Editorials
Humble Classes
By h.b.
Jan 22, 2008 - 4:48 PM

EDITORIAL COMMENT

The embattled leader of the Partido Popular, Mariano Rajoy, has called on his party to stop talking about the candidate lists, and the Gallardón affair. No more distractions, and on with the job of trying to win the election. Rajoy is clearly angry with both the Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, and the President of the Madrid region, Esperanza Aguirre, for distracting the party in the run up to the General Election, but perhaps he should recognise that he could easily have dealt with the matter last Summer.

He’s angry too because his new star signing, designed to counteract the weight of the Minister for the Economy and Tax, Pedro Solbes, the ex President of Endesa, Manuel Pizarro, has seen his arrival eclipsed by events, when the uncertainty in the world’s economy should have proved fertile ground for the new arrival to take centre stage. Rajoy would no doubt be far happier if that particular candidate had more attention in the press – so let’s give him some...

Rajoy said to the party faithful at a rally in Madrid on Monday that the Partido Popular has to look after ‘the most humble classes’ who, he is convinced, will support the P.P.

One wonders how Rajoy thinks that may be the case when his brand new number two is not the party’s most popular personality, Sr. Gallardón, but Sr. Pizarro instead.

Manuel Pizarro has promised to ‘sweat his shirt’ as he works hard for the party, but realistically can anyone expect him to sit in Congress should the Partido Popular lose the election? Pizarro is a born opportunist. His loyalties last until something better comes along. It’s a quality that has made him an ideal money maker on the stock markets - (has he been trading this week?), but whether the public will be impressed by such credentials is another matter.