Spain calls early general election

[annfoto]

Zpatero has called for parliament to be dissolved on September 26 and a general election to be held on November 20.
Zapatero of course is not standing for re-election Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is the official PSOE candidate and Rajoy the PP candidate.
Most seem to think that the PP will win with a clear margin but I am not so sure

[Mowser]

Maybe one of the parties will reverse the smoking ban and lower the price of ciggies.
Can't see it somehow.

[oliveview01]

Just as well all the British smokers cant vote then!!

[Jool]

Its because Rubalcaba is picking up "votes" (according to polls anyway) and some PSOE statistician has worked out that by November they may stand a fighting chance against PP - we have to hope for our sanity that the PP get in at Andalucia Region and ideally on a national level as well........

[Mowser]

we have to hope for our sanity that the PP get in at Andalucia Region

Why?

[mhic]

As a friend of mine once said "same *beep* different smell".

Mhic.

[julian]

"some PSOE statistician has worked out that by November they may stand a fighting chance against PP - we have to hope for our sanity that the PP get in at Andalucia Region and ideally on a national level as well"

for the moment it looks as if we won´t know till march if the PP get in at andalucia region.

[El Cid]

for the moment it looks as if we won´t know till march if the PP get in at andalucia region.

True but the last poll I saw gives them a 14% lead - enough for an overall majority.

We will have to wait and see.

Sid

[knowal]

If the PP get in, will they grasp the nettle of the housing crisis and move things forward, either nationally or regionally?
I do so hope that they will, as the PSOE do look set to lose. They have done a Gordon Brown type job on the Spanish economy, when the new government get in, they will have such a mess to sort out. The PSOE will have been covering up the real scale of the debt to try to keep the credit ratings up, the new government will have to make painful cuts, or we are going the way of Greece.

I'm pleased to see that Mowser has the important things in mind, politically, such as having a fag.

[Mowser]

I'm pleased to see that Mowser has the important things in mind, politically, such as having a fag

Given we don't have vote ... what else is there to do but wish?

[annfoto]

Actually I find that "having a fag" helps me ponder and contemplate on complex political or economic arguments

"The PSOE will have been covering up the real scale of the debt to try to keep the credit ratings up"

The scale of the debt is well known to all the ratings agencies, the ECB and the IMF. The IMF published their latest analysis on Friday. They recommended that the government increase VAT and fuel duty plus further reduce the cost of public sector pay as soon as possible.
We live in interesting times and I suspect things will come to a head long before the November elections

[gus-lopez]

The IMF published their latest analysis on Friday. They recommended that the government increase VAT and fuel duty

Well that will just about finish off the haulage industry , transporting produce. Only the large companies tied to the supemarkets will be able to increase their charges & the smaller ones will all be parked up.

[julian]

"If the PP get in, will they grasp the nettle of the housing crisis and move things forward, either nationally or regionally"

many of the present housing crisis problems have their roots in the last time the PP were in power.

nearly all countries that have had general elections since the crisis began have thrown the ruling party out.

[knowal]

Mowser has a point, I have no vote, will just have to be a spectator, but I might be a rowdy one!

[Jool]

So the regional elections will still be in March but the national one brought forward to November?

The PP seem to be the party with the biggest grip on reality and thus far more likely to genuinely resolve the planning blight and illegal house situation, there is ample evidence to demonstrate this, whereas the PSOE still seem very anti foreigner and just looking to scam more money out of us without providing any real property rights or resolutions to those affected.....

[Mowser]

The PP seem to be the party with the biggest grip on reality and thus far more likely to genuinely resolve the planning blight and illegal house situation

But it was the parties in power in the town halls who were the main culprits. It's the same as in the UK. If you have a housing problem you approach the local government - not the national one.
I can't see that PP will make one whit of a difference. Given that we "foreigners" don't have a vote in national elections, why should they bother to court us?

[peteroldracer]

the PSOE do look set to lose. :

Thankyou, thaankyou, thankyou White Horse - first poster for ages who does not think 'lose' has two 'o's!!!

[Mowser]

Thankyou, thaankyou, thankyou White Horse - first poster for ages who does not think 'lose' has two 'o's!!!

Why do you join "thankyou" together?
Why spell thank "thaank"?

[peteroldracer]

Dave - I must have been overcome at the rare sight of a correct 'lose'! I used the noun spelling of 'thankyou' when it should have been the verb form - 'thank you' and the extra 'a' was my dyslexic keyboard!
Now if only everyone took as much care as you in pointing out errors we pedants might get somewhere - no more "I should of" for example.
Glad you are there on my side.

[Mariacristina]

As a sometime former teacher I am pleased to see the finer points of English grammar being discussed here. I am, however, joining in this discussion because I am interested in the political situation and I do vote here. Before the recent local elections I attended every political party meeting that was held in our village and the speakers at all of them seemed to be intent on belittling the other parties rather than making any practical proposals for dealing with the current potentially disastrous situation. My Spanish neighbours have very definite ideas about who one should vote for without being able to explain the different policies proposed by the different parties. So....why will voting for PP benefit our sanity? It seems to me that most "western" countries have been living on borrowed money for far too long and, like it or not, it's payback time.