Political debate erupts: the dangers of masturbation with chickpeas

PalmPolitical polarization is escalating in the Balearic Islands just over a year before the regional elections. The Parliament has long since become a boxing ring where parties hurl arguments like punches, often without listening to their opponents. Accusations have been made that this is a contemporary classic. "You did worse" is the most repeated refrain. The phrase bounces from one seat to another like a ping-pong ball, amidst the astonishment of one segment of the population and the thirst for revenge of the other.

The last plenary session ended with a meager tally in terms of political initiatives. But if we consider the constant accusations, the unfunny jokes, and the surreal arguments, any customer would be satisfied. The Vox deputy Patricia de las Heras She positioned herself as a staunch defender of football in school playgrounds after some schools considered less sexist alternatives. The problem is that she got herself into a muddle, and her arguments sailed a chaotic sea. After asserting that "the left and 'wokism' are a danger to our children"—could this representative provide a careful and simple definition of what she calls 'wokism'?—her discourse took a more disturbing turn when she claimed that the left "teaches children to masturbate with chickpeas." What was left for her to do after that? She immediately resorted to insults: "Don't let these mentally deficient people decide about our children," she implored the Minister of Education. Antoni VeraIn response to complaints from the left, the Speaker of Parliament, Gabriel Le Senne (Vox), calmly asked that the tone be moderated, without reproaching De las Heras for his words.

The tug-of-war over the senator for Formentera was also chaotic. For the Pitiusa island to have a representative in the Senate, the Constitution needs to be amended. The People's Party (PP) tried to inject some drama into the issue and, despite voting in favor in the Balearic Parliament, abstained in the Congress (if the PP abstains in the vote to change the Constitution, Formentera will be left without a senator). However, this is nothing new; other parties have done it in the past. The Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands (PSIB) was outraged in this week's plenary session by the PP's stance, perhaps because they've forgotten that in March 2021, they voted against, along with Podemos, allowing regions to have their own sales periods, even though both parties had supported and approved this initiative in the Balearic Islands. But let's not overlook the sophistication of the PP's argument: they abstained in case the Socialist Party (PSOE) used the initiative to "insert other things." The PP is well aware of this tactic.

Shout Back

Returning to the Minister of Education, Antoni Vera, his heated reactions to questions from the opposition are well known. On this occasion, the PSIB deputy Amanda Fernandez She demanded explanations about the advancement of the teachers' competitive exams. Far from calmly detailing the reasons why this change is worthwhile, Vera booed a series of random questions, related to anything but education: "What criteria were used to pass the law that released harassers onto the streets? And the amnesty? And the masks?" fake"Didn't that worry him?" Isn't it undeniable how much the Koldo affair has benefited the Balearic PP in addressing issues such as the situation of teachers, the lack of housing, tourist saturation, the impact of bluetongue on livestock, and world peace?

The Pact for Sustainability was present at its weekly meeting with the Parliament, this time with the intervention of the PSIB deputy Marc Pons, who proclaimed the death of this initiative, while the Vice President of the Government, Antoni CostaHe accused him of being "the world champion of lies." Perhaps we should settle for the average and accept that the Pact is neither alive nor dead. Some people claim to have attended meetings, but nothing is yet known about the 544 phantom proposals, the disintegration of participants, or how the committee of experts that was supposed to lead the glorious economic diversification that would make the Balearic Islands a happy, prosperous, sustainable, and circular place vanished.

MÁS per Mallorca attempted to pass a non-binding resolution with measures to reduce the cost of living in the Balearic Islands. As is well known, these kinds of issues concerning the poor aren't much fun, so the plenary hall nearly emptied when the pro-independence deputy spoke. Marta Carrió He came out to defend her. It's more tiresome to talk about football and chickpeas. From the Government's side, a resigned Alejandro Sáenz de San Pedro I listened to talk about workers, children, and pensioners without looking up from my phone, while Antoni Costa came in and out a couple of times. And thanks to Lluís Apesteguia (MORE for Mallorca) we learned that the President of the Government, Marga ProhensShe has suffered a linguistic attack. Sometimes, friendship can be treacherous. But Ms. Prohens didn't attach any importance to it. "They say worse things to me and you don't say anything," the president reproached Apesteguia, amid laughter from her PP colleagues.

In short, the week has progressed with the usual legislative paralysis, but the far-right's world continues to spin on its own. The initiatives that Vox has prioritized to promote "national priority birth rates" can be consulted in the Parliament's registry. It must be assumed that "national" doesn't only refer to those born in Spain, but also includes requirements such as being white, practicing heterosexuality, attending mass, and being properly married.