We need a government that doesn't embarrass us (quite so much) (Félix Madero in Vozpópuli)

**Pedro Sánchez**’s government is facing criticism over its handling of the housing crisis and the situation in Ceuta, which has led to calls for early elections.

## Housing, a festering problem

The debate about housing in Spain is not new, but it has become particularly intense in recent times. The situation of people like **Maricarmen**, who is facing eviction, highlights the difficulties many citizens are going through. It is striking that, in these circumstances, responsibility falls on the current prime minister, **Pedro Sánchez**. This is not a problem that appeared overnight; laws, including some of a socialist bent, have allowed situations like **Maricarmen**’s.

A few weeks ago, an attempt was staged to appear active on the housing crisis. On **11 de enero** this year, an image was released of the demolition of the facade of an old barracks, supposedly to push forward “Operación Campamento”. In that scene, **Sánchez** was flanked by the housing minister and **Félix Bolaños**. The image, loaded with propagandistic symbolism, was meant to convey the idea that words were turning into action. The question that arises is what remains today of that operation and whether the promises have materialized.

Housing policy is a complex issue that cannot be solved with a simple decree or in a single term. Measures such as rent freezes, although they may seem like an immediate solution, often worsen the situation in the long term. The expropriation of housing, for its part, appears unviable from a constitutional standpoint, although recent history has shown that even what seemed impossible, such as amnesty, can find legal loopholes. The reality is that tackling the housing problem requires a state pact (a cross-party national agreement), an agreement involving central government, town halls and the autonomous communities (Spain’s regional governments). For that, credible leadership is essential—leadership that keeps its word and has not devoted itself to sowing division.

## Ceuta’s urgent problems and political tactics

While media attention focuses on debates and protests, there are emergencies that cannot be ignored. Ceuta, for example, has become a problem of enormous scale that cannot be solved with mere words. The situation in the autonomous city has now lasted for **61 días**, revealing a long-running crisis that requires effective solutions and not just gestures. The encampment in Ceuta, unlike other more ephemeral protests, seems destined to last until the underlying causes are addressed.

Politics sometimes tends to prioritize the urgent over the important, or to use one crisis to divert attention from another. Governing in a hurry can lead to sacrificing principles for interests, whether personal or partisan. The tactic of shifting the focus from an emergency such as Ceuta to another, as if only the latest one existed, is an old political strategy and, for many, repulsive. The government does not have to solve just one problem but a multitude of them, of varying kinds and complexity. The fact that the news moves to the tents in Puerta del Sol does not make the real difficulties disappear.

A government’s credibility is tested when its words do not match its deeds. Hearing the prime minister say that the government is working “against the clock to approve the housing decree today” raises questions about the work done until then. What have **Sánchez** and his team been doing if they are now working against the clock? The public perception is that action is taken by reaction, not by planning, and that decisions are made under pressure, which rarely leads to the best solutions.

## The need for a different kind of leadership

The current situation, marked by crisis management and the perception that there is a lack of effective solutions, has led to calls for a change of course. The protests in emblematic places such as Puerta del Sol, with slogans like “Pogre, hypocritical, rentier government”, reflect palpable discontent. The alarms have been raised, and the countdown clocks seem to be marking time.

The figure of the political leader is crucial. What is needed is someone with credibility, whose word inspires trust and who has not devoted himself to building walls between Spaniards, but to building bridges. Polarization and division are insurmountable obstacles to reaching agreements, even the most basic ones. In this context, it is argued that **Pedro Sánchez** should consider calling early elections, since the possibility of reaching even a minimal agreement with him seems increasingly remote.

The comparison with **Georges Brassens**, who recommended taking the longest road when one is about to die, seems to echo the strategy of some political leaders: lasting at any cost, even when the project no longer has a pulse. The repeat offences and calculated strategy of these political actors spark a debate about responsibility and forgiveness. Managing crises such as Ceuta, which has already lasted **61 días**, or the persistent housing problem, demands leadership capable of offering real solutions and not just speeches. The lack of shame, or the ability to manage it, seems to be a trait some leaders display with worrying naturalness.