The Minister of Industry and head of the PSC list for Barcelona in the general elections, Jordi Hereu, has dubbed the PP leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, as “Derribos Feijóo” for his intention to cut the number of ministries in a possible executive led by him, by eliminating the portfolios of Housing and Equality.
Hereu intervened this Friday at a rally in Terrassa (Barcelona) accompanied by the president of the Generalitat and first secretary of the PSC, Salvador Illa; the numbers 5 and 6 on the list for Barcelona, Paco Aranda and Rosa Sanz, and the socialist mayoral candidate in the city, Javier Garcia.
“This man turns ‘national reconstruction’ into ‘Derribos Feijóo,” Hereu said, citing the campaign slogan of the popular party, and he defended that, in contrast to that proposal, the government led by the PSOE has driven in recent years a real housing policy, backed by resources and new regulations.
The PP leader detailed this Friday that, if he manages to form a government after the general elections of November 29, there will be no Ministry of Housing and that the competencies in this area will be integrated into a strategic-leaning vice presidency.
Hereu has argued that PP and Vox, although they try to hide it, “can no longer hide either the chainsaw or their desire to privatize everything,” and he has broadened his reproach over the elimination of Housing to the intention to also suppress the Equality portfolio: “When you ask him, it doesn’t even take him two seconds to answer. This is no joke”.
Defense of trade unionism and criticism of the right
In this scenario, the socialist candidate called for concentrating the vote on the PSOE, reminding that social advances have been won thanks to the labor movement, trade unionism, and legislative work in parliaments.
He censured that, from the right, the garbage men’s union representatives have been labeled as garbage: “Garbage? Garbage? Well, we’re going to beat them” in the elections of 29N, which he described as the mother of all democratic battles.
Housing, the axis of Illa’s discourse
Along the same lines as Hereu, Salvador Illa has gone after the right’s prescriptions on housing, defending that, in the face of market failures, it is not enough to appeal to the law of supply and demand, but that it is essential to regulate. He linked the general strike from last Wednesday with “a clamoring of citizens” in that direction.
It has admitted that housing is one of the major social problems despite the good performance of the economy, and has promised that the socialists will address it: "We talk about 'The strength of the people'. Because we ask the people, ordinary people, to take part in this campaign. We care about the people. And what does the people ask for? Housing."
Call for fair play and accusations against the PP
The PSC leader has demanded of the right a campaign based on respect for citizens, for adversaries, for democratic rules, and for the truth. In this context, he has pointed to the alleged payments and meetings of the PP with the legal representatives of Koldo García, an issue that, he has warned, cannot be allowed to pass.
"The PP has met, this party's lawyer, with the lawyers of our former colleagues, and they have offered money to buy testimonies and to tell lies. What respect do they have for the truth?", Illa asked.
He has framed these practices within the authoritarianism that, in his view, PP and Vox embody, and that he fears they will roll out if they come to power: "In Castilla y León they are starting to say they will not give help to creators who make cultural works that do not align with their way of thinking. Cuts to rights, authoritarianism."
Aranda and Sanz warn of what's at stake
Paco Aranda, number 5 on the PSC list for Barcelona, has emphasized that the general elections are decisive for an entire stage: "Either Sánchez or Feijóo and Abascal. Either Hereu or Figaredo", and he has warned that issues such as pensions, affordable rentals, and women's rights are decided.
For her part, number 6, Rosa Sanz, has highlighted the feminist policies of the Government of Pedro Sánchez, which she considers threatened by PP and Vox, as well as the increase in the SMI, which has especially benefited sectors more feminized with lower wages: "That is why it matters who governs and what measures are taken."
Javier Garcia accuses Junts of hypocrisy
The candidate for mayor of Terrassa for 2027, Javier Garcia, has highlighted socialist measures on housing at the state level and has denounced the "hypocrisy" of Junts, which voted against the housing decrees in Congress, but which in Terrassa, where it forms part of the municipal government led by Tot per Terrassa, does apply them, he has assured.
"The surcharge on the IBI for unoccupied or tourist homes are measures that the city council will apply thanks to the Socialist Government of Spain, despite the vote against by Junts. This is the hypocrisy of the right that we must fight on 29N", he concluded.