Podemos 2016 vs 2026: from 'let the old people die' to the housing martyr

From 'let the old people die' to the rental martyr

In 2016, after Podemos's electoral defeat and the PP's victory, an account aligned with the party celebrated the result with a message that went viral: 'The only positive thing is that in 4 years, 80% of PP voters will have died of old age.' Ten years later, in 2026, the death of Mari Carmen, an 87-year-old woman, has triggered the opposite reaction in the same political space. Minister Irene Montero posted: 'This is not a death, it is a murder. What damned rage. Thank you for fighting, Mari Carmen.' The newspaper archive does not forgive, and the comparison between the two episodes has become the core of a debate about ideological coherence and electoral opportunism.

The context: from PP euphoria to the rental martyr

The opening post of the debate brings together two tweets separated by a decade. In 2016, Podemos's electoral defeat and the PP's victory prompted reactions such as that of the account @Alice, which celebrated that older PP voters would disappear from natural causes. In 2026, the death of Mari Carmen, an 87-year-old woman, has been framed by Irene Montero as a 'murder', linking it to the housing struggle. According to the material, the elderly woman was facing an eviction or a precarious housing situation, which has served to turn her into the symbol of the 'housing martyr'.

The newspaper archive, that exercise in memory that is sometimes uncomfortable, exposes a discursive shift. Those who in 2016 wished for the death of PP voters because of their age now mourn the loss of an elderly woman with whom they claim to share a cause. The contradiction is not minor: it goes from celebrating the demographic disappearance of the adversary to turning a specific victim into a political banner.

Electoral opportunism: 'a most convenient death'

One of the most repeated analyses in the material concerns the timing. 'She dies 15 days ago, it's useless. She dies in 2 months, it has no emotional impact on the campaign and besides she was going to return to the flat-Franco that wasn't hers. She dies right now. Most convenient.' The coincidence with the 29N election campaign, mentioned in the material, fuels the suspicion that the death has been used as a weapon. The phrase 'a most convenient death' sums up the accusation: no one is mourning the person, the symbol is being exploited.

The material also records the reaction of those who believe the left instrumentalises grief. It cites a tweet from @The Maízo recalling that, the day after the Adamuz rail accident, in which 46 people died, the same minister held a campaign event. The comparison seeks to demonstrate an emotional selectivity: there are victims who serve the narrative and others who are ignored.

Coherence as a problem: 'asking a Podemos supporter for coherence'

The discussion drifts towards the impossibility of demanding coherence from a movement that, according to several comments, changes its principles as convenient. 'Asking a Podemos supporter for coherence is like asking the Old Testament for coherence,' sums up one of the quotes. Another comment points out that in 2016 Podemos's young voters could not have foreseen that today's 20-year-olds would end up voting for VOX, which dismantles the demographic premise of the original tweet.

The material also mentions the 'Maricarmen decree', a regulation which, according to critics, has led to 'zero rental flats'. The connection between Mari Carmen's death and this housing policy is direct: the elderly woman is presented as the victim of a decree that, paradoxically, would have been pushed by the same political space now mourning her. The 'murder' accusation thus becomes a boomerang.

The vaccine archive and the 2021 precedent

The debate is not limited to this specific episode. Several comments bring up the handling of the pandemic. 'We are back in 2021 with the "vaccines". If you dared to question the official version and renounce the sacred kakunal Sacrament, you were against Humanity, you killed the elderly, you stopped the economy... It was enough to wait until Christmas 21-22 for the jab fanatics to start realising the results of their actions.' The comparison serves to illustrate a pattern: the left builds emergency narratives that later crumble, but no one takes responsibility.

The material also includes testimony about care homes where booster doses were administered with serious consequences for the elderly, reinforcing the thesis that concern for older people is selective. The irony is bitter: those who today mourn Mari Carmen would, according to these voices, have contributed to policies that harmed the very elderly they now champion.

The economic background: rents, evictions and the decree

Beyond the political squabble, the material points to a deeper economic problem: the shortage of rental supply. The phrase 'zero rental flats' sums up the effect attributed to interventionist policies. The debate over anti-eviction decrees and their impact on the market intersects with Mari Carmen's story, as she would have died in a situation of housing precariousness. The discussion, therefore, is not only about political hypocrisy but about the real consequences of legislating against the logic of the market.

The conclusion drawn from this episode is that the newspaper archive remains the best corrective against the narrative. In 2016, wishing for the death of PP voters was a bad-taste joke; in 2026, mourning an elderly woman for electoral purposes is a marketing operation. The question left hanging is whether, in another ten years, someone will dig up these tweets and point out the contradiction again. Probably yes.