Podemos didn't destroy Spain's left; it burned it down

Podemos didn't destroy the Spanish left: it burned it and left the ashes to the PSOE

A bold claim: Podemos did not destroy the left. It transformed it into an electoral machine that, after burning through its political capital, left the space to the left of the PSOE in nobody's hands. The party founded by Pablo Iglesias channeled the discontent of the 15-M movement, broke the two-party system, and forced the PSOE to reclaim abandoned issues. But it then reproduced the very vices it claimed to fight: hyper-leadership, internal purges, factional wars, and a conversion into an institutional apparatus that devoured the expectation of change.

The blueprint of manufactured hope

For years, a four-step scheme has circulated describing the cycle of Podemos: create hope by mobilizing dissenting forces, establish a media-savvy leader, control internal resistance, and finally, destroy the hope created. This theory, which some attribute to a manual of political operations, finds echo in facts: the 15-M movement was the breeding ground, Pablo Iglesias was the televised face, and subsequent purges – such as the dismissal of ten workers at Podemos Euskadi – confirmed the third step. What remains is an organization that has lost electoral momentum and seen its voters disperse between the PSOE and abstention.

Data against the narrative: evictions and hand-picked leaders

While the "pogre" coalition government accumulates more than 8,000 evictions so far this legislative term, Podemos has preferred to focus on its internal wars. According to circulating reports, the party has hand-picked more than half of its regional leaderships. And its leader, Pablo Iglesias, has swallowed ten toads ranging from a prosecutor's compromising friendship with Villarejo to the shift in policy regarding the Ceuta fence. The promised coherence has diluted into concessions to the senior partner.

The legacy: a more fragmented left, but not dead

Those who argue that Podemos destroyed the left overlook an uncomfortable fact: the left continues to govern and its electoral base is huge. What Podemos achieved was burning the expectation of a real alternative to the PSOE. It demonstrated that party structure can devour any transformative impulse. Fragmentation is not new – the left has always been divided – but now disillusionment is deeper because the promises were greater.

Prediction with caveats

In the medium term, the Spanish left will survive. As long as there is inequality and a large working class, voting for the left will persist. However, trust in breakaway projects like Podemos has been damaged to the point where a similar wave will likely not return. The space to the left of the PSOE will continue to exist, but it will remain a wasteland for years. Those hoping for real change will have to settle for a PSOE that has recovered social rhetoric without changing its practices.