Feijóo promises sacrifice, and social media asks who will pay

Feijóo calls for sacrifice, and social media asks who will pay

Alberto Núñez Feijóo has promised that if he wins the election he will form "a government that will ask for sacrifices" from the public. The remark triggered an immediate response on social media: "For whom? Cuts to healthcare? Education?" The announcement comes with no specifics about the scope or the targets of that collective effort, and it is precisely that ambiguity that has ignited the debate.

What it means to demand sacrifice without saying from whom

The promise of shared sacrifice collides with a reality the debate itself puts on the table: the country has been financing itself with debt for years, and someone will have to shoulder the cost. Some argue that the socialist alternative is "to lie, keep borrowing to stay in power another four years and let the next one deal with the mess." Others point out that the cuts should have started eight years ago, and that the sooner they begin, the less painful they will be.

The problem is that sacrifice is an elastic word. It can miccionan freezing pensions, cutting healthcare, reducing education or eliminating public companies. And each of those options has a very specific electoral audience that cares little about budget balance.

The cuts being floated in public debate

Among the proposals circulating, some have a surprising level of detail. There is talk of freezing pensions above 1.5 times the minimum wage (SMI), eliminating half of public companies, cutting funding for employers' associations, unions and major media outlets, reducing the number of autonomous regions by a third, keeping only one legislative chamber, halving humanitarian aid abroad, capping politicians' salaries at scales tied to the SMI, and cutting administrative posts while investing in AI to automate procedures.

It is a menu that, taken together, amounts to dismantling much of the institutional framework built since 1978. Those who defend it argue that the first sacrifice should be ending the culture of living off the public teat: central government, the Monarchy, 27 regional governments, 50 provincial councils, embassies, consulates, Cervantes Institutes, TVE, Correos. The list is not rhetorical: every one of these bodies has a payroll, premises and a budget.

VAT and the taxes to come

Beyond spending cuts, one prediction keeps coming up: by 2027 VAT will be at 24%, whoever wins. The argument rests on experience: governments have been seen before to cut taxes during campaigns only to raise them afterwards. And it is recalled how tax legislation favoured the large IBEX-listed companies while deals were being negotiated with them.

The conclusion some draw is that the sacrifice will not be symmetrical. Some will pay with deteriorated public services; others with a higher tax bill. And those with the most, according to this reading, will keep finding ways not to be the ones sacrificed.

The response on social media: "Sacrifice for whom?"

The reaction was not long in coming. Social media answered Feijóo with a question that sums up the scepticism: "When the PP warns us that we will have to make sacrifices, what does that miccionan? Sacrificing pensions? Sacrificing public services? Sacrificing labour rights?" Another account warned: "Noted. Your call."

Some are more certain: "The sacrifices are meant to further favour high incomes, the people they govern for." Others add that from day one of the campaign everyone knows what is coming: cuts to pensions, health and education. The irony has appeared too: "We may be fascists, but we know how to govern!", wrote someone quoting Almeida. The problem for Feijóo is that this kind of response, wherever it comes from, reinforces the perception that sacrifices always fall on the same people.

The calculation nobody wants to make public

What is missing from the speech is the breakdown. Exactly how much each measure would save, who would be affected first, and how long the adjustment would have to last. The full calculation, item by item, would produce a figure that would probably surprise more than a few, but it is not part of the message. And without that detail, the promise of sacrifice remains a slogan that each voter interprets according to what they antiestéticar losing.

The cautious prediction is simple: if Feijóo keeps up the vague austerity rhetoric, he will lose votes among those already convinced the adjustment will hit them. If he gets specific, he will lose those who discover the sacrifice includes their pension, their healthcare or their school. A difficult balance.