The president of the People's Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has called on young people to "rebel" and lead the "generation of change" against the obstacles they face in accessing housing, becoming independent, or carrying out their life projects, with the aim of "transforming" a Spain that, in his opinion, is marked by the "degradation" of the Government and the "lack of opportunities".
"I rebel against that reality and I ask you to rebel together," said the 'popular' leader to the hundreds of young people gathered this Saturday at the closing of the XVI National Congress of Nuevas Generaciones, held in Valladolid, where he was accompanied by the president of the PP of Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco; the outgoing president of NNGG, Beatriz Fanjul, and the new head of the youth organization, Ignacio Dancausa.
In his speech, Feijóo placed youth at the center of the political change proposed by the PP and emphasized that the congress's slogan, 'Generation change', "is not a slogan of age, it is a slogan of attitude." As he said, "all young people represent the generation of change" if they believe that Spain "cannot continue like this," if they defend that "effort must be worthwhile," and if they are willing to promote regeneration to avoid "a lost generation."
Throughout his speech, he contrasted this message of renewal with a direct appeal to "freedom and nonconformity." "I do not want uniform, submissive, or conformist young people. I want free people," he stressed, demanding that young people be "owners of their lives, of their decisions, and of their opportunities" and not "permanent tenants of lies."
In this context, he focused on housing as the main example of the difficulties facing young people. After lamenting that even those with jobs cannot afford to rent or buy a house, he called to "rebel" to increase housing supply, facilitate access to rentals and mortgages, improve salaries, and allow every young person to develop the life project they desire. "Let's rebel together. Let's change reality together. Let's change our country together," he reiterated.
Feijóo has added that young people "do not want to be paid for the train and video games," but rather "a future," and has guaranteed that, with a PP government, "those who study will have opportunities," "those who work will be able to advance," and "those who undertake will not be treated as suspects." "Change has no age, change has conviction and we have it. We are going to work together for change. We will achieve it thanks to the strength of young people from all over Spain," he concluded.
Tribute to Miguel Ángel Blanco
During the event, the leader of the PP also vindicated the figure of Miguel Ángel Blanco as a symbol of the defense of freedom and valued that the new generations of the party keep his legacy alive. After the tribute held at the congress, during which a minute of silence was observed in the presence of María del Mar Blanco, Feijóo highlighted that the applause received proves that "it is not true that young people as a whole do not know what ETA was," although he insisted on the need to continue working so that new generations know "that heartbreaking page" of Spain's recent history.
In this regard, he confessed to feeling "deeply proud" that the young people of Nuevas Generaciones know who Miguel Ángel Blanco was and asked them to "never" forget him. "If we forget where we come from, we will not know where we are going," he pointed out, recalling that the PP councilor was murdered by ETA for defending freedom.
Recognition for Beatriz Fanjul and succession in Nuevas Generaciones
Under the heading "CLARITY AND LOYALTY," Feijóo took advantage of his speech to thank the work of the then president of Nuevas Generaciones, Beatriz Fanjul, whose "clarity" and "loyalty" he highlighted. After admitting that the youth organization "is always asked for a lot" and that it often does not receive the recognition it deserves, he emphasized its "effort," its "commitment," and the "many weekends, months, and years" dedicated to the party.
The president of the PP stressed that leading Nuevas Generaciones "does not mean growing up before your time," but rather contributing to "the party remaining young," and assured that the commitment undertaken by Fanjul will accompany her "for life." "You do not abandon a commitment," he told her, also announcing that the party will count on her for future responsibilities.
At the same time, he has congratulated the new president of the youth organization, Ignacio Dancausa, and the team that will support him in this stage, underlining not only the result, but the way in which the handover has occurred. "In politics, winning matters, of course it matters, but how you win also matters," he stated, highlighting the agreement reached between the different candidacies.
In Feijóo's opinion, this process is an example in the face of the current political climate, "in a country where politics has become a 'permanent dispute, where nothing is conceded, you have shown that it can be done differently." Even so, he warned that, once the congress is closed, "the real work begins," and he called on the new leadership to maintain the link with young people outside the organization, arguing that Nuevas Generaciones "is not the farm team," but part of the "same team" of the Partido Popular.