Legislating for show: the impossible proposals of the parties in Parliament

PalmVox registered a bill last Monday that, if approved, would oblige the Government of the Canary Islands to "establish requirements for accreditation of Spanish language training for teachers." But when questioned by journalists, the legislators admitted they had not verified whether this is feasible, since powers over the Spanish language fall under the jurisdiction of the Spanish government. "We will consult," the spokesperson, Manuela Cañadas, stated. The anecdote exemplifies a day-to-day situation in Parliament, where parties formulate maximum proposals that may clash with state and European powers, or would require validation by supra-regional institutions that are already known to be unwilling. These are desiderata that allow them to position themselves and establish a profile with the electorate, but they are difficult to implement.

Due to the party's own characteristics, Vox uses this resource extensively. The proposal for the "mass deportation" of immigrants, which its leader, Santiago Abascal, has put forward, is a clear demonstration, as it goes against Spanish and international law, which expressly prohibits such practices. But the other parties are also presenting some initiatives, knowing that they will most likely remain at the declarative level. For example, the proposal by MÉS for Mallorca to limit the sale of homes to non-residents directly clashes with European regulations.

On the other hand, the bill by MÉS, along with Més per Menorca, which last Tuesday passed the first step in Parliament thanks to the support of the PP, is also complex to implement. It seeks joint management of the islands' airports, but the final say on the matter rests with the Congress of Deputies. "It can be applied, because it develops the Statute of Autonomy," argues PP spokesperson Sebastià Sagreras. However, for now, it has served to force all parties to weigh in on who should manage the infrastructure. The PSIB (Basque Socialist Workers' Party) abstained. "If it reaches Congress, Francina Armengol will be forced to vote no out of party discipline, when she had always defended it there," Sagreras explains. "It already happened to her when, regarding the restriction on the sale of homes to non-residents, she defended the opposite in Congress than she did in Parliament," he recalls.

"All the proposals can be implemented," asserts Lluís Apesteguia, MÉS spokesperson for Mallorca. "It's true that in some cases we are more daring; we try to push the limits of what is possible," he explains. "We must present the initiatives we consider appropriate, and if they cannot be approved, we must engage in dialogue and negotiation." In this sense, he considers it "deceitful" that major parties are using the difficulties of implementing these reforms to stop them: "It's difficult, but it can be done." For his part, Socialist MP Carles Bona agrees that "nothing is inapplicable forever." "It's another thing to make people believe that it's plausible in the short term," he opines. Thus, he argues that, although "not all policies should be based on the short term, because we mustn't stop dreaming about what we believe in," major proposals must be accompanied by more achievable measures. "President Marga Prohens hides behind the non-deployment of Frontex [which depends on the Spanish government], and in the meantime, she doesn't govern," he says as an example.

Citizen Ignorance

Political scientist Julián Claramunt explains that the trend is a consequence of "people not being entirely clear about their responsibilities." "There are surveys that show that many people, when asked why they vote for a party in an election, give arguments that are incompatible with the responsibilities of that administration," he continues. However, Claramunt insists that "we must not fall into the trap of an institution speaking only of its responsibilities," because "many changes to issues that seemed immutable have been initiated in chambers below" the corresponding institution. However, he warns of the dangers of making promises that are difficult to fulfill: "This encourages people a lot, but in the long run it generates disenchantment."

For his part, political analyst Toni Fornés points to the "permanent campaign" as the cause of the phenomenon. "Very large and eloquent announcements are sent on issues that citizens can relate to," he asserts. "We have many parties, and in a context where media attention is very limited, they compete for it," he continues. "Therefore, they must make visible proposals that allow them to differentiate themselves." However, he warns that "the impact of these debates tends to be null" on citizens: "The parties run a great risk, which is falling into self-referentiality."