Under the cover of the serious economic crisis we are suffering, a new political party has been born: "Autonomos al Congreso" https://autonomosalcongreso.es/
It's too early to give him any expectations of electoral success, but his presence and registration in the national party registry already give an idea of the level of discontent among citizens.
In Spain, until recently, there were more than three and a half million self-employed workers (3,700,000), but half a million have been lost with the crisis. No one remembers them. They are completely unprotected. It's paradoxical that, given the size of this group, they have always suffered neglect by all political parties. The self-employed do not receive unemployment benefits; they have to pay fixed amounts into Social Security every month, rain or shine. They are considered essential activities or have been denied them without scientific support. They have always been abandoned by the government.
What are they asking for? Fair and common-sense proposals. What they've been demanding for decades;
Expansion of maternity leave coverage, the possibility of taking parental leave, pension revisions, a zero-tax rate for "zero" income, a reduction in the general corporate tax rate, a distinction between personal and professional assets, and greater crackdown on the underground economy, which is so damaging to this honest and hardworking group.
The other day, President Sánchez announced an 11 billion euro aid plan. We'll see how it's handled; we know the President is very fond of "ghost" announcements. According to the group, it won't even cover 50% of the losses they've suffered during the health crisis. Those who haven't been able to survive a year of restrictions and closures don't care anymore. Forty percent of the self-employed are already short of liquidity. The measures are coming too late, as always. But for the unions, which contribute a lot of GDP (irony), there's a 50% increase in public subsidies. That's how they manage, without batting an eye. But the fault lies not with the government, which implements an ideological public policy in exceptional circumstances, but with the opposition, which isn't up to the task, and with the citizens who put up with these outrages, sitting on the couch without protest.
Some national parties defend the interests of large corporations and multinationals, other parties on the anti-establishment spectrum defend hooligans and squatters, but no one takes responsibility for supporting the needs of those who struggle every morning to contribute to this country's GDP. They are the ones ignored by the government. It's paradoxical, but the world is upside down. Faced with such apathy, the self-employed have organized themselves into political parties. If Teruel Existe achieved representation in Congress and the Senate, the self-employed may also have a path forward. The political situation is so polarized that other partisan options may be as interesting as they are intelligent.
Article published in Esdiario
Victoria Rodríguez Blanco
Jurist and Political Scientist.