To prevent this article from provoking heated opinions, let’s start by lightening the mood with a joke I borrowed from my colleague Jaume V. Aroca (this way I shake off responsibility). It goes like this: A Spanish Minister of Public Works visits his German counterpart and asks how he managed to get such a wonderful house. The German pulls back a curtain and says, “See that highway…? Like that.” After a while, the German returns the visit and sees that the Spaniard lives in a luxurious residence and asks how he did it. The Spaniard raises the blind and replies, “See the highway?” “I don’t see it anywhere,” the German replies. And the Spaniard answers, “Like that.”
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Jokes reflect popular sentiment. One of the political pieces of information that arouses the most morbid curiosity each year among readers is the declaration of assets by deputies. The inevitable comparison with each of us is instantly triggered, along with the consequent perception of injustice. When a ruler’s home becomes a matter of public scrutiny, it is always at a disadvantage. It doesn’t matter whether dishonest use of public resources is at issue or not. The question is whether they have the right to live like that.
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Isabel Díaz Ayuso’s home has become news because of its connection to Alberto González Amador, who is under investigation for alleged tax fraud and payments from Quirón, a group that holds contracts with the Community of Madrid. The matter gains public interest because the Madrid president has not been able to convincingly explain why the Community bought a penthouse for more than 6 million just as her partner decided to get rid of his, which he shared with Ayuso. Even the PP has chosen to take a back seat. The political debate is limited to whether the president’s new apartment is a consequence of the Administration’s failed purchase of the penthouse, but there should be no debate about whether she has to live in one area or another, or about the size of her apartment, no matter how much each person compares it with their difficulties in accessing housing with sky-high prices, especially in the capital. It is a shame that Ayuso did not see it this way when Pablo Iglesias bought his house and criticized the Podemos leader for aspiring to a “mansion in a development with a pool and lawn.”
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