Editorial: Confussing messages

THE Punch and Judy show has begun and there are going to be some new characters in next year’s election show. Yesterday, the Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, announced that the Spanish economy is about to “take off” in 2015 and that his promise at the start of the year that Spain was on track to recovery, has come true. Give your self a pat on the back and have another glass of cava then.
But, his much younger opponent, Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez replied by saying “oh no it isn’t”. Sanchez, while admitting that the economy is showing signs of improving, expressed his deep concern about record unemployment, a lost generation of young people who have  headed overseas in search of work, a crumbling national health system and a need for pre-recession levels of social welfare to be restored.
And, then, the new star of the Punch and Judy show is the Podemos, “we can” party -  and it goes without saying who they will clobber round the head - Rajoy’s ruling Partido Popular.
I have to admit, with so many splinter parties in the mix, it is going to be an interesting run up to the local elections- the results even more so - with the two main parties with the most to lose.
In the meantime however, perhaps Sanchez is right, remember,  the European Central Bank warned Spain of four more years of pain a few months ago, we ought not to get carried away with political spin.