The first vice president of the Government and general secretary of the PSOE-A, María Jesús Montero, has claimed on Saturday that her party «is more necessary than ever» in a world filled with «news that fills us with unease», being a «beacon of social democracy». She also defended the need to be «stronger and more united than ever» in Andalusia to regain control of the Junta, currently held by the PP-A with an absolute majority.
These are ideas that the also deputy general secretary of the PSOE and Minister of Finance has conveyed during her speech at the opening of the provincial Congress of the PSOE in Cádiz, where she referred to the international context and the «great reactionary, conservative, far-right wave» that aims to «impose a new order worldwide».
After mentioning the «unpresentable invasion» of Ukraine by Russia and the Israeli «war and bombardment» in the Gaza Strip, the socialist vice president and Minister of Finance referred to the tariffs announced this week by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, for «everyone».
Montero stressed that «tariffs are of no interest to anyone, neither when the United States imposes them, nor when Europe, to defend itself, also imposes them, because it means increasing the cost of goods» and «services».
«It means greater precariousness for those sectors that may be most affected, those that export more to the United States and elsewhere, because, ultimately, it means once again imposing by force conditions that are not debated in any multilateral forum, in any meeting among leaders,» the first vice president elaborated, asserting that «that is why the Socialist Party is more necessary than ever, because we are the beacon of social democracy».
In that vein, the Minister of Finance and number two of the federal PSOE highlighted that Spain is now «one of the few countries in Europe and the world that has an inclusive government program, with sustainable, progressive growth, which believes in equality, and knows that public policy is an essential tool to change people’s lives».
She also defended the «values» transmitted by the PSOE to «build a world of peace, harmony, against the selfishness of a few who do not want anything to change because they want to keep winning so much that those who have little end up becoming impoverished, silenced, and detached from politics, which is the only tool they have to change their lives,» she added to emphasize that the PSOE «has been fighting, struggling, updating» its program «for more than 145 years to give a concrete response to each moment».
As the leader of the Andalusian PSOE, Montero recalled that the PSOE-A governed Andalusia «for more than 37 years», a time during which, she argued, they «changed the destiny, the reality, the possibilities» of this community. And now, she continued, the socialists «have to give the best of ourselves every day, starting from the premise that no one ever gave us anything and no one will give it to us».
The general secretary of the PSOE-A criticized the way the leader of the PP-A, Juanma Moreno, governs as president of the Junta, suggesting, without naming him at that moment, that «one cannot say that one governs a community like Andalusia because they take photos with social entities or give awards while cutting back on dependency», or «when they go to inaugurate technology that the Spanish government has installed in public hospitals with European funds, and take a photo while severely deteriorating the Andalusian healthcare system» at the same time.
AFTER THE DEMONSTRATION FOR HEALTHCARE
At that point, Montero reiterated, as she did in the morning when she joined the demonstration in defense of public healthcare called by unions and the Marea Blanca association in Seville, that Andalusian healthcare «was the jewel in the crown» during the PSOE-A government in the Junta, «our pride» and «most precious asset».
After the mentioned demonstration, the socialist leader emphasized that «we must listen to the people», and in a message directed at the PP-A government, she added that one «cannot be complacent in the arrogance of an absolute majority to not listen to what is happening outside».
«We need to hear how citizens are saying day after day that they cannot wait 15 or 20 days for an appointment with the family doctor without being seen, that they cannot wait two years to be treated for something that is seriously affecting their health, that we cannot have an appointment with a specialist in one or a year and a half when one has a problem,» María Jesús Montero continued.
The former Health counselor demanded «a healthcare system that investigates, that is cutting-edge, that recognizes professionals» and adequately compensates them, and that is what the socialists will «build» when they return to the Junta, as she reiterated before asserting that public healthcare will «once again be the pride, the safety net of Andalusia» with the PSOE-A in power.
«GOVERNING IS TAKING A STAND»
Montero also asserted that «governing is getting involved, committing, taking a stand», and «it’s not about being liked by people», but «standing by those you defend», who, in the case of socialists, are «those with fewer possibilities, to design, implement public policies through the BOJA and the BOE, that truly change people’s lives,» she continued.
«It’s not about photos, handing out awards, or pretending not to cause any trouble; it’s about getting involved, not staying on the sidelines so that the social majority of Andalusia can keep progressing,» emphasized the leader of the PSOE-A, who insisted that Juanma Moreno is «afraid» of a socialist party «that believes in itself, that has a winning gene that allows it to prevail, that has unity so that everyone works hand in hand».
She added that «for us, the important thing is to have the BOJA—Official Gazette of the Junta of Andalucía—to be able, through it, to truly respond to the needs we have at any given moment,» and in that line, she reiterated that the socialists «are more necessary than ever», that «Andalusian society needs us stronger, more united than ever, with more desire, with more hope than ever», because «we still have a lot to do for all citizens» in areas such as education, healthcare, housing, justice, or dependency, «in everything that makes us citizens with capital letters,» she summarized to conclude.
FUENTE