It has been almost twenty years since the then president of the Generalitat José Montilla warned of the growing disaffection of the citizens towards the institutions. He was then talking about the Catalunya-Spain relationship since we were on the preamble of what later happened for not heeding that warning. Two decades later, the symptoms of citizens’ detachment from politics are spreading throughout Spain. The atmosphere of tension is unbearable, especially in Madrid. Many politicians of all colors explain it. Hatred is detected and some predict that we are approaching physical fights as we have seen in Asian parliaments.
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Dissatisfaction with politics is climbing positions in the ranking of the main citizen problems, as shown by the latest surveys from the Center for Sociological Research (CIS) and its counterpart in Catalunya (CEO). In the whole of Spain, political problems, instability due to lack of agreements, and corruption are already the third concern, after housing and the economy.
The latest CEO survey published on Thursday went further. When asked which party they believe has the most capacity to solve the main challenges such as the management of public services, security, poverty, or boosting economic growth, the most repeated answer was disheartening: No political party is capable
As for the degree of trust that institutions deserve, only the town halls barely pass with a 5.3. The rest, from Governments, parliaments, the EU, parties, unions, and justice, have resounding failures. And finally, it is striking that 92% of the population states that the government often hides relevant information from the citizens. Are they deceiving us?
There are many warnings that society sends to political representatives and it does not seem that they react beyond lamenting the danger of extremist speeches that gain followers. It would be good if, instead of accusing others, they self-criticize because detachment can be irreparable.
Last week, at a meeting in Zaragoza of mayors from formations as different as PSOE, PP, ERC, or Bildu, there was a coincidence that they commented on in private: “The level of tension and blockage in Spanish politics is doing us a lot of harm.” It is good that they have realized it, but beyond saying it, they must act or the citizens will disconnect definitively.
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