister Belarra are, in any case, more a reflection of the difficult relationship and lack of personal harmony that has always existed between the two than the product of a strategy of the Government as a whole. In Moncloa, in fact, the tone towards United We Can is not at all challenging but rather comprehensive. Sánchez has no intention of going back on the commitments made with NATO, but neither is he interested in tightening the rope with his minority partner.
THE PHRASES:
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Yolanda Díaz – Second Vice President.
“Among the urgencies of the country, there is no doubling of military spending. Spain is not at war -
Margarita Robles – Minister of Defense.
«I will tell Mrs. Belarra to ask Yolanda Díaz to see if she says in Ferrol that they stop building frigates there»
Socialists believe that they are on the safe side in this matter because they have public opinion on their side. The CIS has already estimated that more than 70% of Spaniards support NATO sending weapons to Ukraine and that more than 63% are in favor of the Executive’s position in the conflict with Russia. According to the barometer of the Elcano institute published last Thursday, in addition, the summit of the Atlantic Alliance in Madrid has served to reinforce the positive opinion of the organization, now supported by 83% and even among those who are ideologically the left, the support reaches 63%.
His hope is that, as happened precisely with the shipment of weapons, United We Can modulate its position and that Vice President Yolanda Díaz is the instigator of that change. At the moment, the Minister of Labor, about to launch her Sumar project, hinted on Monday that on this occasion she will not opt for the Socialists. However, they attach importance to the fact that one of their men, the Minister of Universities, Joan Subirats (who belongs to the quota of En Comú) did admit last week that it would be “justified” to assume the costs it has for the Defense that the risks and threats to the country have increased.
The spokesman for the Executive of the PSOE, Felipe Sicilia, assured this Monday that the party takes it for granted that, despite the high-sounding declarations of Podemos, the Budgets will go ahead, as has happened so far. “We have no plan B, only plan A,” he said. The key is that, according to Sicilia, there is a commitment so that the increase in defense spending does not result in “a decrease in any other public service” or in an abandonment of the Welfare State.
It is not entirely ruled out, not in vain, that in order to prove his commitment Sánchez takes advantage of the Debate on the State of the Nation that will take place between Tuesday and Thursday of next week to give a further twist to the plan to fight against inflation for which 15,000 million euros have already been committed between now and the end of the year.
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