Santiago Carrillo is a nice old communist, actually retired from the political arena, who is known, among other feats, for being one of the very few who did not move from his seat the day lieutenant Tejero entered the Parliament, gun in hand, some-when back in the eighties.
That coup d'état was a failure, allowing the young Spanish democracy to keep evolving, if not stronger, at least... well, whatever, but definitely not stronger. Among the many other actions that could exemplify the growing political radicalization in Spain -and thus our growing democratic weaknesses-, the right winged opposition (which represents almost half of our population) is carrying on a campaign of accusations that end with the explicit theory of the left winged government conspiring to commit the 11-M Madrid bombings.
In a recent interview good old Carrillo comments on how much the actual right winged politicians resemble those of the thirties, prior to the civil war. And the truth is that we do not need to consider those similarities to perceive how the tension of our political dichotomy is spreading ever more violently through the population.
While the left winged in power keep jumping from topic to topic without any apparently clear direction -or so it seems-, the direction of the right winged opposition is way too clear; their lack of measure and absolute disrespect for the government are just side effects of their basic truth, this is, that only strength is to be respected. And coherently enough they intend to bring "law and order, through force if necessary"... an almost cool motto that cannot hide its resemblance with that of old and new dictators of any sign.
There are calls and different signs that hint at our democracy as a headless governance, or worse, as a monster of too many heads. And while the communists dream with a Republic of Everland, the King some others dream with looks more like a Dictator than as the Majesty that should head us all. I wonder if there is still hope beyond political parties and out dated ideologies; I wonder when will we be ready to get beyond the restraints of law and order so as to search, socially and individually, for justice, not just as a concept but as a personal action. But before the utopia of a common sense anarchy of sorts, the coherence of some civil movements can still play the role that democratic political parties seem to be underestimating; the role of leading for the people instead of just leading, or instead of leading for lies, chimeras or for a trademark.
Santiago Carrillo is a nice old communist who speaks to me at night and makes me wonder...