From typicallyspanish.com
Spain Papers Review - Wednesday March 5 2008
By h.b.
Mar 5, 2008 - 9:43 AM
El Mundo looks for support for Mariano Rajoy today and tells us that 88% of the public supports the Castellano language law which Rajoy is promoting and which was not supported by the Prime Minister during Monday’s TV debate. El Mundo reports however that the Socialist candidate won the second debate by 12% points and proved victor in all areas, with the exception of the economy.
The paper says that 52% think it was bad for Zapatero to compare the number of terrorist deaths across the different governments.
ABC notes that Rajoy has called Zapatero ‘miserable’ for using the numbers.
El País has recently blurred its pro-socialist line, and today is good example of that. The paper says that the second TV election debate was a repeat of fake data, falsities and distortion of the truth. The paper notes that Rajoy has said he regrets letting Zapatero speak so much about the Madrid train bombings and Iraq.
Público looks at the topic of immigration on its front page today and links it to, as they see it Rajoy’s bad memory.
The paper quotes Mariano Rajoy in the TV debate saying ‘Foreign criminals enter Spain without the Government doing anything’. The paper then prints the residency card for one of the Madrid train bombers and notes that at least five of the terrorist from that day in 2004 were granted residency in Spain by the PP government.
El Mundo has a front page photo of the Cardinal Arch-bishop of Madrid. Antonio María Rouco Varela has been re-elected as the leader of the Bishops in Spain as the church recovers its hard line.
El País describes the returning leader as the ‘most belligerent’. The 71 year old takes over after three years from the moderate, Ricardo Blázquez.
ABC has a large photo of the new head of the bishops and notes that in his acceptance speech, Rouco Varela, offered a hand of friendship to the Socialists. ABC says that Zapatero limited his greeting to the sending of a telegram.
In international news, El País notes that Colombia is to denounce Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela before the international criminal court. It comes as the crisis between Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador deepens.
El Mundo notes that 300,000 have joined the dole queues in Spain over the past five months, as the paper puts it, without a pause.
El País says that unemployment has increased strongly in February. Both papers failing to note the increase of those in work as well, the point highlighted by the Pedro Solbes, the Minister for Tax and the Economy.
ABC says that the slowdown has made a liar of Zapatero, with his mandate ending with 100,000 more on the dole.
El Mundo notes that the Andalucian high court of justice has allowed an appeal, based on conscience, against the Government’s citizenship classes currently being given in schools. The court considers there could be a conflict between the Ministry for Education and religious and ideological freedom.
ABC also carries the story.
El Mundo claims that the Minister for Health, Bernat Soria, put fake data into his curriculum, saying he had honours and responsibilities he did not have.
There is sympathy for the Barça player, Leo Messi, who was in tears on the pitch yesterday with the return of an old injury to his left leg. El Mundo has a small photo of the player in pain.
And finally,
El Mundo reports on the story from Gerona where a man kept the body of his dead father for three months, sitting at the dining table watching the television.