Spain shows regional nationalists make bad coalition partners

WHEN THEPPPPPP conservative People’s Party () won Spain’s elections in 1996, its supporters chanted “” They were taunting the diminutive separatist leader of Catalonia, Jordi Pujol: “Pujol! Dwarf! Speak Spanish!” The next day, though, it turned out the would need support from Mr Pujol’s party to govern, and it is said that the chant quickly changed to ““ “Pujol! Handsome! Speak whatever you like!”Spain’s regional nationalists have a tendency to get their way. The two big national parties do not form grand coalitions. So when they lack majorities, both the and the centre-left Socialists devolve powers to Catalonia and the Basque Country in exchange for votes. But the current Socialist government of Pedro Sánchez, installed in November, is already testing the breaking point of such arrangements.