{"source_url": "http://www.surinenglish.com", "url": "http://www.surinenglish.com/opinion/202001/24/taking-short-20200124102835-v.html", "title": "Taking a short cut", "top_image": "http://www.surinenglish.com/img/2014/logoC-200-twitter.png", "meta_img": "http://www.surinenglish.com/img/2014/logoC-200-twitter.png", "images": ["http://vocento.d3.sc.omtrdc.net/b/ss/voceldiariosur,voces/1/G.4--S/123456789?pageName=&g=https://www.diariosur.es/", "https://vocento.d3.sc.omtrdc.net/b/ss/vocsurinenglish,voces/1/G.4--NS/S/279513246?pageName=&g=http://www.surinenglish.com/opinion/202001/24/taking-short-20200124102835-v.html", "http://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=7715761", "data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==", "http://www.surinenglish.com/img/2014/logoC-200-twitter.png"], "movies": [], "text": "Spain's hybrid government has already started splashing the cash, with Socialist premier Pedro S\u00e1nchez announcing another hike in the country's minimum wage this week.\n\nThis is in addition to a 22% increase in the minimum wage made last year, a new 2% raise in the salaries of the dreaded \"funcionarios\" - those overlords of pointless paperwork, always ready to deny you documentation for the most inane reasons - and the pensions boost of 0.9% announced last week.\n\nIt looks like S\u00e1nchez's minority administration, also comprised of leftist Podemos, is passing new laws with ease, despite being 21 seats short of a parliamentary majority.\n\nBut none of these decisions have had to go through or will have to go through congress. Instead, they have been or can be passed directly by royal decree after cabinet approval - a handy shortcut for a minority administration.\n\nIn other words, the new government's ability to secure cross-party support for new legislation has yet to be tested.\n\nThe true test of how well the new Socialist-Podemos arrangement works will be passing a budget - a task which S\u00e1nchez, in his first TV interview as Spain's new president this week, promised would be completed \"before the end of the summer\". And his ability to do that, even to such a relaxed deadline, depends on how he gets on with Catalan premier Quim Torra.\n\nS\u00e1nchez looked sharp in his first TV interview since reclaiming the helm of Spain's government, although his two questioners didn't throw many curve balls his way. They did, however, point out a couple of dramatic reversals of policy recently made by the Socialist leader, one regarding his attitude towards Torra and the other concerning his willingness to cooperate with Iglesias.\n\nTowards the end of last year, courting votes from centrist voters hostile to the Catalan independence drive, S\u00e1nchez refused to answer Torra's phone calls. He also said that working with Podemos' leader would be unfeasible, as Iglesias is further to the left than the Socialist premier on many issues.\n\nBut S\u00e1nchez held his own when quizzed about the U-turn, revealing an apparently newfound belief in compromise.\n\n\"In politics, reality comes before your wishes,\" he said.\n\nUp until very recently, it seemed to be precisely the other way around for Spain's politicians.\n\nS\u00e1nchez has announced that he'll be visiting Torra in Barcelona next month to discuss possible solutions to the Catalonia problem.\n\nThat meeting will be watched very closely by the pro-independence Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), which abstained at S\u00e1nchez's investiture session on the condition that the Socialist leader open talks with Catalan secessionists.\n\nNow, the ERC's crucial budget votes - or abstentions, at least - depend on S\u00e1nchez's largely-untested negotiating skills.\n\nDespite the public spending increases squeezed through by royal decree, the hard work is only just beginning for Spain's new government.", "keywords": [], "meta_keywords": ["taking", "short"], "tags": [], "authors": [], "publish_date": "Fri Jan 24 14:53:58 2020", "summary": "", "article_html": "", "meta_description": "", "meta_lang": "en", "meta_favicon": "http://www.surinenglish.com/img/2014/favicon.ico", "meta_data": {"Description": "Spain's hybrid government has already started splashing the cash, with Socialist premier Pedro S\u00e1nchez announcing another hike in the country's minimum wage this week.", "news_keywords": "taking, short", "keywords": "taking, short", "date": "2020-01-24T15:53:58+0100", "DC.date.issued": "2020-01-24", "robots": "index,follow", "og": {"url": "http://www.surinenglish.com/opinion/202001/24/taking-short-20200124102835-v.html", "title": "Taking a short cut", "type": "article", "description": "Spain's hybrid government has already started splashing the cash, with Socialist premier Pedro S\u00e1nchez announcing another hike in the country's minimum wage this week.", "locale": "es_ES", "image": "http://www.surinenglish.com/img/2014/logoC-200-twitter.png", "site_name": "surinenglish.com"}, "twitter": {"url": "http://www.surinenglish.com/opinion/202001/24/taking-short-20200124102835-v.html", "site": "@SUR_English", "creator": "@SUR_English", "title": "Taking a short cut", "description": "Spain's hybrid government has already started splashing the cash, with Socialist premier Pedro S\u00e1nchez announcing another hike in the country's minimum wage this week.", "image": "http://www.surinenglish.com/img/2014/logoC-200-twitter.png", "card": "summary_large_image"}, "article": {"published_time": "2020-01-24T14:53:58+0100", "modified_time": "2020-01-24T15:53:58+0100", "section": "opinion", "tag": "taking, short"}, "viewport": "width=1070", "platform": "desktop"}, "canonical_link": "http://www.surinenglish.com/opinion/202001/24/taking-short-20200124102835-v.html"}