Valencia, tragedy strikes – Spanish government’s inaction

I have taken almost 10 days to blow off some steam before writing anything on this matter.

In today’s blog post, I’m going to analyse the actions of two men, of two Spanish presidents from the same political party, with a similar tragedy striking, but with very different outcomes.

In 1983, tragedy struck at the heart of the Basque Country. A terrible flashflood swept Bilbao threatening the lives of thousands. The then president, Socialist Mr. Felipe Gonzalez Marquez, acted decisively, as befits a statesman, immediately declaring  a National Emergency (as it is the president's prerogative), and mobilized all national resources deploying within 48 hours 10,000 men (a further 3.000 men were added over the next days), 200 vehicles, and 50 heavy machinery to clear the roads and remove the debris. This tragedy resulted in 34 dead and 5 missing.

As a sidenote, Bilbao is the capital of the Basque region, which is a politically sentive area with active separatist movements. The fact Mr. Gonzalez boldly deployed the Spanish Army within speaks volumes. To take it into perspective at the time, it's akin to a UK Primer Minister sending in thousands of British paratroopers into the IRA stronghold in the 70's, even if for all the right reasons; it's an audacious and highly controversial political move. Truly, a president with cojones who takes on the mantle of responsibility.

Actions speak more than words.

The resolute action of Mr. Gonzalez resulted in saving hundreds, possibly thousands, of lives. This is what we expect from a leader, from a statesman. And this is one – of many reasons – why Mr. Gonzalez will pass on to history as one of the finest Spanish presidents of all time.

Right, let’s fast-forward 41 years, to the 29^th of October 2024.

The Spanish government ignored all flashflood warnings from the Met Office on the 29^th of October 2024 and did nothing, nada. The flashfllood swamped dozens of Valencian towns without any prior warning, and were all caught by surprise. They were woefully unprepared for what came next.

Disaster struck, and hundreds died (214 as of today), and 93 are still reported officially missing (initial reports estimated 1,900 people missing).

What happened next is that Spain’s government, led by the Socialist president Mr. Sanchez, did nothing – nada – for 5 (five) full days and nights, leaving it all to the regional authority of Valencia which was overwhelmed (ruled by an opposing political party). The central government did not declare a State of Alarm, nor send in the Army, nor any heavy machinery to assist and rescue the survivors. Moreover, it actively blocked and thwarted any help to the stricken region of Valencia resulting in even more deaths. The Spanish government’s inaction kills.

As a result, countless deaths followed which could have been easily averted had the central government stepped in and acted.

Hundreds of villages have been left to their own devises, and it is the neighbours themselves who are cleaning up the muck and debris, even with their bare hands.

After 5 days, Mr. Sanchez had the gall to show up in a Valencian town to be photographed (!) and was pelted by mud by the neighbours amid shouts too rude to reproduce here. Two official cars were damaged, and the president himself was hit with a stick hurled at him by the gathered crowd. The government attributes these attacks to “well-organised, radical ultra-right-wing movements”. Three people were detained on the following days, and all happened to have no affiliation to any political party whatsoever, and no previous criminal record; they were simply aggrieved townsfolk of the afflicted town Mr. Sanchez visited to take pictures of himself.

Mr. Sanchez still continues to this very day (ten days after) not to call a National Emergency on what’s happened in Valencia. He has also flat out refused all international help kindly offered by multiple countries (?). Moreover, instead of bending over to release government funds to assist all the people affected and rebuild the land, he’s blackmailing the opposition to approve his 2025 budget (which would cement his prower grip over Spain for the next years) in which he deviously included Valencia's relief funds. So, if the opposition does not yield and approve his budget, it will be them who will be made to look bad.

In effect, Mr. Sanchez is ruthlessly exploiting a human tragedy that has killed hundreds of innocents, including children, for his own political gain.

These are the facts.

And now onto my personal opinion.

I have long criticised Mr. Sanchez in multiple articles and blog posts over the years for all the things he’s done. Mr. Sanchez is widely accepted as the worst president in Spain’s young democracy, even surpassing the ineptitude of his colleague Mr. Zapatero (which is quite the feat).

But after what’s transpired in Valencia over the last week, he’s upped the ante and raised his game to a whole new level of depravation. He’s de facto now become the most hated man in all of Spain - by his own demerits.

All of these deaths, all of these losses, could have been averted, or greatly mitigated, if we had a real statesman in office.

And this is why Mr. Gonzalez will pass on to history and be fondly remembered as one of the finest statesmen Spain has ever had.

Ans this is why Mr. Sanchez will pass on to history as the worst, and most despised, spineless career politician of all time; a vile man.

The whole Spanish government must be judged, found guilty, and held accountable for one of the greatest derelictions of duty in history.