Podemos' 'racket bus' names and shames corruption suspects

The tramabús ('racket bus') is aimed at naming and shaming the various tramas de corrupción, or 'corruption rackets' and 'pointing out the financial powers responsible for the privation of human rights in Spain'.

The blue bus is the latest in Podemos' anti-corruption strategy, which has so far targeted banks, major building developers and electricity boards, and party leader Pablo Iglesias has already started driving it around 'key political and economic power' areas in the capital, such as the main business boulevard, the Paseo de la Castellana – the four emblematic skyscrapers of which are the head offices of large companies and banks – and the C/ Génova, where the right-wing PP has its headquarters.

Iglesias has been accompanied on his travels by Unidos Podemos Parliamentary spokeswoman Irene Montero, and sociologist Rubén Juste, the author of the book Ibex 35: An heretic history of power in Spain.

Giant faces on the side of the vehicle include former economy minister and International Monetary Fund (FMI) boss Rodrigo Rato; PP ex-president of Spain José María Aznar; ex-president of Madrid regional government and now PP chairwoman for the city, Esperanza Aguirre; former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas, plus the back of the head of current Spanish president Mariano Rajoy shown sending a text message to Bárcenas reading, “Luis, be strong!” - a message he was found to have sent when the ex-treasurer was first placed under investigation for the 'underground' financing through cash bribes received by the PP.

Non-PP politicians include former socialist president of Spain Felipe González, who is credited with making Spain's presence felt when it first joined the European Union and pushing for major changes in the EU itself and for the country, and Jordi Pujol, one-time president of Catalunya, who was found to have laundered over €100 million in family funds in Andorra to avoid paying tax.

Former chairman of the now-defunct bank Caja Madrid, ex-travel agency owner Gerardo Díaz Ferrán, one-time chairman of the Madrid Business Confederation (CEOE) Arturo Fernández, reporter Eduardo Inda, and executive director of Prisa and member of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) responsible for Spanish language standards, Juan Luis Cebrián are among the non-political faces on the side of the bus.

Bankia's logo also appears, the State-owned entity resulting from the merger of doomed Bancaja and Caja Madrid which benefited from €10 billion in European bail-out funds that forced taxes up and funding down for the Spanish public – and which Iglesias says is 'a symbol of corruption rackets', of 'society being subordinate to financial interest' and 'a tool for the PP to give jobs to its friends'.

“Rodrigo Rato, described as 'Spain's economic miracle', was in fact the 'economic miracle' for the C/ Génova and Panamá,” said Irene Montero, the latter being a reference to the 'Panamá Papers' tax-evasion scam which exposed numerous top-flight names around the world.

The tramabús is not just about those charged or investigated being made public, but about 'encouraging us all to think about alternative politics', says Iglesias, whose solutions include banning the 'revolving door policy' for politicians as a 'vaccination against corruption'.

As for Rubén Juste, he says corruption is 'a public health hazard' – literally, given the funding cuts in healthcare resulting from the billions in taxpayers' cash corruption has cost – 'but we want to tell society they are not alone'.

“That's why we're driving past the main companies involved in corruption rackets, to explain their activities,” Juste continues.

Madrid city hall says the tramabús does not contravene local bye-laws, so its presence on the streets should not, in theory, lead to a fine.

And Podemos would have checked this out, given that one of its factions – Ahora Madrid – is in power in the capital, headed up by ex-judge and mayoress Manuela Carmena.

This way, the tramabús differs from the controversial orange double-decker driven by far-right campaign group Hazte Oír ('Make Yourself Heard'), which bore the assertion: “Boys have a penis. Girls have a vulva. Don't let them con you,” as an anti-transsexual message.

The Hazte Oír bus was considered 'advertising', which is banned on all bar public transport, and also hate speech and incitement to discrimination, both of which are considered a criminal offence under Madrid regional law.

Naturally, however, the PP has already reacted to the tramabús: its members have posted a photo of it on Twitter, showing it driven by Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, in allu