Caroline (Year 12) has been researching the Spanish political system and attitudes towards politics in Spain. As part of this, she has interviewed Marta, a Spanish student studying in Germany, about her views on the subject.
Mi primera pregunta sería – ¿Cómo crees que ha cambiado el panorama político en la última década en España?
My first question would be – How do you think the political landscape in Spain has changed in the last decade?
Marta: En mi opinión, el panorama político no ha cambiado mucho, porque en España hay dos partidos mayoritarios, y siempre hay un intercambio de poder entre los dos. Pero creo que, al fin y al cabo, no hay una mejora o un cambio general en la popularidad de estos partidos líderes en España porque la gente no ha cambiado sus hábitos de voto: se sienten disociados de la política, por lo que les da igual.
Marta: In my opinion, the political landscape hasn’t changed much, because in Spain there are two majority parties, and there is always an interchange of power between the two. But I think that, when all is said and done, there is no improvement or general change in the popularity of these leading parties in Spain as the public haven’t changed their voting habits: they feel dissociated from politics, so they don’t care about it.
FACT – these two main Spanish political parties are the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (Spanish: Partido Socialista Obrero Español) and the People’s Party (Spanish: Partido Popular). These have dominated the political scene since the 1980s! The PSOE is a centre-left party, and has been in government longer than any other political party in Spain. The Spanish President, Pedro Sánchez, belongs to it. The PP is a conservative and Christian-democratic political party, founded in 1989.
¿Y cuáles crees que serán las implicaciones del ascenso de la extrema derecha, como el partido ‘Vox’ ?
And what do you think the implications of the rise of the far-right will be, like the party ‘Vox’?
Marta: Yo espero que aunque tenga un mayor número de votos, nunca lleguen al poder. Pero en el hipotético caso de que lleguen a poder, supongo que pondrían medidas muy radicales como leyes que restrictan severamente la inmigración, o medidas contra el aborto. Pienso que, hablando de manera realista, no podrán obtener suficiente apoyo para competir contra los partidos principales, pero nunca se sabe!
Marta: I hope that even though they obtain a greater number of votes, they never come into power. But, hypothetically if they did get into power, they would likely implement radical measures such as laws severely restricting immigration, or measures against abortion. I think realistically speaking they won’t be able to gain enough support to compete against the major parties, but you never know!
FACT – This specific party, Vox, is the predominant Spanish far right party, often compared to the ‘National Rally’ party in France (led by Marine Le Pen). They entered Spanish parliament for the first time in April 2019, and currently have around 54,000 members. In November 2019, it performed 3rd out of all Spanish parties.
¿Por qué crees que hay un apoyo tan grande a la independencia catalana?
Why do you think there is such great support for Catalonian independence?
Marta: Hay un apoyo tan grande dentro de Cataluña, pero en el resto de España, no hay un apoyo significativo para que Cataluña se independice. Yo creo que el major problema es que Cataluña paga muchos impuestos comparado con el resto de España porque es una comunidad más rica – así que contribuye en gran medida a la economía española. También, la universidad es más cara allí, así como otros bienes y servicios. Entonces, creo que piensan que es todo más caro por culpa de España, y echa la culpa a España, y por eso se quieren independizar.
Marta: There is relatively great support within Catalonia, but in the rest of Spain, there isn’t significant support for Catalonia to become independent. I think that the greatest problem is that Catalan pays lots of taxes in comparison to the rest of Spain because it is a richer area – so it contributes extensively to the Spanish economy. Also, university is more expensive there, as well as other goods and services. Therefore, I think they consider that everything is more expensive because of Spain, and they pass on the blame to Spain, and this is why they want to become independent.
FACT – In the Catalan independence referendum of 2017, 92% voted for independence, with only 7% voting against. However, voter turnout was only 43% of the population, at roughly 5 million people.
Como estudiante, ¿cómo crees que difieren las opiniones de los jóvenes de las generaciones mayores en términos de política?
As a student, how do you think that the opinions of young people differ from those of older generations in terms of politics?
Marta: Opino que no importa si se vota por un partido de izquierda o de derecha, tanto las generaciones jóvenes como las mayores votan por sus propios intereses hasta cierto punto, pero también tienen en cuenta el futuro. Se trata de quién tiene las mejores políticas en cada elección, y creo que jóvenes y mayores pueden estar de acuerdo en esto más de lo que la gente piensa. Por supuesto depende de la mentalidad abierta de un individuo, pero colectivamente, todos buscamos una España mejor.
Marta: I believe that no matter whether voting for a party on the left or on the right, both younger and older generations vote in their own interests to an extent, but also consider the future. It depends who has the best policies at each election, and I think that young and old can agree on more than people think. Of course it depends on the open-mindedness of an individual, but collectively, we are all searching for a better Spain.
FACT- At the last Spanish general election in 2019, over 35 million people were eligible to vote, with 1 million young people voting for the first time. Many of these new voters were concerned by issues such as Government corruption, climate change, and gender inequality.
Tras el arresto de Pablo Hasel y las protestas que han seguido, ¿qué crees que dice esto sobre la libertad de expresión y la actitud hacia su represión en España?
Following Pablo Hasel’s arrest, and the subsequent protests, what do you think this says about freedom of expression and the attitude towards its repression in Spain?
Marta: En mi opinión, no sé si deberían haberlo arrestado porque va en contra de sus libertades de expresión, aunque muchas de las cosas que dice son polémicas. El problema que hay en España es que no se puede decir nada mala en contra del rey o de la Corona, pero es sancionado si lo hace, a pesar de no haber cometido un delito grave como robo o asesinato. Por lo tanto, se puede argumentar que las personas que manifiestan están en contra de calificar ese discurso como ilegal. La ira surge de la percepción que la familia real recibe privilegios que no se merecen, mientras que hay cada vez más desigualdad en España. También, si la familia real misma comete un delito, a menudo no se les pedirá cuentas.
Marta: In my opinion, I don’t know whether they should have arrested him as it goes against his freedom of expression, though many things he says are controversial. The problem in Spain is that you can’t say anything bad against the king or the monarchy, and it is punishable if you do, despite not having committed a serious crime such as robbery or murder. Therefore, it can be argued that the protesters are against the branding of such speech as illegal. The anger comes from the perception that the royal family receive privileges they are not deserving of, despite the rising inequalities in Spain. Also, if the royal family themselves commit a crime, they often are not held to account.
FACT – Spanish rapper Pablo Hasel was jailed after he tweeted comments slandering the monarchy, state, and police, as well as for exalting terrorism in his lyrics and tweets. For weeks, protests in Spain, often violent, have followed, with many outraged by this perceived violation of free speech.
Y siguiendo de esto, ¿Piensas que la Corona en España todavía es necesaria en el climático político de hoy?
And following on from this, do you think that the Spanish monarchy is still necessary in today’s political climate?
Marta: Pienso que la Corona está pasado de moda, y no la necesitamos hoy en día. Está separado del gobierno, así que no nos representa. Realmente, no hace nada para la población, y todos los españoles pagan por su casa y su estilo de vida extravagante. Cuando el presidente viaje a los otros países para representarnos, el rey no acompaña y rara vez aparece en este tipo de visitas. También, ha habido muchos escándalos relacionados con la familia y, como resultado, su popularidad ha disminuido considerablemente.
Marta: I think that the monarchy is old-fashioned, and we don’t need it nowadays. It is separate from the Government, so it doesn’t represent us. Really, it doesn’t do anything for the population, and all Spanish people pay for their home and their extravagant lifestyle. When the president travels to other countries to represent us, the king doesn’t accompany, and rarely appears in these types of visits. Also, there have been lots of scandals related to the family, and as a result, their popularity has significantly decreased.
FACT – According to a recent poll, over 40% of Spaniards back a republic and the abolition of the monarchy, following scandals including the departure of former king Juan Carlos abroad. It also found that 48% favour a referendum on the monarchy, to let the public have their say.
Thanks to Marta for letting me voice her views on politics in Spain!
Adios!