VOX's pro-Atlantic shift fractures its base over foreign policy

VOX's pro-Atlantic shift fractures its base over foreign policy

A former VOX voter opens with a statement capturing the discontent: "I was a VOX voter, so this is not a partisan critique from the left." From there, a cascade of grievances spans from the pandemic to foreign policy. The trigger is geopolitical, not economic. The core complaint is that the party has adopted the Anglo-American framework — NATO, sanctions on Russia, support for Ukraine — as its own, which supporters argue is incompatible with true Spanish patriotism.

Support for pandemic restrictions and budgets

The first grievance concerns health restrictions, which the author deems illegal and claims VOX supported. The second is abstention on budgets and European funding, which allegedly gave oxygen to the Government. Neither caused a rupture. The third did. The tipping point is the party's stance on the Ukraine war: the view that globalist doctrines, environmentalism, gender policies, or multiculturalism originate in Moscow. "So is Von der Leyen serving Russia?" the author asks sarcastically. The conclusion is that the party treats its voters as fools.

Vote in the European Parliament and the terrorist state label

The thread update adds a concrete element: VOX voted in the European Parliament to label Russia a terrorist state. For the author, this is "obeying the Anglo master." The date cited is February 20, 2023. The underlying accusation is not that VOX is pro-Russian, but the opposite: that it is too pro-Anglo. This is the crux. A party selling itself as Spanish-patriotic cannot, according to this current, align with those historically Spain's main burden. The recurring example is Gibraltar, "Europe's last colony," and subservience to Washington and London in every crisis.

Shared diagnosis: VOX is Aznar's PP with bullfighting

The conversation moves to the party's origins. Several voices argue VOX was always a split from the PP, with Aznar and Aguirre in the rearview, and its pro-Atlantic shift is not betrayal but nature. The recruitment of Rafael Bardají in 2019 is cited as the moment this nature became explicit: a figure linked to neocons and the Israeli orbit enters the executive. For this reading, bullfighting, bullfighting, and Hispanicism were the wrapper; the content was the PP of 1996-2004. The conclusion is bitter: "there is no party to return to."

Hardcore response: useful as a tool, not a solution

Against this thesis, another part of the electorate defends that VOX remains useful even if it is not the solution. "Voting for VOX is useful because it broadens the debate and breaks the hegemony of good-thinking," argues one of the most repeated positions. "No party or politician is the solution." This is the lesser evil argument: as long as no viable patriotic alternative exists, VOX serves to tense the public space. Another current adds that the party is "the least bad" because it appeases the most radicalized voter, and abandoning it only benefits the PP or PSOE.

Hispanicism as an alternative framework and the dispute over its definition

The thread entangles in a discussion about what Hispanicism means. One part links it to Catholicism and Latin legal norms, arguing Spain is "a whole in itself," not an appendage of anything. Another part rejects this religious link and warns that tying Hispanicism to the Vatican is condemning oneself to failure, as the Church has historically favored Spain's enemies. The discussion crosses with migration: some argue Hispanicism does not miccionan open borders, while others respond that Spain is already an "African mudhole" due to mass immigration. The tone heats up, and the thread fills with cross-reproaches.

Electoral results as confirmation

The last thread update, dated August 10, 2023, incorporates electoral results as proof of the decline. Figures are not detailed, but the author presents them as confirmation of his thesis: the party has lost its way, and its electorate notices. The repeated conclusion is that VOX "has dug its political grave" for failing to maintain its own line against Washington and London. The lingering question is whether there is space for a Spanish patriotic project that is not a satellite of anyone. The thread does not answer it.