Podemos MEP Irene Montero admits flings with right-wing voters

Irene Montero admits flings with right-wing people: hypocrisy or normality?

Podemos MEP Irene Montero has admitted on the show "El Sótano Club" that she has had relationships with right-wing people, reopening the debate about coherence between political discourse and personal preferences. During her interview with Alba Carrillo, Montero said it is now hard for women to pick someone up because "this is full of Nancy and you can't sleep with a Nancy", and when asked about her own experiences, she confessed: "I've had a slip or two".

The remark, made in a joking tone, contrasts with the well-known left-wing slogan "Even if you're going through a rough patch, don't get involved with a fascist", which Carrillo recalled during the conversation. Montero showed solidarity with the presenter, who also admitted having had "rough patches" with right-wing men.

Reactions on social media were not long in coming. While some see her words as honesty about the complexity of relationships in a polarised environment, others believe they reveal a double standard: condemning the right in public while sharing intimacy in private. Sumar candidate Yolanda Díaz avoided commenting on the matter, though sources close to her say "everyone is free in their personal life".

The incident, trivial as it may seem, raises the question of how far politics permeates the private sphere. Montero, who has made feminist struggle her banner, faces the paradox that her flings undermine the narrative of permanent confrontation with the adversary. Perhaps the problem is not sleeping with a fascist, but having your own people find out.