Spain rejects socialism – only three per cent of EU citizens now have Left-wing governments

The Telegraph ^ | 11-21-11 | Daniel Hannan

[Arcy]

It's not often that you get the same headline in ABC and El País , but a result on such a scale allowed no room for interpretation: the two old rivals agreed that Spain had entrusted her future wholly to the conservatives.

Happily, no one can now question the PP's mandate. Throughout the campaign, Rajoy promised to cut the debt and get people back to work by reforming Spain's sclerotic labour laws.

[Arcy]

Eventually, when you run out of OTHER PEOPLE's money, you have no choice but to embrace the time-tested system that has lifted more people out of poverty than any other and has fostered opportunity for anyone willing to work - capitalism!

[Incorrigible]

Spain’s problems may already be so insurmountable, especially as a Euro participant, that even a “Conservative” mandate may not be able to fix things. Then who will they vote for?

I suppose I should be less cynical and just be happy for the moment.

[Recovering_Democrat]

My admonition to the people of Europe:

This is not a.TV show. Geo-political change will not happen in a year or two. Just as the socialists were patient, gradually infesting your parties, churches, schools, and bureaucracies...so too must YOU be patient.

You have made a good first step. Continue the work, and take whatever victories you can. DO NOT expect to win every skirmish...if you do you’ll get frustrated and prone to surrender. Frankly, I think that has been one of our problems here in America in the wake of the great victory in 2010.

Remember Churchill’s words: Never, never, never give up! (Or something to that effect!)

[Former Proud Canadian]

Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece and maybe others cannot survive in the Eurozone. It's that simple. They have to get out, issue their own currencies, and start to institute their own monetary policies.

I laugh at the conspiracy theorists on FR who claim there is a move afoot to launch a North American currency (the Amero?). Any "currency union" is bound to fail, just like the Euro is failing.

[Savage Beast]

But they just had to try it--though anyone with an IQ over 60 knew at a glance that the result would be disaster.

It was.

You just can't fix stupidity.

[ken5050]

I think that Spain can solve it's problems..though it will be very hards to overcome the damage done to the country the last 6 years.

Remember, Spain had two conservative governments (1996-2004) was doing very well economically, was a strong supported of the US post 9/11, and was posed to re-elected the conservatives. Three days before the vote, the Madrid train bombings gave the Socialists a win, because they promised to appease the terrorists..once in power...they institued a full socialist agenda.. ( never miss the opportunity to take advantage of something bad, eh, Rahm) and only now have been tossed. Portugal, OTOH, is toast..

[Mr. Jeeves]

Spain’s conservatives may have arrived just in time to take the blame - and that may also happen in the USA next fall.

[tacticalogic]

I’m guessing Michelle won’t be vacationing there again.

[blueunicorn6]

The socialists/liberals/progressives didn’t go away. Look at the election results. There are still huge numbers of irrational leftists in Europe.

[Tribune7]

It's not like the damage wasn't done.

[1010RD]

That’s the problem. Undoing it is so hard. It’s like pulling an arrow out of the patient’s chest.

[Natufian]

Conservatives in europe wouldn’t be considered conservative in the US.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Unfortunately, these formerly socialist countries don’t have the time, traditions, and financial means to turn themselves around in any reasonable timeframe. And history seems to show that even if things were to get turned around in say 10 years, the people of Spain/Italy/Greece/Portugal/etc. would probably turn right around and vote in the socialists again to go through this same sad parade.

[1010RD]

Only three per cent of EU citizens now have Left-wing governments

I doubt that. Do conservatives control the legislatures, executives, judiciary and the bureaucracies? What's killing Europe is decades of socialist policies and the institutions that implement them.

[EGPWS]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L90BCEVH41U

[SampleMan]

Unfortunately, the major right-wing parties in Europe are still to the left of FDR and LBJ, so this story isn't exactly true.

Fascism (called right-wing) was nothing but managed socialism based on hyper-nationalism.

Europe (with the exception of the UK and the low countries) went straight from statist monarchies/dictators to statist socialist-democracies. They simply don't have any historical frame of reference for libertarian government.

[Caipirabob]

Spain rejects socialism – only three per cent of EU citizens now have Left-wing governments

Cool! Now move the deck chairs over there, and ignore the rising water...

Too little, too late, IMHO.

Nothing can prevent the pain at this point.

[pallis]

Europe’s so called “conservative” governments are not exactly Reaganites, or even Romnemites.

[Theodore R.]

Still Churchill surrendered Poland after all. He fought to remove it from Nazism but let the communists have it in 1945. Yea, I know he was repudiated by socialist voters that same year.

[Theodore R.]

They won’t have “left-wing” governments? Is this possible? Their voters are just disillusioned socialists waiting for the successful socialist to come along, sort of like some Democrats here waiting for Hillary Rodham Clinton.