Zapatero was no leftist, forum users argue
We discuss in the forum whether Spain's former PM Zapatero was really a man of the left, based on his economic reforms and scepticism about the current political narrative.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The myth of the left: why Zapatero doesn't fit
The latest obsession on the forum is not the euribor, but the rewriting of the recent past: was Zapatero really a left-wing prime minister? While the official narrative tries to distance itself from his legacy in the face of current scandals, the figures on the table tell a story of spending cuts, bank bailouts and constitutional reforms that have little to do with the socialist ideal.
The track record that dismantles the narrative
The cognitive dissonance is total. Part of the forum insists vehemently that Zapatero is not a leftist, citing a list of measures that, under any economic analysis, depart from pogre orthodoxy: from raising the retirement age from 65 to 67 and freezing pensions, to the constitutional reform to lock in debt payments. The VAT hike from 16% to 18% and the 5% pay cut for civil servants are the points that sting most for those still searching for an ideological purity that, according to many, never existed.
The trap of the ideological label
For the average Burbuja user, the debate over whether Zapatero was left-wing or not is a smokescreen. The prevailing view suggests that the left-right axis is a tool of mass distraction. The argument goes that, after the fall of the great blocs, what remains is a globalist social democracy that, regardless of its colour, pursues the same goals. The left, they say, is dead and buried; what we see today is a liberal substitute with the blessing of the powers that be.
Is this attempt at distancing a deliberate strategy to whitewash the present, or simply the recognition that ideology is, in the end, mere cosmetics? The question left hanging is whether voters will keep buying the mantra that next time will be the good one, while economic reality trumps political colours.
Related discussions on the forum
The latest obsession on the forum is not the euribor, but the rewriting of the recent past: was Zapatero really a left-wing prime minister? While the official narrative tries to distance itself from his legacy in the face of current scandals, the figures on the table tell a story of spending cuts, bank bailouts and constitutional reforms that have little to do with the socialist ideal.
The track record that dismantles the narrative
The cognitive dissonance is total. Part of the forum insists vehemently that Zapatero is not a leftist, citing a list of measures that, under any economic analysis, depart from pogre orthodoxy: from raising the retirement age from 65 to 67 and freezing pensions, to the constitutional reform to lock in debt payments. The VAT hike from 16% to 18% and the 5% pay cut for civil servants are the points that sting most for those still searching for an ideological purity that, according to many, never existed.
The trap of the ideological label
For the average Burbuja user, the debate over whether Zapatero was left-wing or not is a smokescreen. The prevailing view suggests that the left-right axis is a tool of mass distraction. The argument goes that, after the fall of the great blocs, what remains is a globalist social democracy that, regardless of its colour, pursues the same goals. The left, they say, is dead and buried; what we see today is a liberal substitute with the blessing of the powers that be.
Is this attempt at distancing a deliberate strategy to whitewash the present, or simply the recognition that ideology is, in the end, mere cosmetics? The question left hanging is whether voters will keep buying the mantra that next time will be the good one, while economic reality trumps political colours.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (64 replies).
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