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Nuclear cross-fire in Spanish politics
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by our Political correspondent
There has been an exchange of political missiles between the Spanish PP opposition and the governing socialists over the question of nuclear-powered submarines visiting Gibraltar. It was sparked off by the visit of the USS Florida.
This is dividing the two main flanks of Spanish politics, at a time when socialist senator Jose Carracao is floating the kite of consensus politics between the two warring factions over Gibraltar.
The opposition PP keeps harping that it is wrong for nuclear-powered submarines to call at Gibraltar. This has incensed the socialists, who have accused the PP of 'patriotic demagoguery'.
The battle is being fought at the level of the Cadiz province, which is where nuclear-powered vessels attract the most attention.
How can the PP compare two distinct questions, asks the PSOE, comparing the visit of the Florida, which has taken place with the knowledge of the Spanish government, and the one-year stay of the broken-down Tireless?
The PP prime minister Aznar had supported the Tireless repair, while the UK has agreed - with Zapatero in power - not to carry out such repairs.
The extent of the gunfire has been such that the PSOE has ended up defending the visit of nuclear-powered submarines, saying they are "simply" for victualling and change-of-crew purposes. The MOD must be saying: Three cheers!
Aznar crops up again to receive another knock, that during his tenure in office he had sold himself to the strategy of Bush and Blair, "even putting forward the barbarity of joint sovereignty."
With such ammo on the front line, Carracao's kite-flying might not get anywhere, but it does highlight what the Campo senator was trying to achieve, a single, joint policy between the government and the opposition to strengthen the Spanish position over Gibraltar.
Will this ever happen?
For the moment, the present PP leader Rajoy is busy shooting down old-time Aznar-appointees in the higher echelons of PP politics in preparation for the 'crisis' conference being held next month.
Rajoy is presenting himself as a more liberal political animal, but this is attraction the wrath of the Aznar faction.
Only yesterday, Aznar's wife came out asking that Rajoy should reflect about his policies. She received the support of another anti-Rajoy leading light, the president of the Madrid autonomous region Esperanza Aquirre.
Meanwhile, the PP spokesman on foreign affairs, Gustavo de Aristegui, has been taking cover after making certain utterances, presumably to hopefully divert any missiles coming in his direction.
He was asked if he would be standing against Rajoy and gave a firm No, but adding that many people had been asking him to do so.
The question arises if the PP is being split in two. In such a fluid situation, who knows who else will end up in the political funeral.
Aristegui, by the way, is particularly anti-Gibraltar.
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