Not hate, but love — a line that travels through tragedy and devotion. Jimena’s plea to Rodrigo after she demanded the head of her beloved, compelled by honor and filial love, reveals a paradox: if hatred can wear the mask of love, as Jimena implies in the tale of El Cid, there is no finer or more dangerous dramatic form of sentiment. Yet that exquisite hatred, brilliantly defeated by a stronger love in Corneille, endures on the stage, proof time and again in the feuds of Capulet and Montague, even if it matters little in real life.
Even with those Spanish heroes, the first to master hatred, contemporary Spaniards still exhibit a sharp talent for hating badly. What has unfolded around the Covid anniversary stands as a daily, immediate, and painful reminder of how easily modesty is discarded and how tragedies are weaponized in political discourse. The pain of loss, the dead, and the vulnerable deserve compassion, quiet dignity, and a restraint that politics rarely shows. It would be more humane to honor the deceased without turning their deaths into badges for competing claims, and to acknowledge the shared humanity that unites people across political lines instead of treating opponents as enemies to be humiliated. [Attribution: Contemporary political commentary]
That same dynamic—how the left conducts itself in moments of crisis—has been evident in Spain for years, including in crises cited by commentators and critics alike. The pattern, observers say, resembles the way public figures are framed and attacked, turning deep pain into narratives that justify partisan advantage. The heated debates around national tragedies, the way blame is assigned, and the tendency to conflate disagreement with moral failing show a persistent strain in public life. It is a call to resist reductive rhetoric and to demand accountability without demonization, to treat missteps with seriousness while preserving the dignity owed to those who suffer. [Attribution: Observations on political rhetoric]
That and nothing else is what the left appears to be doing, as it has long done, with examples the country has barely forgotten—the Prestige, the 11‑M attacks, and other crises that have become so partisan in memory. The current discourse about Madrid’s residences and the deaths that some attribute to policy missteps illustrate how political rivals are cast as villains, and how the memory of those who died is sometimes leveraged for competitive ends. In those days of harsh confinement, debates about constitutional bounds and the duties of leadership were intense; yet the conclusion drawn here is simple: public discourse should honor the dead and address failures with humility, not with partisan spectacle. [Attribution: Rhetorical analysis of Spanish political discourse]
Spain pays a price when its politics treats compassion as a weakness and victory as the sole currency. The piece argues that the left, driven by a single-minded aim to defeat its opponents, misses opportunities to act with respect and responsibility toward the nation that deserves steady leadership, not ideological fervor. Ana Iris Simón is cited to remind readers that apologies are overdue for decisions that confined children or allowed certain freedoms during the worst days of the lockdown. The obsession with Ayuso, it is argued, continues to distort the national conversation. The call is for a calmer, more principled debate that places history, memory, and human dignity above personal scores. [Attribution: Commentary on contemporary Spanish politics]
Spain loses when its left treats politics as a battleground rather than a forum for common good. The aim, it seems, is to defeat the central figure in government by any means, rather than to pursue policies that serve all citizens. The essay recalls what Ana Iris Simón pointed out about apologies owed to those affected by past policies and stresses that humility and accountability should guide public life. The fixation on Ayuso appears persistent, loud, and unyielding, yet the author argues for a shift toward restraint and solidarity that honors the country’s history while seeking workable, humane solutions for today. [Attribution: Perspective on accountability in Spanish politics]