The left's tactic to entangle the councilors in Parliament

PalmLeft-wing MPs have found a way to undermine the ministers during government oversight sessions: they ask the questions they are obliged to answer (although they often do not) in a broad and expressly ambiguous way, to catch them off guard. "Can there be equality without equity?" was a question from the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) registered in the plenary session this Tuesday. "Is the cost of living bearable in our city?" asked MÁS (More for Change).

These broad questions frustrate the councilors and, above all, their advisors, who often have to use their imagination to guess what the questions will actually entail. "Mr. Costa, is the Government capable of attracting and retaining talent?" asked the socialist Carles Bona on April 16, 2024. Costa responded in relation to science, technology, and innovation, but the deputy was referring to the trickle of resignations from government positions.

"Is this enough to end speculation?" asked the eco-sovereignist Ferran Rosa to the Housing Minister, José Luis Mateo, referring to the increase in housing prices. "Mr. Vice President, do you believe the current tourism model is suitable for a sustainable future?" asked the leader of MÁS, Lluís Apesteguia, on the same day. "Ms. Prohens, should migrants have rights or not?" asked José María García (mixed group) on February 10th. "Ms. Estarellas, why does granting rights to citizens bother you?" asked Pilar Costa to the Second Vice President on February 3rd. "Mr. Costa, do you believe you are complying with the laws of this Parliament?" asked Patricia de las Heras from Vox.

Sources within the Socialist Party confirm that this tendency to ask vague questions is deliberate. "Sometimes it's because you're preparing something that's still unknown; other times, because you're cramming several issues into a single question; and sometimes it's because otherwise, the government has a week to fix a problem and defuse the complaint," this source assures. "The government, for example, looks at the Non-Legislative Proposals (PNLs) we register and tries to be able to say they're already doing something when they go to parliamentary debate," they add.

Bad Bunny, surprise track

"They formulate very broad questions only to then twist them into hyper-specific ones in the plenary session," laments a government advisor. "Is the question period meant to oversee the government's actions and obtain information on a topic, or to make the minister in question look bad?" he asks. In this regard, he criticizes the opposition for trying "to catch the minister off guard, so they can't defend themselves." The second vice-president, Antònia Maria Estarellas, has complained on several occasions about this tactic employed by the parliamentary groups. The ministers have employed their own strategies to counter it. Some simply respond to the wording of the question and not to the specific wording used by the deputy, who usually clarifies it. Therefore, they don't answer the question. On other occasions, they try to anticipate the possible responses by offering several options. "Amidst all this uncertainty, Iago Negueruela (PSIB) then comes out talking about the Super Bowl and Bad Bunny, and the Speaker had to respond: 'Long live Bad Bunny dressed in Zara,'" he adds, referring to the plenary session of February 10th. The question that ultimately arose from this response was: "Ms. Prohens, why are you denying rights to people who live here?"

However, the good rapport between the PP and Vox also extends to parliamentary questions. "In times of high tension, they've asked questions to clash with us, but others use them to attack the left," sources from the People's Party (PP) assert. Thus, the questions raised by the far right have often become a silver platter for the Government to make announcements in plenary session or to attack the Spanish government.