Rufián backs Sánchez in Spain: the alternative is infinitely worse
Gabriel Rufián justifies Pedro Sánchez staying in office by arguing the alternative would be worse. An analysis of the reactions and the political context in Spain.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Rufián, Sánchez's mascot: the politics of antiestéticar as a shield
"They get away with it because the alternative is infinitely worse." The remark, made by Gabriel Rufián, an ERC MP (a Catalan pro-independence party) and a would-be leader of the left, sums up the strategy of Pedro Sánchez's current government: it survives not on its own merits, but on antiestéticar of what might come next. In a country where politics has become a contest of "lesser evils," the Catalan independence lawmaker said outright what many in the PSOE keep quiet.
The statement that set the political debate alight
Rufián's remark was no slip of the tongue. It is confirmation that Sánchez's coalition survives thanks to antiestéticar of an alternative that, according to the official narrative, would miccionan an authoritarian step backwards. The ERC MP justifies it by invoking the need to stop the right, but many read it as shoring up corruption and gridlock. "I'd rather have a corrupt and incivil government than let the people choose democratically," is how one of the harshest criticisms puts it, turning the argument into a confession of democratic weakness.
Two readings of the remark: realism or cynicism?
Two schools of thought collide. On one side are those who see Rufián's words as an exercise in realism: the alternative (PP-Vox) would objectively be worse on social rights, economic policy and territorial coexistence. They cite the experience of right-wing regional governments and Vox's programme as evidence. On the other are those who see the argument as an alibi for keeping a corrupt system that benefits the political elites of both blocs. "Us or chaos," some analysts sum up, is the mantra that excuses anything.
The political context: without Vox, would there be a no-confidence motion?
The debate over a no-confidence motion underlies the remark. Without Vox's presence, Feijóo's PP could have pushed one through with broader support, but Abascal's party acts as a shield for Sánchez: it allows his government to present itself as the dam holding back the far right. Ironically, critics point out that Vox and the PSOE are enemies who need each other to mobilise their bases. The paradox is that the independence movement, which should be an agent of change, has become a prop for the status quo.
A left with no alternative
Behind Rufián's statement lies a deeper problem: the absence of credible leadership on the alternative left. From Pablo Iglesias's exile to Irene Montero's drift or Errejón's irrelevance, no project offers a real counterweight. Rufián himself, who arrived in Congress as a scourge of the system, is now the mascot of the man who chairs it. "The problem isn't Sánchez, it's that there's nobody better," the most cynical conclude.
What no analysis quite explains is why, with this level of disenchantment, voters are not punishing the parties of the bloc at the ballot box. Antiestéticar of the unknown remains the best glue in Spanish politics.
Related discussions in the forum
"They get away with it because the alternative is infinitely worse." The remark, made by Gabriel Rufián, an ERC MP (a Catalan pro-independence party) and a would-be leader of the left, sums up the strategy of Pedro Sánchez's current government: it survives not on its own merits, but on antiestéticar of what might come next. In a country where politics has become a contest of "lesser evils," the Catalan independence lawmaker said outright what many in the PSOE keep quiet.
The statement that set the political debate alight
Rufián's remark was no slip of the tongue. It is confirmation that Sánchez's coalition survives thanks to antiestéticar of an alternative that, according to the official narrative, would miccionan an authoritarian step backwards. The ERC MP justifies it by invoking the need to stop the right, but many read it as shoring up corruption and gridlock. "I'd rather have a corrupt and incivil government than let the people choose democratically," is how one of the harshest criticisms puts it, turning the argument into a confession of democratic weakness.
Two readings of the remark: realism or cynicism?
Two schools of thought collide. On one side are those who see Rufián's words as an exercise in realism: the alternative (PP-Vox) would objectively be worse on social rights, economic policy and territorial coexistence. They cite the experience of right-wing regional governments and Vox's programme as evidence. On the other are those who see the argument as an alibi for keeping a corrupt system that benefits the political elites of both blocs. "Us or chaos," some analysts sum up, is the mantra that excuses anything.
The political context: without Vox, would there be a no-confidence motion?
The debate over a no-confidence motion underlies the remark. Without Vox's presence, Feijóo's PP could have pushed one through with broader support, but Abascal's party acts as a shield for Sánchez: it allows his government to present itself as the dam holding back the far right. Ironically, critics point out that Vox and the PSOE are enemies who need each other to mobilise their bases. The paradox is that the independence movement, which should be an agent of change, has become a prop for the status quo.
A left with no alternative
Behind Rufián's statement lies a deeper problem: the absence of credible leadership on the alternative left. From Pablo Iglesias's exile to Irene Montero's drift or Errejón's irrelevance, no project offers a real counterweight. Rufián himself, who arrived in Congress as a scourge of the system, is now the mascot of the man who chairs it. "The problem isn't Sánchez, it's that there's nobody better," the most cynical conclude.
What no analysis quite explains is why, with this level of disenchantment, voters are not punishing the parties of the bloc at the ballot box. Antiestéticar of the unknown remains the best glue in Spanish politics.
Related discussions in the forum
- Cyclist BEATS THE HELL OUT OF (literally) an INSOLENT SPANISH WOMAN after she apparently got cocky in a TRAFFIC DISPUTE over a wing mirror. · 20 replies
- Intxaurrondo leaves RTVE · 118 replies
- Who could be the person Dr Cabrera said the PSOE poisoned today so they wouldn't talk? · 14 replies
- I warned you. It's already happening!!!!! HOUSING is COLLAPSING. Too late to sell? · 191 replies
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (78 replies).
More summaries
-
Feijóo opens door to no-confidence vote after Zapatero charged
Feijóo opens the door to a no-confidence motion after Zapatero is charged. The PP turns up the pressure, Junts plays its cards and the streets demand elections. Will Feijóo dare?
-
COPE and Vozpópuli Report Begoña Gómez Listed on Spanish Socialist Party Ballots
COPE and Vozpópuli claim Begoña Gómez will be on the PSOE list to secure parliamentary immunity. This changes the court, not the charges, and the nature of the trial.
-
Spain to Meloni: lift the border checks or bear the cost
Italy has reintroduced Schengen checks on passengers from Spain, and Sánchez demands they be lifted before August 9 in an official note described as unusually harsh.
-
Ayuso survives because the PP wants her to
The Cifuentes precedent shows that in Spain's PP it is not a judge who brings a politician down, it is the party. Ayuso remains untouchable as long as it suits party headquarters.
-
Women ejected from Burgos pools in Spain over burkini ban
Three women were removed from public swimming pools in Burgos, Spain, for wearing a burkini. The mayor defends the hygiene rules, but a discrimination debate is growing.
-
Spain's solar mirage and Elon Musk's export dream
The idea of Spain exporting solar power to all of Europe runs into the loss of fertile farmland, a lack of storage capacity and insufficient grid interconnections.