KING Felipe VI's annual Christmas Eve speech once again included a covert appeal to secessionist politicians, as well as raising concerns about young adults' struggle to afford housing and violence against women.
Podemos offers to replace Catalunya referendum demand with 'round table for dialogue'
21/08/2019
LEFT-WING Podemos has offered to relax its demands for a legal referendum in Catalunya on independence in a bid to reach a consensus with acting president Pedro Sánchez.
Whilst the socialists have ruled out a coalition government and Sánchez claims the 'lack of confidence is mutual' between the two parties, Podemos' leader Pablo Iglesias says his team will not give an unqualified 'yes' to Sánchez in the next investiture ceremony on September 23.
His demands include an increase in the minimum wage, pensions guaranteed and for their annual increase of at least the rate of inflation enshrined in law, and extra taxes levied on dotcom giants, the banks, hedge funds and property portfolios, and the very wealthy.
Podemos also wants to reduce IVA on women's sanitary products – known globally as the 'tampon tax' - from the current 10% to 4%, and on veterinary products and services from 21% to 10% in line with overwhelming pressure from vets themselves, animal lovers and pro-animal associations and politicians, who say pets suffer when their medical care costs more as their owners are less likely to have them treated.
The main stumbling block between Sánchez's socialists and Iglesias' Podemos has been the Catalunya situation, with the former totally against any kind of legal referendum on secession and the latter wanting to allow it, believing that if the government stops its closed-door policy on independence, it is likely the north-eastern region will rethink and decide to remain in and work with Spain rather than breaking away.
In the latest attempt at a rapprochement, Iglesias has offered to substitute a 'round table' for 'multi-lateral discussions' for his referendum request.
The parties present at the 'round table' should be 'agreed with the regional Parliament' in Catalunya, and its aim would be to reach 'an institutional meeting of minds' between Catalunya and the Spanish State through a 'search for common solutions to and diagnoses of the territorial conflict'.
“The round table would not in any way be a substitute for proper bilateral relation mechanisms between the government of Spain and the regional government of Catalunya, but should be understood as a space for helping promote dialogue that would be able to remove the legal action issue from the political conflict in Catalunya,” says Unidos Podemos, the coalition between Podemos and Izquierda Unida (United Left).
Iglesias and his party believe getting courts involved and applying criminal charges based upon the wording in the Spanish Constitution – which has not been updated since 1978 – is not helpful and is driving Catalunya further towards wanting to become a separate country.
Podemos members, and many celebrities, have spoken out about the deadlock between Iglesias and Sánchez, saying if the September investiture fails – which will automatically require a fresh general election – there is a 'major risk' of the far right gaining control.
The right-wing PP, which has been leaning even more to the right under its new leader Pablo Casado, and centre-right Ciudadanos, which has also become more right-wing despite forming part of the ALDE group of liberal parties, along with the UK's Lib Dems, in European Parliament, are ready to join forces and to allow the alt-right Vox on board if the numbers add up following another election.
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LEFT-WING Podemos has offered to relax its demands for a legal referendum in Catalunya on independence in a bid to reach a consensus with acting president Pedro Sánchez.
Whilst the socialists have ruled out a coalition government and Sánchez claims the 'lack of confidence is mutual' between the two parties, Podemos' leader Pablo Iglesias says his team will not give an unqualified 'yes' to Sánchez in the next investiture ceremony on September 23.
His demands include an increase in the minimum wage, pensions guaranteed and for their annual increase of at least the rate of inflation enshrined in law, and extra taxes levied on dotcom giants, the banks, hedge funds and property portfolios, and the very wealthy.
Podemos also wants to reduce IVA on women's sanitary products – known globally as the 'tampon tax' - from the current 10% to 4%, and on veterinary products and services from 21% to 10% in line with overwhelming pressure from vets themselves, animal lovers and pro-animal associations and politicians, who say pets suffer when their medical care costs more as their owners are less likely to have them treated.
The main stumbling block between Sánchez's socialists and Iglesias' Podemos has been the Catalunya situation, with the former totally against any kind of legal referendum on secession and the latter wanting to allow it, believing that if the government stops its closed-door policy on independence, it is likely the north-eastern region will rethink and decide to remain in and work with Spain rather than breaking away.
In the latest attempt at a rapprochement, Iglesias has offered to substitute a 'round table' for 'multi-lateral discussions' for his referendum request.
The parties present at the 'round table' should be 'agreed with the regional Parliament' in Catalunya, and its aim would be to reach 'an institutional meeting of minds' between Catalunya and the Spanish State through a 'search for common solutions to and diagnoses of the territorial conflict'.
“The round table would not in any way be a substitute for proper bilateral relation mechanisms between the government of Spain and the regional government of Catalunya, but should be understood as a space for helping promote dialogue that would be able to remove the legal action issue from the political conflict in Catalunya,” says Unidos Podemos, the coalition between Podemos and Izquierda Unida (United Left).
Iglesias and his party believe getting courts involved and applying criminal charges based upon the wording in the Spanish Constitution – which has not been updated since 1978 – is not helpful and is driving Catalunya further towards wanting to become a separate country.
Podemos members, and many celebrities, have spoken out about the deadlock between Iglesias and Sánchez, saying if the September investiture fails – which will automatically require a fresh general election – there is a 'major risk' of the far right gaining control.
The right-wing PP, which has been leaning even more to the right under its new leader Pablo Casado, and centre-right Ciudadanos, which has also become more right-wing despite forming part of the ALDE group of liberal parties, along with the UK's Lib Dems, in European Parliament, are ready to join forces and to allow the alt-right Vox on board if the numbers add up following another election.
Related Topics
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