tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27941559.post9145895317115001261..comments2024-03-13T18:03:14.612+01:00Comments on South Of Watford: It's Zapatero At The Second AttemptGraemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05948656158638818739noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27941559.post-20282734190562550022008-04-13T09:53:00.000+02:002008-04-13T09:53:00.000+02:00Tom, this blog has never been anti-wine! We don't ...Tom, this blog has never been anti-wine! We don't tolerate that sort of prejudice here.Graemehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05948656158638818739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27941559.post-55837478536662161012008-04-13T00:39:00.000+02:002008-04-13T00:39:00.000+02:00Erik - I don't doubt that he'll 'stay the course' ...Erik - I don't doubt that he'll 'stay the course' unless something very unusual happens. I'm simply referring to the fact that the PP has chosen to understand 'Opposition' as meaning 'Total Opposition'. They broke the pact on supporting the government's anti-terrorism policy and there's no real evidence that they've changed.<BR/><BR/>I do also think that while forging a coalition means definite concessions, at least you know about them when the deal is signed. Temporary alliances for important votes are more risky because you can end up held over a barrel by an apparently much less powerful party. It might not happen, but it's a risk.<BR/><BR/>Graeme - yes the resolution of internal struggles in the smaller nationalist parties is important. It could well end up shaping what Zapatero can realistically achieve. It could also mean changes in my regional government... I wouldn't be that surprised if we ended up with more changes at the Generalitat before the next election here.<BR/><BR/>PS - your 'capcha' text verification phrases seem to get more complex each time I comment. Is this an anti-wine initiative?!Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06562902749398922096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27941559.post-38799455407751708922008-04-12T10:37:00.000+02:002008-04-12T10:37:00.000+02:00Colin, I've copied your comment into the BSE post ...Colin, I've copied your comment into the BSE post and I'll reply there.<BR/><BR/>Tom, I think the thing is that Zapatero has different routes to a majority on different issues. So there will be things that the conservative nationalists may not support but which IU, ERC, BNG may vote for - and vice versa. They even seem to be friends again with CoaliciĆ³n Canaria which will give them 2 extra votes in return for some goodies for the Canaries.<BR/><BR/>Erik, I more or less agree with you on him lasting, but I don't think the PP will do much to help. For all the talk of them softening their tone and being more open to dialog I just don't see the big differenece yet. A lot depends on all these parties (PP, ERC, IU, PNV) solving one way or another their internal crises.Graemehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05948656158638818739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27941559.post-29300969775088192582008-04-12T00:54:00.000+02:002008-04-12T00:54:00.000+02:00Tom, If Zapatero isn't going to enjoy this term, d...Tom, <BR/><BR/>If Zapatero isn't going to enjoy this term, don't you think that's rather because of the kind of issues he will have to face up to than the parliamentary situation as such?<BR/><BR/>Personally I have a feeling that people who have grown up with first-past-the-post systems are a lot more negative about minority governments than there are reasons to be. Look at the Swedish social democrats - although they currently don't hold the government and although I am quite happy for that - they have in fact been our "default" government, but almost always in minority. <BR/><BR/>It takes a bit of turf-hopping, but Zapatero must have learnt that during the last 4 years. <BR/><BR/>I think that PP will be happy to come to his support, to keep the nationalists out on certain issues, and vice versa, the nationalists will push Zapatero to stay with them. <BR/><BR/>I'm confident that it'll be an exciting match and, Graeme, I honestly believe that he will last another 4 years.<BR/><BR/>//ErikErik Wirdheimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11761766313024185298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27941559.post-28039406059020422742008-04-11T19:51:00.000+02:002008-04-11T19:51:00.000+02:00Graeme,You recently wrote about BSE, I think, and ...Graeme,<BR/><BR/>You recently wrote about BSE, I think, and about the employment of Spanish vets in the UK in the 90s. I fancied when I read your comments that Private Eye had said something relevant on this subject sometime in the last few years. By huge coincidence, they've returned to the theme in the current issue [p9], where they repeat their comment that "In 1993 farmers had to pay further huge sums for animals to be inspected by a new army of veterinary officials, because this is the way meat inspection has traditionally been carried out on the Continent. Abattoir owners had to shell out up to 65 pounds an hour to watch the new officials, often recruited from Spain and speaking little English, standing around doing not much, on top of having to pay their normal British meat inspectors to do the real work. . . Within a few years, the number of abattoirs still in business collapsed from 1,200 to less than 400, leaving much of the countryside without a slaughterhouse to serve the needs of local farmers." This was under a Tory government, of course. I have no idea of any facts in this field but wondered whether this wasn't a different slant from yours. . .Colin Davieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17034285745883721921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27941559.post-58220858040895809412008-04-11T19:11:00.000+02:002008-04-11T19:11:00.000+02:00Obviously the coalitions would leave a bitter tast...Obviously the coalitions would leave a bitter taste but at the same time, they'll probably end up making bigger concessions without a coalition. With the guaranteed opposition of the PP on every single piece of legislation, Zapatero isn't going to enjoy this minority government.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06562902749398922096noreply@blogger.com