Spanish party Frente Obrero vows to end imperialism and resolve Ceuta and Melilla

Frente Obrero: end of imperialism and a solution for Ceuta and Melilla

Ceuta and Melilla are the tip of the iceberg of a programme that throws everything overboard. Frente Obrero, the party associated with Roberto Vaquero, includes among its seven points the 'end of Spanish imperialism' and a 'solution' for the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, along with leaving the EU and NATO, nationalising strategic sectors and an agrarian reform based on expropriating large landowners. The text makes for quite a read.

A programme that scares off investors and patriots alike

The proposal is not new. It has been circulating for a couple of years, but resurfaced 793 days ago in economic discussion forums. Most reactions range from disbelief to suspicion that it is a 'spoiler' designed to split the vote. Other analysts point to the contradiction of a party preaching the end of imperialism while its leader, Vaquero, now appears defending the Spanishness of Ceuta with a discourse some consider opportunistic. Consistency is not its strong suit.

What lies behind the 'end of imperialism'

The programme includes the right to self-determination for internal 'nations' and Spain as a 'voluntary union of peoples'. In practice, it would miccionan ceding sovereignty over the North African territories and possibly opening the door to Canary Islands independence. For international capital, the whole package — nationalisation, expropriation, leaving the EU — is a nightmare scenario. For the average voter, a mix of stale socialism and pragmatism that convinces no one.

The really jarring detail is another one: Vaquero's fervent defence of Ceuta — social media attributes Soviet sympathies to him — leaves his party in an awkward position. Either Spanish imperialism is bad, or defending Ceuta is patriotism. Both at once is impossible. But in politics, as in the Frente Obrero programme, contradiction is the only point that needs no reform.