What Next, Che Rajoy?

"The Partido Popular is the party of the workers!". This was the startling claim made at the weekend by the PP's general secretary, Maria Dolores de Cospedal, and she rammed the point home by delivering her speech wearing what looked suspiciously like a Palestinian keffiyeh. The only thing missing to complete this guerilla chic scene was perhaps a Kalashnikov raised above her head. Now of course it needs to be pointed out that South of Watford anticipated this leftward shift by the PP over two years ago when bringing the glorious news about the re-election as Dear Leader of comrade Rajoy. With their evident liking for the trappings of old style Stalinism when organising their congresses, it was clear the PP just wasn't comfortable with traditional conservative politics.

Perhaps not all of the party will take well to the change of direction. The Madrid leader now referred to in an increasingly hagiographic Wikipedia article as "Doña Esperanza Aguirre y Gil de Biedma, Countess of Murillo, Grandee of Spain, DBE" may not feel very comfortable if she has to start mixing it with the proletariat. Although you never know, given her infamous economic difficulties she might want to add the title of La Condesa Roja to the long list. Certainly some of her employees in the Comunidad de Madrid have good reason to doubt her commitment to the workers. The decree by the national government that reduces the salaries of public employees leaves out many of those who work for public companies, but not directly as funcionarios. Espe, if you'll forgive the abbreviation, obviously felt this wasn't fair so she has decided to extend the pay cuts to employees of companies like Telemadrid or the Canal Isabel II water company. This has an added advantage, she can't touch the money saved by the government imposed pay cuts, but that which comes from her own measures will be available so that she can obey the Dear Leader's diktat that no PP governed comunidad shall raise taxes. Arise ye starvelings from your slumbers.