Report on Democracy in Spain 2008 the Stratgey
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1 Nothing from this text can be reproduced, recorded or transmitted in any way or procedure, electronic, mechanic, magnetic or anything else without permission from Fundación Alternativas © Fundación Alternativas ® Fundación Alternativas ISBN-13: 978-84-92424-16-0 EDITION: Iosu Latorre COORDINATION: Javier Ortiz and Zahira Panadero LAYOUT: Chano del Río and Miguel Nuño (Graphs) ENGLISH VERSION TRANSLATION: Rosalind Van der Beek EDITED BY: Fundación Alternativas. Calle Zurbano 29, 3º Izq 28010 Madrid. Spain Tel +34 913 199 860 Fax: +34 913 192 298 www.falternativas.org 2 REPORT ON DEMOCRACY IN SPAIN 2008 THE STRATGEY OF CONFRONTATION: DOWN BUT NOT OUT The editorial team of the REPORT ON DEMOCRACY IN SPAIN 2008 The production of this report on the state of Spanish democracy was elaborated by a committee of consultants appointed by the Laboratorio de la Fundación Alternativas who, together with the director of the Report, spent much time debating its structure and orientation, familiarizing themselves with the work-in-progress and agreeing the final manuscript. The research and selection of material, the production of relevant data and the initial editing of each chapter of the Report was undertaken by a team of investigators contracted by the Laboratorio de la Fundación Alternativas. Consultant committee Joaquín Estefanía Moreira Emilio Ontiveros Baeza Director of the Report Joaquín Arango Vila-Belda Javier Pradera Cortázar Belén Barreiro Pérez-Pardo Ignacio Sánchez-Cuenca Alberto Lafuente Félez Julián Santamaría Osorio Jesús Leguina Villa Juan Manuel Eguiagaray Ucelay Director of the Laboratorio de Alternativas José María Maravall Herrero Javier Ortiz Vicente Sub-director of the Laboratorio de Alternativas 3 Investigators Joaquín Arango Vila-Belda Pablo Lledó Callejón Mariano Bacigalupo Saggese Carlos Mulas Granados Óscar Celador Antón Luis Pomed Sánchez Modesto Escobar Mercado Ignacio Sánchez-Cuenca Fernando Jiménez Sánchez Ignacio Urquizu Sancho Sandra León Alfonso Arango Vila, Joaquín Professor of Sociology. Complutense University, Madrid. Director of the Study Centre for Citizenship and Migration. University Institute Ortega y Gasset, Madrid. Author of more than 70 publications on sociology, demography, political science, economic and social history. Bacigalupo Saggese, Mariano Graduated from the Law Department, University of Friburg (Germany). Post- graduate Studies in Constitutional Law and Political Science, Centre of Political and Constitutional Studies (CEPC). Phd. (law). Awarded premio extraordinario (CEPC). Lecturer in Administrative Law, UNED, Madrid 4 Celador Antón, Óscar Phd. (law), Carlos III University, Madrid. Senior lecturer in Ecclesiastical State Law, Carlos III University, Madrid. Studied at the Universities of Berkeley (CA, USA), La Crosse (Wisconsin, USA), Santa Barbara (CA, USA), and Florence (Italy). Research fellowships at University of Glasgow (UK) and Queens (UK). Escobar Mercado, Modesto Phd. (Sociology), Complutense University, Madrid. Professor, University of Salamanca. Specialist in techniques of social investigation. Currently head of the Master’s course on Public Administration and Social Policies, University of Salamanca. Jiménez Sánchez, Fernando Graduate, Philosophy Dept., University of Granada, Phd. (Political Science) Complutense University, Madrid. Currently, Professor of the Dept. of Political Science and Administration, University of Murcia. León Alfonso, Sandra Graduate (Political Science) University of Pomeu Fabra. Phd. (Political Science), Autónoma University, Madrid. Member of the Institute Juan March. Madrid. Currently at the Research Unit of the School of Public Administration, Galicia. Lledó Callejón, Pablo Graduate (law) Complutense University, Madrid. Master of Social Science, Institute Juan March, Madrid. Master of Advanced Studies in Political Science, Autónoma University, Madrid. Mulas Granados, Carlos Phd. (Economics) University of Cambridge (UK) and Complutense University, Madrid. Master, University of Columbia (USA) and double Master, Carlos III University, Madrid. Professor of Applied Economics II, Complutense University, Madrid. Ex-sub-director of the Economic Office of the President of the Government (Spain). 5 Pomed Sánchez, Luis Phd. (Law), premio extraordinario, University of Zaragoza. Lecturer in Administrative Law, University of Zaragoza (currently on sabbatical leave). Lawyer on the Constitutional Tribunal. Sánchez-Cuenca, Ignacio Phd. (Sociology) Complutense University, Madrid. Professor of Political Science, Centre of Advanced Studies, Institute Juan March, Madrid. Author of numerous articles in Spain and abroad on the theory of democracy, electoral behaviour and terrorism. Urquizu Sancho, Ignacio Graduate (Political Science and Public Administration) Complutense University, Madrid. Phd. (Sociology) Complutense University, Madrid. Currently sub-director of Progress Studies at Fundación Alternativas and area head of the Laboratorio, Fundación Alternativas. Course lecturer on Comparative Politics, George Washington University, Centre of Studies, Madrid. 6 CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION: THE STRATEGY OF CONFRONTATION: DOWN BUT NOT OUT 15 1. Electoral results 15 2. High approval rating for democracy 17 3. Hard-line ‘neo-cons’ 19 4. The main mistakes 22 5. Antecedents: 1993-1996 24 6. Church/State relations 27 7. Advances that justify a Government 28 8. “We can’t all fit” 31 Conclusions 33 CHAPTER 2 THE BALANCE SHEET: FOUR YEARS OF SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT 1. Introduction: the balance sheet 36 2. The restrictions imposed on political action 44 3. What justifies the exercise of power? 50 4. The strategy of the Popular Party 54 5. Evolution of electoral support 57 6. Changes in Government strategy 61 7. The battle for the centre during the March 9th elections 68 8. Errors in communication policies 73 9. Global political direction 75 7 CHAPTER 3 IMMIGRATION AND POLITICAL LIFE IN SPAIN 81 1. Introduction: The critical moment of the immigration question 81 2. The background: the rapid increase in immigration 84 3. The reform of immigration policy 2004-2005 90 4. The one-off regularisation of 2005 93 5. Criticism of the 2005 regularisation 96 6. The consequences of immigration 99 7. The crisis of the ‘boat people’ and its impact on public opinion 101 8. Epilogue: the electoral campaign and beyond 105 Conclusions 111 CHAPTER 4 THE JUDICIARY, THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT AND THE PUBLIC PROSECUTION SERVICE 114 1. Introduction 114 2. The reform of the Constitutional Court 120 3. Constitutional justice and party politics 120 3.1. Changes in composition 3.2. The recusant war 4. Legal Reform 126 4.1. The context of the reform 4.2. The main aspects of the reform 5. Reforming the organic charter of the Public Prosecution Service 131 Conclusions 134 8 CHAPTER 5 RELATIONS BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE 136 1. Introduction 136 2. The family 137 2.1. Same-sex marriages 2.2. Child adoption by same-sex couples 2.3. Conscientious objection to same-sex marriages 2.4. Express divorce 3. The financing of confessional religions 144 3.1. Talks between the Government and the Roman Catholic Church 3.2. Exemption from VAT 3.3. State funding for minority religions 3.4. The Foundation for Pluralism and Fellowship 4. Education 151 4.1. Citizenship and human rights education(ECI) 4.2. Religion in State schools 4.3. State-subsidised religious schools 5. Bio-ethics 164 5.1. The Government position on assisted-reproduction 5.2. The position of the Church on assisted-reproduction 5.3. Abortion and euthanasia 6. The minority religions 170 6.1. Policies to promote equality between the Catholic Church and other religious faiths with State cooperative agreements 6.3. Specific problems of the Muslim minority Conclusions 175 9 CHAPTER 6 ECONOMIC LEGISLATION 178 1. Introduction 178 2. The economic inheritance 179 3. Economic objectives 181 4. Reforms 183 4.1 New legislation 4.2. Investment and spending: the influence of the budget on the new priorities 4.3. Intervention, transparency and regulatory bodies 5. Goals achieved and problems pending 199 5.1. The achievements: growth, employment and budgetary surplus 5.2. Problems pending: prices, competitiveness and trade deficit 5.3. From the ‘brick’ economy to the ‘chip’ economy 5.4. The significance of economic affairs Conclusions 213 CHAPTER 7 A REVIEW OF THE FIGHT AGAINST POLITICAL CORRUPTION 214 1. Introduction 214 2. The municipal elections of May 27th 2007 214 3. The vote as a mechanism for the control of corruption 225 4. The control of corruption by the two main political parties 231 5. A proliferation of measures against corruption 241 Conclusions 251 10 Annexe 252 CHAPTER 8 CONCENTRATION AND PLURALISM IN THE MEDIA 300 1. Introduction 300 2. The concentration of the media 302 2.1.Concentration: empirical approximation 3. The new panorama of television: TDT 330 Conclusions 338 Annexe: Tables related to section 3 340 CHAPTER 9 A RATING FOR SPANISH DEMOCRACY: 6.2 OUT OF 10 353 1. Introduction 353 2. General result 355 3. Detailed results 359 3.1. Citizenship 3.2. Rule of law 3.3. Civil and political rights 3.4. Economic and social rights 3.5. Free and fair elections 3.6. Political parties 3.7. Control over Government 3.8. Governmental action 3.9. Corruption 3.10. The media 3.11. Political participation 3.12. International dimensions of Spanish democracy 11 Conclusions 374 Appendix I. Methodological notes 376 Appendix II. The questionnaire 378 Appendix III. List of non-anonymous participants 384 CHAPTER 10 STATISTICS AND TRENDS 385 12 PREFACE The publication of