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Podemos, Catalonia and the workers' movement in the Spanish state
Sierra, Hector
http://isj.org.uk/podemos-catalonia-and-the-workers-movement/Date Written: 2017-08-29 Publisher: International Socialism Year Published: 2017 Resource Type: Article Cx Number: CX21162 Following a long period of electoral upheaval and failure of the left, it is argued that the two key areas where the Spanish ruling class could have been confronted was through the workers' movement and the pro-independence movement in Catalonia, both of which were not sufficiently addressed by the Podemos campaign. Abstract: -- Excerpt: Podemos was hailed by many activists as the electoral embodiment of the resistance to austerity; expectations were high. In its leaders' words, Podemos had been born to win.2 But, when a general election was held in December 2015, the party came only third.3 The resulting uncertainty and disappointment had a further electoral impact on Podemos. Following the failure of any of the parties to form a government, elections were repeated in June 2016. This time Podemos stood in a coalition with the Communist Party-led United Left (IU), but jointly these parties achieved only as many votes as Podemos had six months earlier—and overall the radical left lost one million votes compared to the previous election. Subject Headings |