What the PSOE-Unidas Podemos deal means: 10 key points
What the PSOE-Unidas Podemos deal means: 10 key points
FULL details of the agreement between the PSOE and Unidas Podemos will not be released for a few days or possibly weeks as those present fine-tune it, but it will be based upon 10 key points Unidas Podemos and the PSOE want to use as their foundation for a 'progressive government'.
They include strengthening growth and job creation – eliminating the 'temporary contract culture' from the job market and guaranteeing meaningful, quality, stable and well-paid employment; working for regeneration and fighting against corruption, by protecting public services, especially education, with free nursery places guaranteed for all children from birth to age three, plus public healthcare and elderly care, guaranteeing pensions for life and index-linking them to reflect real living costs, investing in science as a 'vehicle for economic intervention' and improving working conditions in the industry, encouraging talented Spanish emigrants to return, treating residential property as 'a right, not mere merchandise', and controlling the 'expansion of gambling centres'.
These cover the first two; number three deals with fighting climate change, protecting biodiversity, and guaranteeing animals are properly treated, whilst number four focuses on strengthening small and medium-sized businesses and on the self-employed, boosting 're-industrialisation' and 'the primary sector', increasing digitalisation, and providing the tools for 'creation of wealth, wellbeing and employment'.
Five is concerned with 'approving new rights' which 'increase the recognition of human dignity', such as the right to 'die with dignity', euthanasia, protecting diversity, and protecting historic memory.
Six 'guarantees culture as a right' and seeks to 'combat the precarious nature of the industry', promote sports as a tool for health and wellbeing, quality of life, and integration, and seven deals with feminist policies: keeping women safe, independent and free, especially in the face of gender violence, closing the gender pay gap, drawing up a labour equality law, ending human trafficking and sexual exploitation, and equal maternity and paternity leave periods which cannot be transferred between parents.
The southern Aragón party Teruel Existe is likely to approve of number eight, which deals with reversing the increasing population decline in rural areas by providing proper modern services; and number 10 covers 'fiscal justice' and 'budget balance', or evaluating and monitoring public spending to 'ensure a solid and lasting welfare State'.
Number nine is among the most thorny – guaranteeing 'harmonious coexistence in Catalunya' and 'normalising political life' in the north-eastern region.
They will seek to open dialogue with Catalunya's government, seek formulae for 'understanding and meeting of minds', but 'always within the framework of the Spanish Constitution', which does not allow any action which could 'threaten the unity of Spain', such as an independence referendum.
Within this, Unidas Podemos and the PSOE have agreed to 'strengthen the autonomously-governed regional system' to 'ensure adequate provision of rights and services within their jurisdiction' and 'equality between all Spaniards', a term which is likely to be flexible and include all residents in Spain.
