WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND

I am a firm believer in the saying “What goes around, comes around” especially in the world of politics.

I have dwelt here in past weeks on the fact that for politicians the only thing that matters is achieving power and then holding on to it. They might justify their deeds by saying they are selling out on their supposedly deeply held principles in our interest but we are not as stupid as they are and know better.

Last week I came across the news item that PSOE in Ronda had elected Isabel Aguilera as its spokesperson. The socialists are in coalition with the Partido Andalucista of Mayor Antonio Marín and she is the councillor in charge of the municipality’s finances.

Now Marín presides over a PA that is split down the middle. Until earlier this year he was in coalition with the Partido Popular and the socialists were bitter opponents and critics. Marín then took everybody by surprise, including members of his own party and especially the PP, by throwing them out of his administration.

The PP then went through every conceivable manoeuvre to woo back Marín and would have done anything to restore the pact. Marín refused and then entered a coalition with his previous detested foes, the socialists of PSOE.

So Marín now has a divided PA on his hands and bitter opponents in the PP.

Marín came to power in 2004 when he led his party in to coalition with the PP and the former GIL councillors. They brought a no confidence motion against the then ruling socialists and threw out the mayor who had only been in the job a number of months.

Isabel Aguilera came to the post of socialist spokesperson after Ana Fuentes, a national MP, resigned from the council because of the demands of her Madrid-based job. Aguilera is not new to such high profile posts. Indeed she is a former mayor of Ronda – the one that Marín was instrumental in kicking out in 2004!

So let’s review this again. Marín leads a divided PA, has made firm enemies of the Partido Popular and his coalition partners, who just months ago were his bitter opponents, are now led by Isabel Aguilera who he ejected from power four years ago.

If there are any long knives in the town hall I hope that Marín keeps them firmly under lock and he has the key.