Adamuz: Pedro Sánchez applies a technique used by Zapatero to dilute responsibilities

As has happened with other disasters in Spain, once again the Sánchez government believes that it is never to blame for anything.

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An accident with clear government responsibility

So far, the government's refusal to assume political responsibility for very serious events (the delay in taking measures against the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the delay in sending aid to the floods in Valencia on October 29, 2024, and the national blackout on April 28, 2025) has had no consequences thanks to the support of its friendly media outlets, which are very effective at diluting the government's role in any matter and shifting the blame to others.

However, the Adamuz train accident, which left 45 dead, occurred on infrastructure that depends on the government —specifically the Ministry of Transport, headed by the socialist Óscar Puente— and it has already become clear that it was due to a failure in that infrastructure, whose maintenance depends on the public company ADIF, which reports to the aforementioned ministry.

The Sánchez government faces a very difficult task in escaping unscathed this time, because it is becoming increasingly clear that the Adamuz accident was due to the deterioration of railway infrastructure, a problem that train drivers had already warned about months ago, without the government heeding their complaints. Many Spaniards have been noticing this deterioration daily through vibrations and bumps on high-speed trains, and now this situation is creating a sense of insecurity and distrust in this important mode of transport, used daily by millions of Spaniards. Now, citizens are seeing the consequences of disastrous political management impacting their daily lives.

Sánchez says he assumes “all responsibilities” but does not resign.

Faced with this serious situation, Sánchez has stated that he has already assumed "all responsibilities." He said this during a press conference in Brussels. And what does that mean? Well, nothing. Sánchez hasn't resigned nor has he dismissed Óscar Puente, so the government hasn't assumed any responsibility, because that would entail resignations, and it's already clear that in this government nobody resigns for anything, not even for the most serious events, not even when mismanagement causes as many deaths as those in the Valencia floods or the Adamuz train accident.

A technique for diluting responsibility already used by Zapatero

It must be said that this technique for diluting responsibility was not invented by Sánchez. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero made statements like that during his term whenever there was a problem that prompted demands for resignations. He did so in February 2010 in response to criticism of the serious increase in unemployment in Spain, due to the policies implemented by the Socialist government, and immediately after stating that he accepted responsibility, he attributed the situation to a "structural problem" originating in 1977. Since the tactic worked well for him and his friendly media supported him, in February 2011 he used this technique again to evade his responsibility for the housing bubble, saying that the "ultimate responsibility" lay with the governments, before literally blaming everyone, stating: "although it's not easy to say, we have all contributed, including society."

When making these kinds of statements, Zapatero assumed a serious tone, pretending to be a competent politician. It was a mere charade to avoid resigning. He had no intention of leaving his post because his policies were causing serious damage to the Spanish economy and society. One has to wonder if Zapatero has advised Sánchez to use this tactic, but now to try to avoid resignations over a fatal accident that is the final straw in a railway chaos caused by the government's disastrous management.

The result of believing that the left should be judged by its intentions

Of course, with that crude staged performance, both Zapatero and Sánchez demonstrate that they share the same distorted idea of ​​democracy, an idea that a left-wing government can do many things wrong and even create situations that result in deaths, because ultimately the left believes it should be judged by its intentions, which it always considers good, even if the results are disastrous. It must be said that this is not an original idea of ​​Sánchez or Zapatero: it is the theory that much of the left has been applying for years, and the result is that in the face of extremely serious events, there are no resignations, sending all Spaniards the message that the government is never to blame for anything, not even for the consequences of its actions.
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Photo: Efe.