Rajoy is still in denial

MARIANO RAJOY, acting president of the Spanish government, still believes that Albert Rivera’s Ciudadanos party robbed him of the December elections. Doubtless Ciudadanos did poach PP votes but Rajoy is in denial.

He won in 2011 because the public unfairly blamed the PSOE for the economic crisis and believed in Rajoy’s promises to restore prosperity overnight. He lost his overall majority in December because those same voters, the undecided who decide elections, drifted away to other parties or didn’t bother to vote.

Branding Rivera a leftie because of the Cs-PSOE pact, won’t make the PP the best centre-right option. Only defenestrating Rajoy could do that.

Redeeming remorse

FORMER ETA member – and killer – Joseba Urrusolo Sistiaga is now 59 and was involved in 16 murders. He left jail in February but while there accepted the Via Nanclares reinsertion programme for ETA prisoners.

This requires asking the forgiveness of victims and their families and Urrusola recently repeated to an interviewer that ETA’s operations were “barbarous” and he regretted the pain he has caused. Terrorists are killers who want to bring about political change through force whether they are ETA, the IRA or Daesch.

At least many in the first two groups have expressed remorse. And they never killed in the name of God.

Catalepsy and cat-flaps

THERE is resentment inside Cataluña that Brussels is more concerned by a possible Brexit than a Catalexit. Brussels knows that if Catalans ever wave goodbye to Spain, the European Union and Spain would survive the impact. It would be like a smallish meteor that causes local upheaval compared to an outsize asteroid triggering tsunamis, earthquakes and mass extinction.

Besides, Catalexit sounds too close to catalepsy while Catexit resembles a cat-flap.

Long division

THE tempting offer of a PSOE-Compromis-Podemos joint Senate list in Valencia was snapped up by regional president Ximo Puig. It was promptly vetoed by PSOE leader Pedro Sanchez and Puig toed the party line with a forced smile.

The Podemos-Iglesias strategy is plain to see, nevertheless: if you can’t beat them, divide them.