Spain's 121 MPs without honour: flawed individuals or a product of the system?
121 PSOE MPs keep Sánchez in power despite the scandals. Is it individual dishonour or a flaw in Spain's closed-list system? An analysis of the debate dividing opinion.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Spain's 121 MPs without honour: flawed individuals or a product of the system?
There are 121 PSOE MPs who keep Pedro Sánchez in La Moncloa, the Spanish prime minister's residence. Day after day, they swallow the scandals engulfing the president, from corruption allegations to court statements pointing to irregularities. But the question dividing analysts is whether the lack of honour is a personal trait of these 121 or the inevitable result of a system that rewards loyalty to the party over representation of the citizen.
121 MPs, one single voice: silence as a strategy
The Socialist MPs, who hold 121 seats, have chosen silence or outright defence of Sánchez. Critical voices within the party itself are non-existent. "If they had any honour, they would never have made it onto a PSOE list," some quip. Others point out that the PSOE has 150 years of history and that these MPs are no exception. The political cost of loyalty, however, has economic consequences: an unstable government and investment weighed down by uncertainty.
The design of the system: closed lists and party discipline
Behind the conduct of the 121 MPs lies an institutional mechanism: closed lists. MPs are not chosen directly by citizens; they are placed there by the party leadership. This creates total dependence. "The ones who put them on the lists are the ones they voted for in the investiture," one line of analysis explains. The lack of separation between the executive and the legislature completes the picture. The result is that MPs answer to their party leader, not to the voters. "Spain is a partitocracy, not a democracy," they conclude.
Is there an alternative? The debate over open lists
The solution many point to is the introduction of open lists, where citizens could choose their representatives directly. However, criticism is quick to trinc: in a country where 90% of the population does not think beyond what is right in front of them, open lists could create chaos or simply perpetuate voting for the party brand. Scepticism about the average citizen's ability to choose well runs deep. Others argue the problem is not the electoral system but the political culture.
What no analysis solves is how to break the vicious circle. As long as the 121 remain the president's guardians, corruption will keep having a price, but it will not be paid by them. Honour, as a concept, is left out of the political equation.
Related debates in the forum
There are 121 PSOE MPs who keep Pedro Sánchez in La Moncloa, the Spanish prime minister's residence. Day after day, they swallow the scandals engulfing the president, from corruption allegations to court statements pointing to irregularities. But the question dividing analysts is whether the lack of honour is a personal trait of these 121 or the inevitable result of a system that rewards loyalty to the party over representation of the citizen.
121 MPs, one single voice: silence as a strategy
The Socialist MPs, who hold 121 seats, have chosen silence or outright defence of Sánchez. Critical voices within the party itself are non-existent. "If they had any honour, they would never have made it onto a PSOE list," some quip. Others point out that the PSOE has 150 years of history and that these MPs are no exception. The political cost of loyalty, however, has economic consequences: an unstable government and investment weighed down by uncertainty.
The design of the system: closed lists and party discipline
Behind the conduct of the 121 MPs lies an institutional mechanism: closed lists. MPs are not chosen directly by citizens; they are placed there by the party leadership. This creates total dependence. "The ones who put them on the lists are the ones they voted for in the investiture," one line of analysis explains. The lack of separation between the executive and the legislature completes the picture. The result is that MPs answer to their party leader, not to the voters. "Spain is a partitocracy, not a democracy," they conclude.
Is there an alternative? The debate over open lists
The solution many point to is the introduction of open lists, where citizens could choose their representatives directly. However, criticism is quick to trinc: in a country where 90% of the population does not think beyond what is right in front of them, open lists could create chaos or simply perpetuate voting for the party brand. Scepticism about the average citizen's ability to choose well runs deep. Others argue the problem is not the electoral system but the political culture.
What no analysis solves is how to break the vicious circle. As long as the 121 remain the president's guardians, corruption will keep having a price, but it will not be paid by them. Honour, as a concept, is left out of the political equation.
Related debates in the forum
- Vito runs into Montero, former cashier, at the Puerta del Sol... Irene pats him and touches him gently...uhm · 122 replies
- Cyclist BEATS SPANISH WOMAN SENSELESS (literally) after she apparently got lippy in a TRAFFIC DISPUTE over a wing mirror. · 28 replies
- Barcelona. 50,000 rental flats vanish in 3 years. · 240 replies
- Today solar power generated as much as 31 nuclear plants · 32 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 (65 replies).
More summaries
-
Nucleo Nacional registers as party, vows strict migration policy
Nucleo National announces its registration as a political party in Spain, promising tough migration policies against South Americans. What economic impact might this have?
-
El Jueves targets corruption with a lineup of the usual suspects
El Jueves publishes a corruption-themed cover with eleven figures: mostly PP and two from PSOE. Criticism over imbalance and omissions.
-
Young Spaniards leaving Spain: the data behind the economic narrative
8,600 educated young people leave Spain every year. Brain drain or a residual figure? We look at the numbers, the biases and the reasons behind the debate.
-
Spain's women's league value plummets as market offers just €3
From €7m to €2m: Spain's Liga F receives offers of just €3 and the government prepares a multi-million-euro injection.
-
Immigration and social cohesion: integration comes down to jobs
Maghrebi and Latin American migrants share the same labour market in Spain. Comparing the two groups is a false dilemma that employment quickly dismantles.
-
€2,300 a month as a prison officer in Spain: risky job or a privilege?
A Spanish prison officer earns €2,300 a month in 14 payments and thinks it's too little. The pay debate over Spain's security forces, in this analysis.