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The Vox motion of no confidence against Sánchez

Notes: Unless there is a surprise, Vox's 52 MPs do not have the support of any other party.
By Matthew Bennett
Oct 21, 2020, 9:06 am
En español
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 11:00 am

At 9 a.m., the debate for the motion of no confidence presented by Vox against the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez (PSOE), will begin in the Spanish Congress. It is unlikely, if not impossible, that the 52 MPs from the challening party will achieve their aim and that Santiago Abascal (Vox) will end the week as the country's new leader.

The motion comes after seven months of coronavirus pandemic. What will the conservative Popular Party do? How nasty will the arguments be? Will any constructive ideas about the government of the Kingdom or about the national strategy against Covid be discussed or will it all be ideological partisan slander?

1. Vox's motion of no confidence against Pedro Sánchez (PSOE) is beginning in the Spanish parliament. Thread here all day with a summary of the debate, which will be very tense. Link
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 9:06 am | On Twitter
2. Ignacio Garriga (Vox) admits that “we may lose but we will have borne witness” and “MPs will lose more” because “they will have to explain to Spaniards their responsibility for the continuity of this disaster”, in reference to Sánchez government during Covid pandemic.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 9:12 am | On Twitter
3. Sánchez is “the symbol of lies and fraud”, says Garriga (Vox), and he presides over “a government that has brought ruin and death” with “Bolivarian inspiration” and too many ministries and positions. He rules thanks to “coup leaders and front men for serial killers”.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 9:20 am | On Twitter
4. For now, Vox's rhetoric in Congress is a typical party-political attack on the left. Nothing you haven't heard many times before in the last few months. The odd superficial reference to the pandemic, but Bildu, terrorists, separatists, criminal government, etc.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 9:24 am | On Twitter
5. “ETA has not been defeated”, says Garriga (Vox).
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 9:25 am | On Twitter
6. Garriga repeats a list of Vox, or opposition in general, arguments about the Sánchez government's mismanagement of the pandemic: “Many people have died because of what you did not do. You didn't do anything even though you had the information”.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 9:42 am | On Twitter
7. Vox argument is conservative: they are accusing the government of failing to protect the nation and its citizens. “60,000 lives lost.” “Long live March 8!” is the same as “Long live the Chinese virus!”, says Garriga, “your March 8 led to the death of thousands of Spaniards”.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 9:43 am | On Twitter
8. Garriga jumps between dates and topics, now comments on the state of alarm in Madrid, “a tyrannical measure” backed by “false and outdated data”, which confirms “the need for you to all leave government as soon as possible”. Jumps to Wuhan and “the Chinese virus”.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 9:58 am | On Twitter
9. “China must pay,” says Garriga. How does Vox expect Spain to make China pay for the coronavirus? What exactly would we do? After two sentences, the MP jumps off to Islamism, Molenbeek, Birmingham, Andalusia, Catalonia and Murcia.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 10:00 am | On Twitter
10. Illegal immigration, “the Chinese virus”, young immigrants, jihadists, squatters, Gibraltar, “Picardo the Pirate”, Spain's image abroad, Zapatero, Venezuela, socialist communism, Marlaska, Ábalos, “you have turned lying into a political tool.”
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 10:11 am | On Twitter
11. Sánchez's goal, says Garriga (Vox), is to “sow hatred among all Spaniards”, “the important thing is to guarantee conflict”. He adds the feminism and gender debate to the list of complaints against the government.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 10:18 am | On Twitter
12. Abascal (Vox): “Death and destruction for which Pablo Iglesias (Podemos) is directly responsible in the worst of its aspects, which is about the inhuman abandonment of tens of thousands of elderly people”.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 10:39 am | On Twitter
13. Abascal says he would call a general election before the end of the year if he won the motion of no confidence.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 10:41 am | On Twitter
14. Nothing new in Vox's arguments, for now. Nothing new, either rhetoric or policies, that you have not heard repeatedly in recent months.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 10:47 am | On Twitter
15. Not that they have to put forward any new arguments. Of course, Vox can defend the ones they already held. They thus record their opposition in Congress with this constitutional tool. But to what end, if they only have 52 MPs with no further support?
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 10:51 am | On Twitter
16. Abascal says the Sánchez government incites hatred and political violence, with its “flags of hatred and misery” and “manuals of chaos [...] written by other genocidaires long ago”.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 11:01 am | On Twitter
17. Abascal: “they will not impose a progressive, globalist tyranny on us”. The PSOE only knows how to “redistribute poverty”. He says Vox does not want a more federal Europe like China, the Soviet Union or “Hitler's dream of Europe”. He defends the nation state.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 11:05 am | On Twitter
18. Like Trump, Abascal spends a few minutes attacking China, the Chinese regime and “the Chinese virus.” He argues Spain should fully recognise Taiwan.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 11:13 am | On Twitter
19. In Spain, the motion of no confidence must be constructive, it must propose an alternative government. Don't know if Mr, Abascal intends to get to that part later in his speech, with different specific measures. At the moment, almost all partisan rhetoric.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 11:19 am | On Twitter
20. Abascal (Vox): “All immigrants who enter our land illegally must be expelled immediately”. He advocates prosecuting NGOs “for collaborating with the human trafficking mafias”. He wants to deport immigrants who commit crimes.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 11:29 am | On Twitter
21. Is Vox today giving an intelligent speech with a real alternative for government that might even convince someone in another party to vote for their motion, or are they using valuable parliamentary time to repeat the usual polarizing party political rhetoric?
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 11:35 am | On Twitter
22. After three hours of speeches, and in the absence of specific proposals to govern the country or improve the immediate national healthcare or economic situations, this seems to me a waste of political time. Are the other parties going to spend hours replying anyway?
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 12:03 pm | On Twitter
23. While Abascal continues with the usual rhetoric, let's see some initial political reactions. Montero, government spokeswoman: “The motion of no confidence is a clear example of anti-politics, far removed from the concerns of Spaniards”.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 12:16 pm
24. Echániz (deputy PP spokesman in Congress): “shameful Vox show”, “they may not count on the [support of] the Popular Party”.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 12:19 pm | On Twitter
25. Ciudadanos: “Today is an irresponsible, untimely and partisan motion of no confidence that paralyses Congress [...] Spain needs more usefulness and fewer shows".
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 12:22 pm | On Twitter
26. Errejón (Más País): “Today none of us should reply to this rubbish. Let this rehash of insults end now, we can vote, they lose and we can go back to the important thing: fighting the pandemic, taking care of ourselves, saving lives”.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 12:24 pm | On Twitter
27. Even if Vox's real goal with the motion of no confidence were to frame the PP on the right, not to oust Sánchez and govern the Nation which is what the Constitution says this tool is supposed to be for, has Abascal made it easy or difficult for Casado this morning?
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 12:35 pm | On Twitter
28. Abascal ends remarks. Three and a half hours of Vox speeches. After listening to all of it, is anyone clear on what Vox's specific national plan is to govern the Kingdom in the coming months and to solve either the coronavirus or the economic part better than Sánchez?
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 12:38 pm | On Twitter
29. Sánchez says Abascal's speech was “a clear display of propaganda aimed at sowing discord” among Spaniards.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 12:59 pm | On Twitter
30. Sánchez says he does not see today's Europe as the one Hitler dreamt of, as Abascal argued in his speech. He says federalism is celebrated in Europe because it means "union in diversity".
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 1:04 pm | On Twitter
31. Sánchez says Spain has “always, always, always” chosen the future, not the past that Abascal has proposed today in Congress.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 1:09 pm | On Twitter
32. Abascal's speech has managed to make Sánchez's comments in his reply on patriotism, inclusion and even Spain sound like those of a statesman.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 1:42 pm | On Twitter
33. García Egea (PP secretary general): “Vox's motion of no confidence is Sánchez's only success in two years of government”.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 1:45 pm | On Twitter
34. Sanchez tells Casado that PP is showing “extraordinary weakness”, that Vox will always “demand more” [like Hitler], and that “appeasement” [like Chamberlain] will be of no use. He asks the PP to vote “no” to the motion of no confidence.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 2:01 pm | On Twitter
35. Abascal tells Sánchez that he will not repeat the list of measures that Sánchez said Vox has not proposed, that he should examine his conscience as well as reading the Pope's essays, and that if he does not like “Chinese virus”, we could call it “the Moncloa virus".
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 2:10 pm | On Twitter
36. Sánchez calls Abascal a “predator with no values and no scruples”.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 2:30 pm | On Twitter
37. Vox MPs stand as Abascal reads out a long list of ETA victims in response to Bildu's speech in the Spanish Congress.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 5:35 pm | On Twitter
38. It seems that only Vox MPs are standing while Abascal continues to recite the names of ETA victims in response to Bildu. Other MPs, in mostly empty seats for the other parties, are sat down.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 5:42 pm | On Twitter
39. A gesture of political dignity or the partisan use of the victims of ETA terrorism? What are the families of those victims thinking, listening to Abascal, whether or not they support any of the political parties?
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 5:51 pm | On Twitter
40. Lastra (PSOE) says Abascal is copying the film The Trial of the Chicago 7 by reading out all of the names of the ETA victims in parliament: “He is treating victims like a film screenplay”.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 5:58 pm | On Twitter
41. Abascal stops reciting the names of the ETA victims after a certain number and adds that they represent “1,000 more reasons for the motion of no confidence” tabled by his party, Vox. That clarifies, then, the party political use he has just made of them.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 6:04 pm | On Twitter
42. Longer version of Abascal's quote: “Write down these thousand more reasons for the motion of no confidence that we have tabled because we cannot accept in any way or fail to denounce that today the Government of Spain is held up by your votes [to Bildu]...”
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 6:12 pm | On Twitter
43. Esteban (PNV) leaves the rostrum and hands over his turn after a few brief comments on the “non-candidate” Abascal, who, in the MPs' opinion, has not presented a serious plan for government today.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 6:19 pm | On Twitter
44. Arrimadas (Citizens) says that pain and death in Spain have been normalised during the pandemic, which is as if a plane full of passengers crashed every day.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 6:25 pm | On Twitter
45. Arrimadas (Ciudadanos): “In the time this motion of no confidence lasts, 130, 150 more Spaniards will have died [from coronavirus]”.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 6:30 pm | On Twitter
46. Arrimadas, to Abascal: “indigiation and anger is not a political project”. She says she respects voters might feel like that, and that she can even share their sentiment, but that the Vox manifesto is not a plan to govern Spain that convinces her party.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 6:45 pm | On Twitter
47. BREAK: Spain has now officially had more than ONE MILLION coronavirus cases, the first European country to reach that disastrous number.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 6:49 pm | On Twitter
48. As well as exceeding one million cases of coronavirus today, we have surpassed 6,000 deaths since the end of the state of alarm in Spain in June. Another 156 today.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 6:54 pm | On Twitter
49. We have moved up to 156,450 cases over 14 days, or 83,825 over 7 days, after that strange bump in the graph that coincides in time at least with the fight over the figures in Madrid and the imposition of the state of alarm in that Spanish region. 16,973 new cases today.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 6:58 pm | On Twitter
50. With over a million cases, with more than 100 deaths a day, I would prefer they spend two days discussing together how to get hold of FFP2 masks for everyone or how to do enough PCR tests to lower positivity to 5% across Spain, or how to hire more ICU doctors.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 7:07 pm | On Twitter
51. Errejón (Más País) frames Vox as a party that bullies the weak but that underneath is really cowardly. He adds that they talk a lot about Spain but love it little.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 7:35 pm | On Twitter
52. Borràs (Junts): “Puigdemont is the legitimate President of Catalonia”. She does not offer any ideas for fighting the pandemic or saving the economy either.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 7:43 pm | On Twitter
53. 12 x 350 MPs= 4,200 hours of parliamentary attention down the constitutional toilet. Perhaps the political class believes the spectacle of insults and sarcasm today in Congress has been useful, but I can't see how they have improved the situation of a single Spaniard.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 8:35 pm | On Twitter
54. Speaker Batet adjourns the session until the morning. Thank you for reading today. Tomorrow we will find out how Casado will reply to frame the PP on the right in the face of this useless Vox initiative.
Published: Oct 21, 2020, 8:55 pm | On Twitter
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