COMBING through some of the Sunday papers, I was asked if I knew what the far right party VOX was up to. Good question. The third most voted party in the country has been rather quiet of late since its attempt to table a vote of no confidence in the current Spanish government failed.
However, yesterday, party spokespeople across the country came out of political hibernation and mounted a massive assault on the government and its handling of the pandemic and vaccination programme. And, the party hierarchy in Madrid called on the hostelry sector at large to follow the example set by protesters in Mallorca and mount nationwide demonstrations to protect their industry, jobs and livelihoods.
VOX also poured cold water over the governmnt’s claims that 70 percent of the population will have been vaccinated by the summer, opening up the doors for tourism. VOX claims that, based on the current rate of the vaccine roll out, it will be more like five percent. Alarming talk indeed, but no doubt VOX, which has been creeping up in the polls during its silence, is clearly looking to tap into the mounting frustration and discontent amongst the general public and encourage people to take to the streets and vent their anger at the government. Trouble is I fear VOX is not adopting such a stance for the general good of the country but to sow the seeds of unrest for its own political gain. Dangerous times.