The Zapatero reshuffle does not change course in the Spanish economy

An executive for Spain almost brand new. Prime Minister Zapatero finally seems to have been aware of a few hairs from a government crisis that would lead to early elections and that has finally decided to reshuffle as requested by the public. A signal of the board of Madrid, in fact, shows anything but a change of direction for the management of the country: it is, in fact, the facade of yet another political ploy ahead of regional elections that start next November.

The growing call for early elections to be moved more than necessary. The economic crisis that has led to an unemployment rate above 20 percent, with further growth prospects, the difficulties are the Spanish plazas to regain the confidence of financial markets despite the adoption of austerity measures and reform labor market, and the image of a socialist executive increasingly disjointed, incoherent and unable to manage the crisis have pushed up the resentment of the Spaniards. Over the past two and a half years of government, Zapatero has managed to accumulate not only calls for the resignation of the PP, but also harsh criticism from many industry (among them the powerful banker Botín and the former Socialist minister and current European Commissioner Joaquín Almunia) and trade unions and social organizations has always been close to the PSOE.

In the reshuffle yesterday Zapatero has not set as the main priority needs of the country (ie the creation of jobs and economic recovery). The reconstruction of the government in fact the sole purpose to heal the wounds within the party in the upcoming elections. The ultimate goal is to get the votes needed to keep up the government, at least until 2012, and thus avoid one of the most embarrassing electoral disasters of recent decades (for more announced by the Socialist José María Barreda, President of the Comunidad de Castilla-La Mancha, which has been seeking substantial changes to the government).

How to read an editorial in the newspaper "El Mundo", in recent years the government has suffered two metamorphoses and none of them was really desired by the President of the Gobierno. The first, the paper explains, is that of an economic nature occurred last May: cornered by the international markets, Zapatero had to go back on most of his campaign promises to avert the collapse of the Spanish economy in the wake of the Greek. The second - the one in place - it is strictly political and forced by circumstances: the Iberian premier found himself in fact the opposition at home and the rain of criticism has not helped some of the acts of the executive.

It is no coincidence that the government team were excluded the figures that have created friction and strong criticism from the Socialist Party but by the same, on the other hand, were the spearhead of the "creative politics" Zapatero, then found very disappointing. The new line, in fact, aims to give a more serious and confident in the government, leaving behind those characters "talk" and abolishing those ministries of its symbolic and ideological politics (such as the Equality and the Ministry of Housing), which then they discovered quite unnecessary.

The most striking example of this metamorphosis is the return of "Felipe" Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, which 15 years later, he dusted off the head of a ministry (the Interior, where he was vice-chairman) earning the role of spokesman and vice president of First Government. Its task is to collect, by 2012, the electoral fruits of the struggle against ETA. Ramon Jauregui also comes into play as a minister of the presidency, a figure that has never hidden the friction against the prime minister but who, on the other hand, enjoys the respect of the party (not by chance that we will coordinate the executive). The 34-year old Leire PAJÍN, however, has been removed from the organizational leadership of the PSOE, which was not particularly appreciated, and put to the guidance of the Ministry of Health.

Disappear from the executive, instead, the "pasionaria" María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, First Vice-President of the Government and the owners of the two ministries invented by Zapatero and much disputed: Bibiana Aido y Beatriz Corredor. The first is the author of the famous law that allows minors to have abortions without parental consent and who boasts of having invented phrases that will go down in history (like "the fetus is a living being but not a human being" or that, under the aegis of feminism advocated by his ministry, declined the word "member" of the government in "members", infecting even the premier), but not limited to, among other things that will be remembered is the funding to "libraries for women" and sexual orientation centers for adolescents, the key feminist rewriting of fairy tales in the activation of a toll free number to address concerns of abuse.

But Zapatero has to think about all the new board there is also room for reconciliation with other political forces. Instead of Elena Espinosa, Minister of Environment, has been appointed the former mayor of Cordoba Rosa Aguilar, the first member of Izquierda Unida (the radical left that is not only Spanish but also openly Eurocommunists Republican) and now an independent non-political belonging to the PSOE. The icing on the cake however, is that the changes in leadership of the Ministry of Labour. To obtain the guide is Valeriano Gómez, former general secretary of Labour figure close to the union and left-UGT. With these two moves Zapatero aims with a single shot to steal a few votes of the extreme left and wink to work organizations, the same ones that took to the field last Sept. 29 to protest against the reform of working with a general strike .

Now the question is whether the new government team will be able to really give a turn to lead the country. The fact that the Secretary General of the opposition party, María Dolores de Cospedal, was plucked from a microphone on while the journalists admitted that the new government is better than the previous "in terms of public screening" provides some hope for the socialists . It 'true that he left intact the Ministry of Economy Elena Salgado although so far there have been signs of economic recovery and the choice of Valeriano Gómez of the department of Labor, for many it is the harbinger of a new phase of the schizophrenic policy Zapatero: In fact, the new Minister of Labour - a strategic position for the resumption Spanish - just a few days ago was in the streets to demonstrate against the same reform that from now on will have to defend with their nails. In short, the second round of the Prime Minister Zapatero seems to start on the wrong foot.