Catalonia Today, March 16, 2006 | 11-M: a wound that remains open

Two years ago, the Madrid bombings upset the expected election victory of the conservative Mariano Rajoy over the socialist José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero. Now, halfway through Zapatero's term of office, the polls show that PP and PSOE are neck and neck. In the past two years, Zapatero has losthis image of a weak man, and in Catalonia his famous promise of "willingness" has been diluted. Meanwhile, the PP is keeping upa very aggressive policy against the Zapatero government and its allies. In the siege against the PSOE, the Catalan statute and the peace process in the Basque country are the main targets. Any kind of territorial reform is attacked. Zapatero's social policies–viewed in Europe as being very left-wing–has also displeased the opposition PP party, which has declared war on the legalisation of gay marriages, as well as exacerbating the bad relations between the socialist government and the Catholic Church. Zapatero's first two years have not been peaceful ones; quite the contrary. And on this, the second anniversary of 11-M, the PP has reiterated its claim that the authorship of the terrible bombings is still unknown.

(Article de Saül Gordillo al setmanari Catalonia Today, 16 de març de 2006, pàgina 3.)