Sánchez and the climate: an election choice nobody asked for
A forum attributes to Spain's PM Sánchez a choice between himself or climate change. Postal voting, flooding in Bilbao and housing all enter the campaign.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Sánchez frames it as a choice between himself or climate change
An alleged ballot-rigging plot, flooding in Bilbao and a quote attributed to the Spanish prime minister. The debate kicks off with a remark pinned on Pedro Sánchez —"now you will have to choose between me or climate change"— which no one from his official circle has denied with the firmness the case would call for. The immediate reaction is mockery: climate change, that catch-all wildcard, now also serves to ask for votes.
What is attributed to Pedro Sánchez and why it is being debated
The quote works as a provocation: either voters back the prime minister, or the planet falls apart. Some read it as a veiled threat, others wave it off with irony: if the climate has not changed with Sánchez at La Moncloa (the PM's official residence), the argument hardly holds up. The discussion quickly drifts toward housing: it is claimed that a right-wing government would build fewer homes, cut pensions and multiply climate disasters. None of that comes with a single figure attached.
Postal voting and the shadow of vote-rigging
The second front is postal voting. Santiago Abascal's call (Vox) to vote in person is circulating, because, in his view, the postal system is rigged by the PSOE. The accusation leans on the government's track record: the ballot-stuffing in the PSOE's leadership election, the pact with Podemos, the Delcy Rodríguez suitcases, ELbichito. None of those episodes has led to a firm conviction, but the suspicion circulates under the label of "I don't trust it".
Bilbao floods and climate enters the campaign
The anecdote that throws everything off: a couple of days ago Bilbao flooded. The fact is used as ammunition against the prime minister, without anyone explaining the causal link between a flood and a slogan. Climate change, which some dismiss as a "deceiving mirage", others rename "chromatic change" to laugh the whole thing off. That is how Spanish politics works: the climate changes colour depending on who invokes it.
One question remains unanswered: if the climate is the alternative to a vote, what happens when the climate does not change?
An alleged ballot-rigging plot, flooding in Bilbao and a quote attributed to the Spanish prime minister. The debate kicks off with a remark pinned on Pedro Sánchez —"now you will have to choose between me or climate change"— which no one from his official circle has denied with the firmness the case would call for. The immediate reaction is mockery: climate change, that catch-all wildcard, now also serves to ask for votes.
What is attributed to Pedro Sánchez and why it is being debated
The quote works as a provocation: either voters back the prime minister, or the planet falls apart. Some read it as a veiled threat, others wave it off with irony: if the climate has not changed with Sánchez at La Moncloa (the PM's official residence), the argument hardly holds up. The discussion quickly drifts toward housing: it is claimed that a right-wing government would build fewer homes, cut pensions and multiply climate disasters. None of that comes with a single figure attached.
Postal voting and the shadow of vote-rigging
The second front is postal voting. Santiago Abascal's call (Vox) to vote in person is circulating, because, in his view, the postal system is rigged by the PSOE. The accusation leans on the government's track record: the ballot-stuffing in the PSOE's leadership election, the pact with Podemos, the Delcy Rodríguez suitcases, ELbichito. None of those episodes has led to a firm conviction, but the suspicion circulates under the label of "I don't trust it".
Bilbao floods and climate enters the campaign
The anecdote that throws everything off: a couple of days ago Bilbao flooded. The fact is used as ammunition against the prime minister, without anyone explaining the causal link between a flood and a slogan. Climate change, which some dismiss as a "deceiving mirage", others rename "chromatic change" to laugh the whole thing off. That is how Spanish politics works: the climate changes colour depending on who invokes it.
One question remains unanswered: if the climate is the alternative to a vote, what happens when the climate does not change?
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (23 replies).
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