The liquidation of political consensus by the left-wing: a two-way road

Spain is living through an unprecedented time, with a government of parties that lost the last elections and that now govern by decree.

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Spain is experiencing such an abnormal situation that in three years of the legislature, the Sánchez government has not managed to get any of its budgets approved and has practically given up on presenting the fourth, seriously failing to fulfill a constitutional duty and refusing to call early elections, which is what Sánchez demanded of the Rajoy government when he was in the opposition.

Last week, Sánchez displayed his authoritarian tendencies once again by approving a mass regularization of illegal immigrants by Royal Decree, which will negatively affect other European countries, since Spain is a signatory to the Schengen Agreement and therefore legal residents in our country have the right to move freely through the other countries of the European Union. The government knew it did not have a guaranteed parliamentary majority to pass that measure, so it decided to pass it behind the backs of the Congress of Deputies and without going through it, using a legal mechanism intended for urgent and extreme cases. A mechanism that the Sánchez government has abused more than any previous Spanish government.

Basically, what Sánchez is doing is making decisions that seriously affect Spaniards without any parliamentary debate, usurping the legislative function of the Congress and the Senate, acting as if he had full powers and behaving, in fact, like a dictator who does whatever he wants with Spain, without consulting the chambers that, according to the Constitution, represent national sovereignty, that is, the Spanish people. This is the same Sánchez who two days ago had the audacity to present himself as a defender of democracy.

Of course, this way of acting is not new. The socialists already did this during the terms of Felipe González (1982-1996) and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (2004-2011), doing things as serious as legalizing abortion and seriously damaging judicial independence without seeking any consensus with the opposition.

The PSOE has always done this, confident that the People's Party (PP) wouldn't dare reverse these reforms, because the PP continues to believe in the myth of an idealized socialism capable of reaching political consensus with the opposition. Such consensus is desirable in a democracy, especially on important issues, but in Spain it has been dismantled by the left, which is obsessed with imposing its ideological agenda on the entire society, even if it means degrading institutions, fundamental rights, and the very pillars of our democracy.

Obviously, in a democracy it is possible to do something like this, but whoever does it must bear the consequences of this sectarian form of governance. Because if a government of a certain political persuasion can use its parliamentary majority to seriously undermine the foundations of our democracy, or even continue to govern after losing that majority, with the methods of an autocrat, then tomorrow another government of a different ideological persuasion could do the same to undo everything the left has accomplished, without seeking any agreement with the socialists, just as they have not sought any agreement with the opposition all these years.

As many will recall, Mariano Rajoy had the opportunity to reverse the changes introduced by the left when he was in power, and he failed to do so, despite enjoying an absolute majority between 2011 and 2015 and having come to power with a solemn promise of change. The disappointment this caused led to the emergence of a new party to the right of the PP: Vox, an option that has now consolidated its position and will be essential for the PP to govern after new elections, according to the polls.

The PP will be tempted to repeat the Rajoy debacle, fearing the angry and intolerant reactions of a left wing that believes it has the exclusive right to legislate in Spain. Today, Vox's presence serves to impose conditions on the PP: either it introduces changes or it will not be able to govern. The more demanding Vox's attitude is toward the PP, the greater the chances of undoing all the damage the PSOE has done.

If Vox particularly bothers the Socialists, it's because they know it doesn't have the PP's qualms about repairing the damage done. Currently, and as events demonstrate, the PP only threatens the possibility of the PSOE continuing to govern, but only Vox can ensure that the Socialist project remains intact once Pedro Sánchez leaves power. Of course, we citizens also have a role to play in this: we must remember that our vote is conditional and linked to change. The days of voting for center or right-wing parties like one supports a football team, allowing them to leave Socialist laws untouched without any consequences, must end.

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Photo: Luke Stackpoole.