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The Vox motion of confidence against Sánchez: Day 2

Notes: Yesterday, Vox failed to present a constructive alternative project for government. What will the PP and Podemos say today?
By Matthew Bennett
Oct 22, 2020, 9:08 am
En español
1. Second day of the motion of no confidence beginning. Yesterday, Vox failed to present a constructive alternative project for government. What will the PP and Podemos say today? Link
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 9:08 am | On Twitter
2. The circus begins in the first few seconds. Muñoz (Podemos) tries to call for a minute of silence for victims of gender violence. Her MPs stand up. Speaker Batet interrupts to say no, and that she should continue with her speech.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 9:09 am | On Twitter
3. The rhetorical trick of reading out lists of names has gone down well. Castañon (Podemos) reads a short list of some historically renowned women. She says Vox has put forward a project for a “worse country” with a privileged model based on the exploitation of others.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 9:14 am | On Twitter
4. Vidal (Podemos): "Today in the chamber there is hatred". She says Vox basing its political discourse on negative emotions is "mean spirited".
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 9:22 am | On Twitter
5. Maestro (Podemos) starts off with: “Democratic members of the CEDA [right-wing coalition in the Second Republic], nostalgic for the dictatorship, members of Vox”. Then she says Abascal's party is set on “confrontation and quarrel”.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 9:37 am | On Twitter
6. Abascal's reply begins. He argues that all women aren't like the female Podemos MPs who just spoke. Female Vox MPs stand and applaud. Abascal says that only female Podemos MPs have spoken following the instructions of the “little alpha male” Pablo Iglesias.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 9:43 am | On Twitter
7. With contempt on his face as he replies to female Podemos MPs, at times shouting even, Abascal says Vox represents women, “you are not an example, you do not represent them”.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 10:04 am | On Twitter
8. Espinosa de los Monteros (Vox) regrets “there is not a single positive value that Podemos has brought to Spanish politics”. He says Pablo Iglesias's party has supplied hatred and verbal and physical violence, “the worst of the human being”. He claims “Spain is in danger".
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 10:09 am | On Twitter
9. Espinosa de los Monteros (Vox) mentions some economic ideas: re-industrialisation, agriculture, “massive lowering” of taxes, strengthening businesses, improving the labour market, unified national single market, simplification of regulations, training, etc.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 10:23 am | On Twitter
10. Vox: “We came here to fight that battle, to fight the battle of ideas, to fight the cultural battle, whoever is in front of us, without fear of anything or anyone, every day of our lives, and they don't realize that they are the ones who will be left alone. Long live Spain!”
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 10:37 am | On Twitter
11. Casado (PP) starts off with criticism of the futility of Vox's motion of no confidence. Says the PP has twice as many MPs as Vox and thirty times as many senators. Sánchez had an alternative majority two years ago, “and you don't”, he says to Abascal.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 10:42 am | On Twitter
12. Casado squares up to Vox. He says Abascal's party and the left need each other and the rhetorical clash is good for both of them. Abascal should “give up all hope” of taking the PP's place. He chucks Vox's bad results in Galicia and the Basque Country at Abascal.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 10:47 am | On Twitter
13. Casado equates Abascal on the right with Sánchez on the left. He frames the PP in the centre, as a conservative obstacle to the growing polarization of the other two. He criticises Vox's anti-European stance.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 10:52 am | On Twitter
14. Having managed yesterday to make Sánchez look like a statesman with his comments on patriotism, today Abascal has managed to allow Casado to frame the PP in the sought-after centre of the political board in Spain.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 10:58 am | On Twitter
15. “Vox is part of the break-up block with Sánchez and Iglesias”, says Casado. Announces the PP will vote “no” to Vox's motion of no confidence. Criticises “vindictive anti-politics” on both extremes. Praises globalisation, rights, the EU and the Spanish regional system.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 10:59 am | On Twitter
16. “We're not like you because we don't want to be like you. It's that simple”, Casado says. Frames Vox's “fear, anger, resentment, revenge, insults, anger, manipulation, lies” against a PP that represents “freedom, laws, coexistence, Europe, municipalities”.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 11:07 am | On Twitter
17. “The old PP is back”, says Abascal. Casado today has contributed to the “brutal cartoon image of Vox”, he says, adding that he did not expect such a speech from the Popular Party.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 11:16 am | On Twitter
18. Abascal says he would prefer Casado and PP just thank Vox for supporting the regional governments in Madrid, Andalusia and Murcia. He says that Vox will, however, show “historical responsibility” and will not now cause the collapse of those regional governments.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 11:22 am | On Twitter
19. Abascal realises from the rostrum what the PP has just done to Vox in terms of national political positioning: “Today you have put yourself exactly in the middle in a way that has left me absolutely puzzled, Mr. Casado”.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 11:23 am | On Twitter
20. Abascal seems slightly overwhelmed by Casado's speech.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 11:25 am | On Twitter
21. After Casado's speech in Congress, the PP sticks the knife in on Twitter with a campaign against Vox: “Abascal only offers Spain fracture, defeat and anger”. “Yes to Spain, no to Vox” is the hashtag.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 11:29 am | On Twitter
22. “We are the calm force of Spaniards”, concludes Casado, in case anyone had not understood the new centrist position of the PP he has presented this morning in Congress, in contrast to what he considers the extremes of Vox, Podemos and the PSOE.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 11:37 am | On Twitter
23. Pablo Iglesias (Podemos) praises the “brilliant” and “intelligent” conservative speech Casado (PP) has delivered today in Congress.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 11:43 am | On Twitter
24. After first praising, in a moderate tone, Casado's speech (PP), Iglesias (Podemos) cannot help going on to a more rally-like criticism of the right. “Now the monster is devouring you”, he says, for example, to Arrimadas (Ciudadanos).
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 11:54 am | On Twitter
25. Vox loses on a tactical level this morning (Casado scores rhetorical goal), will not achieve operational aim (winning vote), now has a strategic problem (PP positions itself in the centre), and even a grand strategic one (Iglesias praises brilliant conservative speech).
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 12:08 pm | On Twitter
26. Casado chucks Fukuyama's ideas and books at Iglesias. He says he knows Iglesias has read the author's latest work. So there's still some hope left, perhaps. Some politicians read books and think about relevant ideas.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 12:18 pm | On Twitter
27. Lastra (PSOE) says Vox has spent the debate praising the dictatorship: “You are a fascist party”.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 12:30 pm | On Twitter
28. After Lastra labels Vox's “miserable Franco project”, Abascal says, summing up, that his party will fight against the “lefty dictatorship” by demanding “free elections” "in the streets". Does he have some complaint about the legitimacy of the last general election in Spain?
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 12:59 pm | On Twitter
29. Sánchez, to Abascal: “You are not the savior of Spain”.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 1:18 pm | On Twitter
30. Sánchez announces that the government is “stopping the clock” of the controversial reform of the judiciary in order to open up negotiations with the PP.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 1:26 pm | On Twitter
31. The vote on Vox's motion of no confidence begins in the Spanish parliament.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 1:39 pm | On Twitter
32. It's over. Vox fails. Only its 52 MPs vote in favour of its motion of no confidence. No one else. No other MP from any other party. The other 298, against.
Published: Oct 22, 2020, 2:11 pm | On Twitter

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