Mashed rotten apples

In A vivir que son dos días (To Live That's Two Days) (Ser), Juan José Millás notes that, when discussing corruption in the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), television channels mimic the vaguely pluralistic commentary format generated by major sporting events or tabloid press. The commentator's knowledge of the subject is less important than their vehemence in showing themselves for or against one side or the other. Channel surfing a bit, we see that in France, Portugal, and Argentina, this permanent roundtable format works just as well as it does here. It's a low-cost resource that generates audiences. In the end, there aren't too many differences between a current affairs talk show and the shrill, trench-fronted din of El Chiringuito de Jugones (Mega).

When President Pedro Sánchez appears, he might seem like a character from El Greco about to declare a state of emergency in response to a sudden pandemic. But, true to his essence, he plays the offensive, stands up to the noise, and applies it to politics with the phrase popularized by Joe Rigoli on Spanish National Television: "I'll continue."

The vehemence of analysts is more important than their knowledge

Yesterday, Antoni Puigverd wrote about an imminent shipwreck . He also swore by socialists with a respectable track record. It reminded me of when Felipe González swore by Mariano Rubio, governor of the Bank of Spain. Later, when it became known that Rubio wasn't exemplary, Francisco Umbral wrote one of his columns in bold about "Felipe's burned hand." On Catalunya Ràdio, Pau Llonch warns that the bad apple theory no longer convinces anyone.

From this battle between the guilty and the innocent, a minimally useful truth should emerge. Perhaps that's why, on Xplica (La Sexta), Ramón Martínez, whom everyone still calls Ramoncín , reminds us that repeating that all politicians are equally crooks fuels the discredit of democracy and the extremism of disastrous precedents. Extremisms that are unscrupulous when it comes to practicing corruption, whether small or large, and that, just in case, never ask for forgiveness.

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Sánchez's tactic: turning the lesser evil into a remote solution . Given this situation, defending the honesty and vocation of public service among politicians who do their jobs well cannot compete with the rabid criticism that, disregarding the presumption of innocence, demands resignations and hands out years of imprisonment. A scan of radio stations and TV talk shows confirms that analysts aren't paid enough. Yesterday, they had to be prepared to convey certainties about the wars in Israel and Ukraine, the growing instability in the US (which seems to be inspired by the terrible film Civil War ), and explain the sewers of the PSOE. And, as a bonus, don't forget what is perhaps the most important thing: the scandalously perpetual chaos of Rodalies.