Isabel Díaz Ayuso has claimed the Community of Madrid as a “fashionable” region in Spain because it is a territory free of “nationalism and identity ideologies.” At the institutional event celebrating the Community of Madrid Day, the president spoke positively about Catalonia and pointed out that the Madrid region has become “the economic, political, and social engine” of Spain.
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Ayuso, who was accompanied by Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who criticized Pedro Sánchez’s government for putting “obstacles” in the region’s way, assured that a “good Madrilenian knows how to admire Catalonia.” “Like the Catalan who truly loves his region, he knows how to do the same with others, starting with Madrid. And he knows this is his home,” she said, in a nod to Catalonia, but she also wanted to make a veiled recommendation to the Catalan autonomy, which has been losing economic weight after recent years marked by the political tension of the independence process.
In this regard, she pointed out that the Community of Madrid is experiencing “its best moment” because “neither nationalism nor identity ideologies” are making the region “waste time.” “Being free from political harassment and sectarianism has allowed Madrilenians to appreciate what works, without complexes,” Ayuso said.
It is worth remembering that the Community of Madrid, during the years of the “procés,” managed to surpass Catalonia as the autonomous community with the highest GDP per capita (measuring the wealth of a territory) and with the highest GDP. In this sense, she claimed that Madrid says “no” to “wasting time.”
At this point, she also referred to her “concern” about the situation Spain under Sánchez is going through and the “administrative loneliness” in which Madrid finds itself. “How many opportunities are we losing under these circumstances?” she asked, before calling for “state projects that reform infrastructures, distribute water for everyone, incentivize doctors, reform transport, attract investments, or take care of the self-employed.”
At a time when the migration debate also takes a prominent role in national politics, Ayuso also wanted to emphasize that Madrid “admires talent, wherever it comes from.” In fact, she claimed the cosmopolitanism of Madrid by assuring that “its own natural and cultural heritage and that of the other sister regions is valued,” but also “the recipes of Spanish cuisine” or “a Mexican or Asian restaurant” are enjoyed.
“We are the gateway to the whole world as an international capital region. This happens everywhere,” she stated, adding: “We are the most heterogeneous region there is because Madrid is made up of all forms of being Spanish.”
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Likewise, Ayuso referred to the economic and social problems that growth can generate in the form of inequalities and poverty. “Our obligation is that this shared, thriving, and unstoppable project grows in balance. That prosperity, life, and new opportunities reach the entire region,” she said, in a territory where housing is a significant problem for many people due to high prices, which reduce a large part of disposable income.
At this point, she referred to the need to anticipate the next “15 and 20 years” with the construction of new high schools; with facilities for the elderly; with the creation of new industry and jobs; or with the public transport that new urban developments will need. “All this, growing in population year after year,” she affirmed.
Feijóo supports Ayuso
Feijóo was in the front row supporting Ayuso on the Community of Madrid Day, sitting next to Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida. The PP leader lashed out at the obstacles imposed by the Government on the Community of Madrid to wear down Ayuso: “Madrid does not need obstacles.”
“I don’t think tripping up the Government of the Community of Madrid should be a constant and continuous attitude of the Government of Spain, but I am convinced that Madrilenians take good note of what has happened over the years,” Feijóo said, who claimed that “supporting the Community of Madrid is what any responsible politician should do” and referred to the need to “end the strike that has been harming the Madrid Health Service for almost a year.”
In this regard, Sánchez’s Government was not present at the event.
Feijóo also spoke about the incident between Vito Quiles and Begoña Gómez. The PP leader said he believes the “facts must be clarified” and added that he does not think this type of behavior “should be shared by Spanish society.” “I believe the facts must be clarified, what happened, who apparently had some kind of violent attitude, and that is what is important,” he said.
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