Esperanza Aguirre has struck first blow in the campaign for regional and municipal elections in May by calling on all parties to respect a revolutionary new code of conduct for the campaign. "Voters are sick and tired of politicians abusing their position by using public money and resources to subsidise their own party's campaign" said Aguirre this morning. The measures proposed by the Madrid regional president and lideresa of the Partido Popular include the following:
- an end to bogus inaugurations of unfinished hospitals or other public works where all that currently exists is a hole in the ground and a fence around it.
- no use of fraudulent foundations to conceal electoral expenses from public view. Aguirre has suggested that such practices might lead voters to suspect that favours were given in return for hidden donations from companies working for the administration.
- ending the use of institutional advertising budgets as electoral propaganda by using the money to make unsubstantiated boasts about supposed achievements.
- a deal on Telemadrid respecting plurality and ending the practice of using the regional television channel to portray all opposition politicians as Nazis or clowns. Nor can the television services offered in Metro stations be used to bombard passengers with images of regional presidents going about their "work".
Asked if the new code included a ban on employing people on the public payroll to spy on other politicians, Aguirre said that it probably wouldn't because this was just a bit of "harmless fun" and was in any case an internal party matter. Several members of her party are said to have fainted in shock when told of the new proposals. National PP leader Mariano Rajoy wouldn't comment on the new code of conduct, advisers said that he was "thinking about it".
15 comments:
...And I hear the Martians are invading New Jersey.
I just checked the calendar...
Hi Graham,
on the subject of elections, I wonder if Espe will be photographed at inconvenient locations, as per Rajoy on that Galician drug boat. The editor of Xornal de Galicia, the paper which published the incriminating photo of Mariano on board a vessell belonging to the drug clan Os Caneos, was pressured into resigning.
http://rosamariaartal.com/2011/04/03/cesan-al-periodista-que-descubrio-a-rajoy-en-el-barco-de-un-narcotraficante/
Should such a thing happen to Aguirre I don't think there would be any danger of Telemadrid reporting it. The Galician case is a small sign of what is to come if Rajoy gets into power.
Here. in Andalucia, Manuel Chaves has sacked his children and promised not to give them early retirement pensions.
Whoops I missed the April 1st deadline.
Don't worry, we can keep it for next year. Sounds like the sort of thing Telemadrid would cover.
Or El Pais! A martian reading your blog might think that corruption and self publicity were solely the province of PP - not in Andalucia! I have to vote in local elections next month and have a practical choice between a PSOE candidate who is not just corrupt but has committed electoral fraud and a PP candidate who is a decent person but holds opinions which are far from mine.
WAs Lord Alton simply right?
By the way I am Andrew, not intentionally anonymous but its not reckonizing my google linl.
Bad timing Andrew, the lead article in El Pais today is the ERE case and the crisis in the Andalucian PSOE. Now the right wing paper that has led with the latest difficulties of Mr Camps is? The martian should read the blog more carefully, I've written about corruption cases involving the PSOE - perhaps its because the martians have their eyes in the wrong place?
Talking of Telemadrid, you saw the ETA/Zapatero thing in El País recently?
Yes, I did. You can't imagine the fuss that would be made if somebody in television superimposed ETA's symbol over Mariano Rajoy's face. But it's Telemadrid...so it's different
What I didn't get from the story was precisely what the context was in which it appeared, or the station's explanation of how it came to be there.
The station's explanation - such as it is - can be found here: http://bit.ly/gpR290. The video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJeIgHORtNc
Sounds great in principal. Let's see how long it lasts.
You missed my point - I was aware that El Pais had covered the story. My point is that corruption is not a one party story. Also that I am bewildered as to how to use my vote locally. I want to see the back of a 28year PSOE mafia but the only realistic alternative is PP. I am not in tune with most of the national parties policies.
Still I guess democracy benefits from changing the guard - I'll hold my nose and vote PP - locally.
As PP has "media control" in Madrid so does PSOE in Andalucia - still its better than Italy!
Anonymous Andrew
Better than Italy, but not by much. The idea being sold hard by the Valencian PP and yesterday by Rajoy as well is Berlusconi politics in its purest state. It doesn't matter what you do if you can still get people to vote for you. Of course corruption is not a matter of a single party but no other party does as much to actively legitimise it as the PP. By all means don't vote for the PSOE in Andalucia but the idea that once El Señorito is back in charge of the cortijo things are going to get better is an illusion.
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