Well the Spanish Government has published its latest sackcloth and ashes package for the people to fight the economic crisis. Public sector pay cuts, pensions freeze and labour reforms.Original thinking!
After all wasn’t it the workers and pensioners who got us in to this mess? Hang on – no it wasn’t – it was the bankers who created the worst financial disaster in living memory. So have they had their pay cut? No! Frozen? No! Ah but surely those obscene bonuses have gone? Yes, right in to their pockets!
If that wasn’t bad enough who is coming over the hill to rescue us but Papa Smurf!
First writing in the London Financial Times the former Spanish Partido Popular prime minister José María Aznar has urged Zapatero’s socialist government to step down adding that no leftist government has been able to rescue Spain from an economic crisis in 160 years.
“The current Socialist government is incapable of resolving Spain’s problems and taking the necessary steps. Only a new government can do this. The sooner, the better.” Time to dig up Franco then!
Then El País published an opinion poll on Sunday showing the ruling PSOE had lost public support with its austerity plan. The poll showed the centre right Partido Popular opposition - led by Papa Smurf aka Mariano Rajoy - with a 9 point lead over the Socialists following the announcement of the measures.
The poll also showed three in four Spaniards think that despite 15 billion euros in extra spending cuts announced on Wednesday, the measures, including a freeze in pensions and a cut in civil servant pay, were not enough.
Well don’t worry. With Papa Smurf shooed in at the next elections these cuts will seem like a joy ride and those three out of four will get their wish. And as we all stand in the dole queue we can read in the paper about how the PP politicians have stuck their noses in the public trough just vacated by the PSOE snouts. Of course the followers of Rajoy have been getting in some good practice with a mountain of corruption cases stacked up against them. Time to sack another interfering judge then – he can join the workers and pensioners in our centre-right paradise where we’ll all know our place – skid row!
Oh happy days!
2 comments:
How would you propose that a government would be able to curb the pay of people not in their employ? Remember also that banking is a global industry, if the top talent can't earn money in one country they'll just go somewhere else.
Simon makes little sense. It is quite feasible for a government to impose an across the board pay freeze. Does he suggest because public employees and pensioners receive their money from the state they should pay for all the problems encountered by a nation? Why should the banks be they international or otherwise get off scott free for the mess they have put us all in?
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