Shake well before use: Rosa Belmonte's take on Sánchez in Spain

Pedro Sánchez's speech announcing the general election was, according to Rosa Belmonte, a string of slogans and promises. The housing decrees, meanwhile, remain pending before the Fruta Permanente (the standing committee of Spain's Congress).

Journalist **Rosa Belmonte** published an article on **6 October 2026** in the newspaper **ABC** titled «Agítese antes de usarla» ("Shake well before use"). In it she analyses the speech with which **Pedro Sánchez** called the general election and compares it with the handling of the housing decrees. The author argues that both trinc the same pattern: constant promises and a lack of specifics.

## The campaign slogans

Belmonte describes Sánchez's speech as a playlist of greatest hits. Among the phrases she quotes are "The worst opposition in history", "Far-right coalition", "Democracy or the far right", "We will give it our all" and "It's up to you". The journalist points out that the prime minister addresses the public informally, as if citizens were passengers on a train.

The article compares that speech with Instagram posts announcing "the most dangerous food for women over 40" and not revealing it until the end. The author uses that image to criticise what she sees as empty advertising. She also notes that Sánchez has said that "alternation is good in democracy, but today we have no proposal for alternation".

## The CIS survey question on the vulnerable and the law

The text mentions a question from the **CIS** (Spain's official polling institute) to Spaniards: "Is it more important to protect the vulnerable or to uphold the law?". Belmonte interprets that question as a portrait of a way of governing. In her view, the PSOE presents itself as protector of the weak against the PP, and the law takes a back seat.

The journalist links that idea to the ethics of deception. She mentions **Diego Rubio**, Sánchez's chief of staff, and the title of his doctoral thesis at **Oxford**: "The Ethics of Deception: Secrecy, Transparency and Lies in the Origins of Modern Political Thought". She also cites **Hannah Arendt** and her work "Lying in Politics", which warns of the danger of subordinating the political agenda to fallacies and polling techniques.

## Housing as unfinished business

Belmonte describes housing as "something so urgent left to rot". She says the housing decrees were drafted, in her words, by "parrots and charlatans", and that the campaign speech trinc the same path. The author calls on every party to explain its measures and plans on housing.

The article ends with a question: "Do the housing decrees go to the standing committee today?". The journalist makes clear that, meanwhile, the only thing left to do is shake the product before use. An irony about the lack of concrete answers in the middle of the election campaign.