There are times when opposition party outrage is stage managed for purely political reasons; the subject of the outrage is not as outrageous as it is made out to be. This isn’t so with the child sexual exploitation cases. The outrage is genuine, and it has inspired a combined and justified opposition demand for a commission of investigation to be established. This would be into the management systems for children under the supervision of the Council of Majorca’s IMAS, Majorcan Institute for Social Affairs.
The Partido Popular, El Pi and Ciudadanos will be making this demand at the Council’s plenary next week. The chances are that the majority pact will reject the demand. Leading this rejection, it would seem, are PSOE, for whom a reason for not having a commission - it is being said - is the fact that the two other pact parties of Més and Podemos would be most under scrutiny.
The pact has yet to come to a definitive stance, but the indications are that it will turn down the demand. If it does, then this will represent further failure - one of accountability. And if the Council is incapable of ordering a commission of investigation, then the government should command one. But it won’t, because the same parties are involved and, as the Més minister for social affairs, Fina Santiago, has said, she can’t invade Council powers.
Of course there should be a commission, preferably an independent one. But then who decides who would be on it?