The volcano is over

Filomena, Cumbre Vieja, periodic floods in the Ebro, the coronavirus pandemic, passing exams without effort, civil servants without competitive examinations, Bildu-ETA laundering, 4-M, pardons for coup plotters, the euthanasia law, and national-socialist harassment in Canet de Mar. And, in addition, the King's speech. Eleven moments to sum them up in three words: another lost year. Except in Madrid.

Felipe VI, a willing participant. Solidarity with the palmeros. He called for political consensus, for the institutions to be an example of public and moral integrity, and demanded that political parties think of the citizens. He defended the Transition and the Constitution, "master beam of progress and coexistence", and called for compliance with the laws. Proof that they are not being complied with. In any case, we saw a monarch close to the people of the Canary Islands and to the sectors involved in the pandemic (healthcare workers, restaurateurs, hoteliers, victims of the coronavirus). Good. But... as if in the background. It would seem that the speech had been written in its entirety - not revised - by Moncloa. Less well.

 

If politicians obeyed the law, we would have banished ninety percent of our problems. Constitutional loyalty is democracy's unfinished business. The central government, with three Constitutional Court revolts for overreaching during the pandemic, is the first not to comply with the Law of Laws and heads never roll to regenerate national life.

Filomena taught us in January that we are a very vulnerable country; after the sixth wave of the coronavirus, almost two years later, we have learned nothing. Do we need another six for this government to abandon the Royal Decree Law and present to Parliament a Pandemic Law with parameters common to all Spaniards? Does the Chinese virus discriminate by territory? Hiding behind the term co-governance, President Sánchez laughs at all of us, washes his hands like Pilate and treats us like Cuban "plantaos". 

The latest conference of presidents, presented in Barcelona to enthrone Salvador Illa as ERC's main collaborator and justify his attendance in Falcon, served to demonstrate that the irresponsibility of this government in this and other matters is like Cantabria: infinite. It arrived at the Senate without the health ministers having prepared a minimum agenda, it allows Aragonés to dictate dictatorial rules, including a curfew, and it takes out of its sleeve the use of compulsory masks in the streets, without any scientific basis and without the majority consent of the Autonomous Regions.

The doctor in charge, his minister Darias and the spokesperson Rodríguez just have to lie to everyone all the time to sell that 8 are more than 9. The official communiqué read on the telepronter confirms that our charismatic leader did not even know what was approved; in reality everything was approved several months ago.

In short: more uncertainty, a record number of contagions, regional chaos and ruin for the nightlife, restaurant and hotel sector. And once again, improvisation with the absence of essential elements to stop this virus with vaccines: the antigens. How is it possible that the same thing happens to us as with the masks of the first wave? They are always Chinese, deficient, expensive, and the claim of speculators close to the PSC. The non-existent PCRs, also Chinese, with sometimes falsified homologations, are very expensive compared to Portugal. Where is Minister Garzón? Playing with Christmas dolls? No, playing with us and keeping quiet as a dead man. Why is he not defending consumers and patients?  To put it with a bit of humour: 17 Autonomous Regions, 17 different Christmases: some calling for a curfew, others for a state of alarm, most blaming the health workers and in Madrid calling for a cold beer with calamari. This government's inaction is destroying the rule of law. In fact, it has been doing so since June 2018. 

 Cumbre Verde has been the longest volcano in the Canary Islands since the 16th century. For almost 90 days it expelled magma and gases, widening the island and leaving thousands of Palmeños in misery. It must be recognised that Sánchez travelled there seven times to promise aid. Today, three months and many tears later, the volcano has officially closed... falsely. The gases (which can neither be seen nor smelled) can still be lethal. The question is simple: Why hasn't the aid arrived? Bureaucracy. We were happy to see on TV those responsible for monitoring the volcano say: the volcano is over. But when will the uncertainty and insecurity of the people affected end? When will they be able to return to their homes and resume their dreams?

Cumbre Vieja has been a spectacle. And a nightmare. The floods, too. From fire to rain. From the Atlantic to the north. The river Ebro has overflowed its banks once again. Thank you, Mr. José Luís Rodriguez Zapatero for dynamiting J.M. Aznar's National Hydrological Plan (PHN), twenty-four hours after cowardly withdrawing Spanish troops from Iraq, dismissed with the cry of "chickens, chickens! What a humiliation for our Army! No, we have not forgotten, ZP, ambassador plenipotentiary of Nicolás Maduro and the narcopopulism of Puebla. Anything new about the corruption of his ambassador Morodo? And about the suitcases of Delcy-Abalos? What secrets is Pollo Carvajal keeping so that his extradition to the USA is delayed for the third time? 

It is true that from 2011 to 2015, Mariano Rajoy, with his absolute majority, did nothing to get the PHN back on track to irrigate the Levant and the eastern Mediterranean. "Water will only arrive when the Valencian Community is part of the Catalan Countries", I heard a separatist senator say. Don Mariano left eight million in the 2018 Budget to clean the banks of the Ebro and prevent flooding. The social-communist government did not spend a single euro in the last four years. And so we continue: with tremendous social, economic and human costs. Did you know that most of the farmers in the Ebro meadows and tributaries cannot find insurers for their crops and, meanwhile, the water goes directly to the sea. 

One fact: with the water that flooded hundreds of vegetable gardens and washed away houses and garages and businesses on the street, the Ebro basin, if properly channelled, could supply all the needs of the Spanish Levante, Murcia and Almeria for five years. And avoid 90% of the catastrophes. But no one is lifting a finger to "think of the citizens", as the monarch asked in his VIII Christmas speech. Sánchez, however, without wellington boots, took the Falcon to appear after a Council of Ministers alone in affected socialist towns - not being booed - remembering that he had insulted Rajoy like nobody else in 2017 when the latter arrived on the banks of the Pilar in Zaragoza, five days late.

The heavens also wept over Cádiz a few hours ago, embittering the Christmas holidays for thousands of decent people in Jerez, El Puerto, Vejer de la Frontera and La Barca. They are still bailing water from the garages. And on top of that, the National Lottery passed them by. We need a Water Pact. And we need it now. It is not foreseeable that we will be able to control the fire on the ground. But our UME military and volcanology experts have mitigated the collateral damage; water, in this case our largest river, can be tamed. But lack of political will has prevented it, precisely in democracy. Today, without General Franco's reservoirs, Spain would be a wasteland. Where is the alternative desalination plant project of Mrs Narbona, Doña Cristina, then president of the PSOE? In limbo. Where did the 17 billion of her ministry's budget go? Presumably to the hells of corruption.

The light of hunger

PSOE and UP were scandalised when in the PP's time energy prices rose by 8%. The expletives of Irene Montero and Mayoral, who today are silent as `vulpes`, are enlightening of their hypocrisy: "No more power cuts; energy poverty is a social crime". They invaded the streets shouting "Ultra-capitalist and murderous government! Today electricity and gas are 500% more expensive than four months ago; not 8 or 10%.

 And energy poverty -except for the squatters protected by the government- is the biggest danger for the middle and lower classes. Coupled with almost 6% inflation, the reality is that we are fifteen per cent poorer than we were a year ago.  Businesses are suffocated; SMEs, livestock farmers, farmers, lorry drivers, car dealers and the self-employed are on the brink of the abyss. The Minister of Industry is silent and Sánchez, lying urbi et orbi from the Upper House trying to sell us the lie that at the end of the year -there are hours left- we will pay the same as in 2018. Let us recognise that he pays nothing as tenant of La Moncloa.

As we know the zero credibility of Mr Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, we know that he lies knowingly. I have bothered to count the costs of gas and electricity in 2018 and now. The difference is 360 euros more this year. Even discounting inflation, I will pay 346 euros more. And the stratospheric rise started in September. You also know that Sánchez systematically avoids press conferences. He only lives for show. In reality, he is very good at being bad.

Everything in this social-communist government is green, ecological, sustainable... but they intentionally hide the fact that our foreign energy dependence is 68 percent. It started with González surrendering to ETA and paralysing Lemóniz after the murder of the engineer José María Ryan Estrada in 1981 and continued with the dismantling of the nuclear power plants by Aznar, Zapatero, Rajoy and, of course, Dr. Rajoy. Rajoy and, of course, the doctor-president. We are now super-dependent on Algeria, and France is delighted to pass on a multimillion-dollar annual bill by supplying us with energy from its fifth-generation atomic power stations. The Water Pact will have to be joined by the Energy Pact (including coal) before Putin turns off the tap of his gas pipelines to Germany.

Only Paris and London have understood the problem. As Ramón Arcusa, member of the inextinguishable Dúo Dinámico, actor, singer and composer, bravely pointed out a few days ago, "I will gladly vote for the party whose programme includes the construction of safe nuclear power plants". Santiago Abascal hesitantly advanced on La Trece a few dates ago that "Vox would be willing to bet on nuclear energy with new low-cost, low-risk mini power plants", but he said it with so little conviction that one cannot take it seriously.  The lack of political debate on nuclear energy will lead us to a "majority and permanent dependence" and, therefore, to the loss of sovereignty.

Neither solidarity with water, nor with pensions, nor with energy: that is the fate of this wasteful government which, in the words of a dissident socialist who has just left the PSOE - Enrique Pérez, deputy secretary general of Extremadura - asks Sánchez to leave before he destroys Spain, "for being narcissistic, fallacious and anti-democratic". I limit myself to transcribing the words of a first-time Sanchez supporter.

After the visit to Rome in Falcon to see Pope Francis a fortnight ago, Yo-Yolanda has scored an important political point, after pushing through the labour reform - not repeal of the PP's reform - with employers and unions. Even the king read out a paragraph on the recovery that seemed to have been written by an amanuensis of the Minister of Labour.

The CEOE has long been touched for a long time; the two corrupt trade unions UGT - under investigation in Madrid after the resignation of its general secretary for squandering FOAGA money - and CCOO, - with an Andalusian pocket of tens of millions -, which support for a handful of euros the linguistic and racist immersion in Catalonia,  have returned to their power of manipulation in the negotiation by sectors and she, Mrs. Díaz Pérez (Yo-Yolanda) has provoked Bildu and ERC (18 votes, 18 seats in Congress) to try to repeal this decaffeinated reform, which will only be fixed with more public money. In short, more blackmail of their head of government. That Tezanos gives him a prestige he does not deserve in the CIS may be a way of making him believe that the girl from Ferrol (without the Caudillo) is "worth it".

One, who for decades has been dedicated to observing facts and sayings, does not know of an original or copied idea. The highlight of her latest harvest has been "docentes y docentas" -another slap in the face to the RAE like everyone, everyone, todes-; but the most serious thing about this communist leader of the PCE, passed by the transverse Vogue, is what she repeated in parliament: "We will mobilise the streets if you come to power so that you can never govern". She learned it from the person who digitally appointed her head of Unidas Podemos without even belonging to the party: the guru Pablo Iglesias. These are the democrats of the present and the future. Another communist who is not a Lenilist; another totalitarian dressed in Prada who wants to forget Stalin and Castro. Yolanda lives in Yoyolandia. If this vice-president is Sánchez's successor, let's say goodbye.  We will owe it to Pablo Casado and his childish Filipino ursuline envy of Isabel Díaz Ayuso. If you will allow me the licence, after her visit to the Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Yolanda "lives exposed", until those 9 faithful of her ministry and the magician Redondo transport her in a gestational chair to the Moncloa Palace on the road to La Coruña.

To a large extent we owe this to Pablo Casado and his childish envy of Isabel Díaz Ayuso. If this were to happen, the PP would have a lot of merit. The PP leadership is unhinged. The Omicron is drying their brains. And the polls, in a party without ideas or illusions, point downwards week after week. Don Pablo I of Palencia is not going to govern even with Vox after the low blow to Ciudadanos in Castilla y León. They do not love Mañueco as much as the Madrileños have already desperately loved IDA in spring. She is the way, the truth and the life of the centre right. Her motto will be easy: more freedom.

The "ongui etorri" to Anza and Pla - the latter already on Bildu's official payroll, that is, receiving money from the public budget - betray a PSOE that depends on Otegui to survive. Even if it is at the expense of the victims of terrorism. But, without a doubt, one of the most shameful episodes of this year has been in Catalonia. Hours before confining the citizens of the 110 towns of more than 10,000 inhabitants, the Escaso Honorable president has confined them, sending them into exile and ruin. Aragonés has closed Catalonia as if it were North Korea.

Another joyless Christmas. No problem for the Diada, none to allow 17,000 clappers to accompany Lluis Llach; none to drive out the herds against the family of Canet de Mar who demanded that the law of 25% to be able to study in Spanish in the Autonomous Community be complied with.

A society mostly poisoned by hatred has unleashed its fascism against a five year old child (only the yellow star is missing, -better an Estelada)- because his parents demanded to be educated in both languages. An institutional escrache in which the president and the corrupt unions of UGT, Comisiones and even USO took part. I hope I am misinformed about the participation of the Unión Sindical Obrera. It is worth mentioning that all the high officials of the Government and the PSC take their children to private and state-subsidised schools where they study in Catalan, Spanish and English (or German). Always deceiving the people.

 The PSC, as always, lying non-stop.  Illa knows it well because he learnt it in Madrid as an advanced student of Pedro Sánchez. First he said he defended the child but then he voted against it in Parliament so that everything would remain the same. Where there is no justice it is a crime to be right, said Quevedo.  The Ombudsman, Father Gabilondo, three weeks late, has asked the Generalitat how it treats the little boy... And he has not received an answer. Still.  If this is not disobedience to the courts, what is disobedience? A law is urgently needed to politically and economically disqualify all public officials and civil servants who do not comply with court rulings. And those who do not respect and ensure respect for the Magna Carta.

We know that as long as Mr Sánchez remains in La Moncloa this will not happen. We are glad that the volcano has ended on the island of La Palma. But the Sánchez tsunami continues... This Bahía de Itaca bids you farewell and wishes you all the best for the coming year.

What remains of the year is a great resignation in the face of uncertainty. Let us not look back.  We would like to get out of this time tunnel with no way out as soon as possible; to cling to the hope of recovery with European funds. And just one plea to our rulers: that they treat us like adults, not imbeciles. And, above all, that they do not lie to us. Happy New Year!

*Antonio REGALADO runs BAHÍA DE ÍTACA in:
aregaladorodriguezblogspot.com