From the shadows

IZQUIERDA UNIDA (IU) is one of the most under-represented parties in Spain, despite its following.

The country’s voting structure has not helped the heirs to the former Communist Party but Pablo Iglesias is going to change that. After dickering and bargaining – and a thumbs-down from a poll amongst IU members themselves – the party will go hand-in-hand with Podemos in the June 26 general elections.

Presumably IU leader Alberto Garzon, is onto a good thing, but so is Pablo Iglesias. Garzon’s personal scores in popularity ratings are consistently high – much higher than Iglesias’ who did not emerge well from the post-election hiatus.

Could this result in a Charles and Diana situation where the consort overshadows the star player?

Reds under the bed

THE Partido Popular played the fear card by calling the Podemos-IU alliance “old communism” but that strategy could backfire.

Punters might think twice about voting for the tandem, but acting president Mariano Rajoy is kidding himself if he thinks they will rush into the arms of the PP.

Instead they could seek the embrace of Pedro Sanchez and the PSOE.

Keep it quiet

RAJOY’S election campaign will concentrate on Spain’s successes and not Partido Popular corruption, the party’s secretary-general Dolores de Cospedal said.

Wise move – but those successes will not be uppermost in the minds of voters who are still out of work or have unpaid mortgages. Not talking about corruption won’t make it go away and will still alienate the undecided voters who decide elections.

The good old days

ALTHOUGH Podemos was born of the 15-M movement that occupied Madrid’s Puerta del Sol in May 2011, the party hierarchy did not attend this year’s commemorations.

Nonetheless, party number two Ignacio Errejon looked back nostalgically: “Friends in the ’hood who never went to demos would call you and say ‘Hey, coming to Sol?’”

Oh really! Please! As ERII would say. No-one doubts Errejon’s left wing credentials but he comes from a privileged background, which is not necessarily a drawback in politics. Unless you want to pass for a prole, of course.