OPINION

Merry-go-round stops dead

WHILE Spain has seen a definitive growing groundswell for change at a national level, this has not translated for change locally.

On the Costa del Sol, the merry-go-round almost completely stopped, with only Benalmadena kicking out its mayor. But is this lack of changes a good thing for the coast?

There is certainly a lot to say for continuity - it brings certainty to public office and businesses can feel more confident in planning for the future.

But there is a downside too. Change is often needed to inject new ideas and fresh impetus into the political landscape.

After all, there is a tendency for politicians who have held office for decades to get complacent, lazy and in some cases to ‘cut corners’.

We know well from past experience that power has corrupted in many town halls.

While we are not suggesting that present incumbents are walking on the wrong side of the legal tightrope, this has by no means always been the case.

Just look at Marbella, where since 1991, almost every single leader has been investigated or sent to prison for bribery, money laundering, cooking the books or more.

The last two are the only exceptions, although Angeles Munoz’ links to the Swedish mafia has been well documented.

Ultimately it is the job of voters to hold their political leaders to account. So why hasn’t the wish for change led to more mayors biting the dust?

Well, a clue is the large share of the vote the conservative PP has snared in traditionally socialist Andalucia.

In a quirk of history, most of the sitting mayors are already from the PP.

So the swing to the right - strongly reflected in national opinion polls, and indeed voting patterns - did not have much of an effect locally.

The long-running billion euro ERE corruption scandal at the Junta under the socialist PSOE certainly didn’t help.

The desire for change is far more likely to result in change at the national level.

Which is perhaps why Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called a surprise general election.

Perhaps he wants to go to the polls before the swing against the left gets too big.

It may just be possible he would rather lose to the PP before the far right party Vox gets too strong.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Alberto Lejarraga alberto@theolivepress.es

Jo Chipchase jo@theolivepress.es

John Culatto

ADMIN Victoria Humenyuk Makarova (+34) 951 273 575 admin@theolivepress.es