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Posted on 11/18/2011 6:11:03 PM PST by Cincinna
Spain's veteran conservative leader, who appears to be on course to be elected as prime minister at his third attempt on Sunday, has expressed hope that financial markets will relax their pressure on Madrid. Mariano Rajoy, leader of the People's party (PP), spoke out as the interest on Spanish debt remained above 6% for a fifth day running, ahead of an election being carefully followed across Europe. "We hope this [pressure] stops and that people realise there's an election here and that the party that wins has the right to a minimum margin," the PP leader told Onda Cero radio in remarks reported by the Associated Press. Elena Salgado, the Spanish finance minister, said investors were wrong to target Spain because its overall debt-to-GDP ratio of around 70% was manageable. "We are seeing systematic attacks on our sovereign debt," Salgado told Cadena Ser radio. "Today it is Spain, yesterday it was Italy, the day before that it could have been Belgium, and tomorrow it could be any other country." Rajoy, who first challenged for the premiership in 2004, is expected to unseat the Socialists on Sunday amid widespread unhappiness with José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who has announced he will stand down after the vote.
(Excerpt) Read more at m.guardian.co.uk ...
*** FRENCH POLITICS AND CULTURE PING LIST ***
*** FREEPMAIL ME IF YOU WANT TO JOIN ***
SPANISH ELECTIONS ON SUNDAY
POLLS SHOW SOCIALIST ZAPATERO LOSING BIG TO CONSERVATIVE.
The new PM would be Conservative Mariano Rajoy, leader of the People’s party (PP).
We all remember how the Socialist Zapatero stole the elections from the Right winger, Aznar, after the radical Islamist Madrid bombings.
Time for a change!
I’d be interested to see how “conservative” in Spain compares to what we understand as conservative here.
It won’t matter, because anyone who doesn’t bow to Furer Meriel’s demands will get skyrocketing interest rates until the Germans call the shots.
I'm doubtful that this is a vote for fiscal sanity.
Thanks Cincinna.
Someone like Giuliani or Jon Huntsman would probably be considered ultraconservative in Spain or anywhere else in most European countries.
Aside from social issues, Giuliani is conservative.
Aside from social issues, Giuliani is conservative.
Hope this will start a conservative sweep across all of these Euro-socialist bastions.
First, institutional memories are short. These countries which have subjected themselves to decades of socialist abuse and indoctrination will hand the keys over to a conservative, and when things aren't fixed overnight, will switch back to a leftist before the corrections have time to take effect.
Second, is moral relativism. To work effectively, conservative principles must take seed in fertile, philosophical ground where the principles of Natural Law and objective truth/reality hold sway. Europe has for the most part, abandoned the very Christianity that brought western civilization to preeminence in the first place.
Finally, demographics. Europe nations are allowing themselves to become less European each and every day, willingly ceding their sovereignty, primarily to moslems.
In all honesty, we're not doing much better here.
Rudy and Huntsman as well as all American conservatives are considered moderate compared to the extreme Right in Europe. Parties like the National Front in France, and politicians like Marine le Pen believe in big state tyranny over individuals liberty. They are also anti-free market, anti-capitalist, anti-American, and very anti-Semitic.
Putting your insulting and melodramatic language aside, what is wrong with Merkel insisting on fiscal responsibility for Europe?
What would be wrong with red China choosing our government?
His suggestion that investors rationally selling their holdings in Spanish debt is some kind of conspiracy against Spain tells me you’re right.
Let's unpack it.
First, Germany is not Red China. It is a parliamentary democracy.
Second, Germany is not choosing or trying to choose any other country's government. What Germany is saying is very simple: "We play by the rules and because we play by the rules the euro is stable. The other euro countries have been ignoring the rules and depending on us to carry them. Sorry guys, but now it's time for the slackers to step up and do what they promised they would do, or we're not going to be your suckers anymore."
Third, the relationship between Germany and Spain is far different than that between the US and Red China. Germany and Spain are allies and they share a common currency and Spain has been exploiting Germany's friendship and goodwill.
Red China and the US are not allies and do not share a common currency and it is Red China and not the US that has exploited the good will of the other party.
Your analogy is as wrong as analogy could conceivably be.
I agree with your points, Joe. The schooling systems in Europe, while touted as more effective than American schools, preach the same collectivist, socialist, “what’s yours is mine” mentality, and the kids grow up to be good little history-forgetting drones.
Not sure what happened to Christianity in Europe, as former bastions of Catholicism (Italy and France) are now awash in hedonistic garbage without factoring for risks both physical and psychosocial.
Our problem isn’t so much with Islam (yet) but with immigrants who think they can roll into our back door and commit crimes against citizens. Then again, it’s not helpful that our own government is providing weaponry to the same groups that would do us harm.
You don’t find it odd that each loan has been preceded by rate spikes and government collapse, which each replacement government has been German friendly technocrats? Just because they are “allies”, it is ok? David Cameron should pick our government? The people should have no say?
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