La Moncloa publishes an article that accuses “The Economist” of criticizing Sánchez with “far-right hoaxes”

This is the government’s response to the article published last Thursday by The economistone of the most influential publications on the planet, entitled “Pedro Sánchez clings to power at the expense of Spanish democracy”.

The report presents a very severe criticism of the management of President Pedro Sánchez, whom he accuses of remaining in power in exchange for costly concessions to the independence parties, such as “the amnesty to which he has always opposed” or the concert Catalan for Catalonia, meaning “less money for the common piggy bank” and implies “constitutional reform through the back door“.

The economist also pointed out that Pedro Sánchez transformed the PSOE leadership into “a fan club” and assumed the “separatist narrative” in its agreements signed with Junts and ERC.

Finally, he reported that a judge is investigating Begoña Gómez for an alleged case of corruption, after “obtain academic positions for which you are clearly not qualified“.

To defuse these criticisms, which could harm the president’s image abroad, Moncloa published an article on its website this weekend. Public agendain which the sociologist Jesus M. de Miguel maintains that The economist bases its information on right-wing and far-right “hoaxes”.

According to this sociologist, who has been an advisor to several administrations governed by the PSOE, the article The economist “Treat hoaxes as fact, misinformation as reality. He adopts the position of the right and the extreme right (…) without rationally judging what is happening” in Spain.

“The argument of the article The economist It is that of the conservative opposition and the extreme right. It presents the same hoaxes, disinformation and opinions of the opposition,” agrees Jesús M. de Miguel, “which is not responsible journalism. Information should be offered, not hoaxes or lies. It is irresponsible that The economist assume these positions. “Responsible journalism must inform and not take sides.”

The sociologist emphasizes that the prestigious British weekly regularly offers “magnificent information on what is happening in the world (…) It is a good source of international information”.

However, he then regrets, “the information he usually publishes about Spain could be improved. I think they don’t understand our country, and that too they adopt irresponsible positions“.

The reality of Spain, specifies the sociologist in the article published by Moncloa, is that “the economy is doing very well. In addition, peripheral nationalisms (Catalan and Basque) are much calmer. They are still there and will continue, but at least they are negotiating, attending Congress and presenting their demands.”

Ranking of democracies

“The measures taken by the democratic central government were risky. But they worked”, he notes, “it is about amnesty and the promotion of a reform of the economic resources of peripheral nationalities”.

In this way, it alludes to the economic agreement promised by the PSOE to ERC, by which the Generalitat will abandon the general regional financing regime to collect and manage all taxes.

Jesús M. de Miguel further contends that Spain occupies 23rd place in the world ranking of democracies which is produced each year by the British weekly itself. “There is therefore no doubt that Spain is currently a fully democratic country,” he concludes on this subject, “with also an economy that is doing well.”

Holder of a doctorate in political science from Complutense University, Jesús M. de Miguel is currently professor of sociology at the University of Barcelona. He held the Prince of Asturias Chair in Spanish Studies at Georgetown University (Washington DC).

He has been a permanent advisor to the Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs for three years, as well as a member of the Committee of Experts of the Provincial Delegation of Barcelona, ​​the Municipal Council of the Environment of Barcelona and the General Council of Insalud.