Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, four of Spain’s ministers - defence, interior, development and health - and the Spanish army are in charge of fighting coronavirus in Spain. All of a sudden, the much-vaunted Spain of the Autonomous Ccommunities disappears. And the administration responsible for the enormous delay in implementing measures to combat coronavirus and which has prevented autonomous communities such as Catalonia, among others, from protecting their fellow citizens to the full, takes sole control of decisions across the Spanish administrative territory for, at least, the next fifteen days. Pedro Sánchez has literally cracked the co-management of the crisis and there is no authority other than the one coming from Madrid.
Some people will resent the fact that the first leftist PSOE + Podemos government in the history of Spain has blown up Catalan autonomy. And, probably, these people will also argue that we must think of the general rather than of the individual interest. Precisely for this reason, the general interest, this was not the path to take. The Catalan and Basque governments are in a better position to guarantee control of the virus in Catalonia and the Basque Country, respectively, than the Spanish government. Saying this so clearly will annoy some, but those who have failed to control Madrid and allowed the virus to spread should not be giving many lessons.
Four more points to make in this emergency editorial. The PSOE is the sole leader of the Spanish government and the management of the crisis is exclusively in the hands of Socialist ministers. The ministers of Podemos have no power and will be silent guests even if they impose some of their recipes. Second, if Pedro Sánchez wanted to convey to Spanish society that this crisis is beyond him and that he is paralysing and improvising, he has succeeded. First notice of a press appearance at 14:00 hours, second at 15:00, third at 17:30, fourth at 20:00, fifth at 20:30 and sixth and final at 20:59. At the moment, there is a state of alarm that started at 00:00 and he seems to be the one who is really alarmed.
Third, his saying that there are no territories, that sometimes we are 17 autonomous communities and other times we are only one country is politically unacceptable. What can be expected from someone with such a Jacobin, ancient mentality? Fourth, after so much reviewing of the list of shops that will stay open or closed the confinement starts with talk of hair salons, which will have special treatment after saying that a one-metre interpersonal distance is to be kept. It will be difficult for hairdressing professionals to do their jobs.
Finally, considering the fact that Sánchez became prime minister thanks to the Catalan and Basque deputies in the Spanish parliament, this disdain to the Catalan and Basque governments is a disgraceful rebuff. To sum up, neither the forms nor the substance are acceptable.