The Secretary General of the PSOE and leader of the Socialist International, Pedro Sánchez, on Saturday, in a speech focused on the international political battle and with few references to Spain, questioned the strategy of the traditional right to imitate the discourse of the far right, and stressed that they live “in Black Friday Thabet,” because they “describe their principles, exclude their convictions, and offer democracy for sale.”
“Wherever progressives govern, people live better, societies are more stable and democracies are stronger. It is not a theory, it is a measurable reality,” the head of government began his speech at the start of the International Socialism Council in Malta, where he questioned austerity policies, which he said “do not build the future.” Sánchez has argued that only social democratic policies provide answers that work “in real life, for real people.”
Pedro Sánchez, who cited as an example of such policies targeting “the people” Zahran Mamdani’s recent electoral victory in the New York mayoral elections, said that “history is not programmed by algorithms, history belongs to the people,” and noted that his mission is “to empower their voices and realize their dreams and aspirations.” The Social Democratic leader asked to bring hope to the people and “sooner rather than later, this hope will become a reality in their countries, regions and continents.”
The head of the executive branch, who stressed that the government’s policies are improving the lives of “millions,” noted that the socialists’ mission is “more important than ever” at a time when “the right is abandoning many of the principles on which our societies are based.”
Sánchez, who recognized that the differences “until recently” were on matters of public policy or how to confront problems, but that some principles were shared such as “shared respect for democracy, human rights, science, and truth.” But now “it’s over.”
“They naively believed they could tame, govern and control the far right,” said the Secretary General of the Spanish Socialists, who insisted that the social right had not only copied their ideas but also their tactics. “So they put them in governments. They put them in governments. They normalized them. But they were the ones who ended up being swallowed up.” He added, “The traditional right abandoned its values so as not to lose votes to the extreme right, and ended up losing both: values and votes.”
Subsequently, Pedro Sanchez said that conservatives live in Black Friday Constant: “They describe principles, dispute convictions, and offer democracy for sale, just in order to cling to power.”
He continued: “And what exactly are they putting on the discount shelves? Public services are 40% less; women’s rights, liquidation; social progress, radical reduction; freedoms that took years to achieve, suspended until further notice.” He added that the far right “doesn’t even need to govern”, as they can simply stand back and watch “how traditional conservatism sells its soul” piece by piece.