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SUPPORTER’S OF SPAIN’S Popular Party (PP) had the bitter taste of victory in their mouths Sunday, after Mariano Rajoy’s conservatives came top in legislative elections but did not yet know whether they could govern.
This is the paradox facing the country as it contemplates a new type of politics.
The PP is stony-faced after losing its parliamentary majority, and its traditional adversary the Socialist Party (PSOE), which came second, is assessing the damage.
But far-left upstart Podemos is celebrating after arriving in third place with a fifth of the votes, while fellow new arrival, the fourth-placed centre-right Ciudadanos, is keeping its cards close to its chest.
On the balcony of the PP’s headquarters in Madrid, a huge sign read “thank you”, while outgoing Prime Minister Rajoy reminded supporters that the party was still the largest political force in Spain, with 123 out of 350 parliamentary seats.
With the calm resolve that has characterised his 34 years in politics, Rajoy announced that he would “try to form a new government”.
But the gathered supporters could not forget the fact that their party had fallen below the symbolic marker of eight million votes for the first time since 1993.
“If Podemos do form a coalition with the Socialists, Spain will be heading towards a default,” said 17-year-old student Javier Sanchez, who had come to the PP headquarters, concerned about the rise of the far-left.
I think Spain has to grow up. This is a country that needs some maturity.
At the headquarters of the Socialists — the country’s longest-standing political group, formed in 1879 — party official Juan Carlos Munoz comforted supporters after the PSOE took just 90 seats.
“It’s clear that the only person who can push agreements through is Pedro Sanchez,” he said of the 43-year-old PSOE leader.
Referring to Podemos, which split the left-wing vote and contributed to the PSOE’s poor showing, Munoz added: “Now they must show themselves to be statesman and not just populists”.
Never seen before
Meanwhile, thousands of Podemos supporters gathered in a public square in Madrid, releasing purple balloons into the sky and cheering a result which saw the party, an ally of Greece’s ruling radical Syriza party, take 69 seats.
“It’s unthinkable for any party to take five million votes just a couple of years after being formed,” said Luis Neira, a 63-year-old businessman who has been to all of his local Podemos meetings since its foundation.
For me, this is something I’ve never seen before in the democratic history of Spain and perhaps even Europe.
Four years after Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square was occupied by the anti-austerity Indignados movement — which gave rise to Podemos — supporters shouted “Yes, it’s possible!”
But Carmen Garcia, a 53-year-old arts administration worker, was serious despite the celebration around her. “The financial crisis benefited those who already had the most,” she said. “We’ve had enough of them stealing from us.”
Other major new arrival Ciudadanos, which some had predicted would be king-maker in the elections or even come in second place, took 14% of the vote following a campaign with an anti-corruption focus.
All the same, the party will make it into parliament. “We must be confident,” said Carlos Portillo, a 28-year-old engineer and Ciudadanos supporter. “This is the year that change happens.”
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How many girls watched ‘The Little Mermaid’ and grew up wanting to be half fish half human.
I’m a merman.
My entire junior infants class wanted to be mermaids after that movie came out so that argument doesn’t really hold lol.
In fairness I’m actually currently undergoing surgery to make myself look more like a ninja turtle.
Some women smell like half fish. Does that count?
I don’t think any kind of beauty should exist any more. It just makes other people feel bad
You should drop in here more often stephen…
A consumer society cannot exist unless people feel miserable and that is from the man who constructed and invented the consumer society; Edward Bernays.
Yeah before this chap came along nobody desired material wealth
Ah, let it go, will ya.
Next they’ll say that Mickey Mouse is a poor role model for mice because he wears shorts.
Donald where’s your trousers?
Females (Young and old) are clever enough to figure out that a 2d kids character is not actually real, give us some credit!. Sick of this PC crap.
I must have been a stupid kid then. I wanted a waist like a Disney princess when I was younger.
But you knew they weren’t real at some point right?
But the Kim Kardashian ppl are making it really for young girls…forget Disney…Have you seen the Kylie lip challenge?
Real*
I knew they were drawings by they still had that feminine curviness that I really wanted. And when they all look like that you start to think that’s how girls should look. It’s weird though that people think this way of figures represented in the media rather than everyday people in real life.
Why is there never any concern for the ‘unrealistic ideals’ the likes of Action-Man or He-man set for young boys? I don’t believe in any of it to be honest, but it’s almost as if girls are expected to not be able to make that distinction between fantasy and reality, bit sexist in itself.
Nobody praises He-Man for his looks though O_o
Trust me, women do not find He-Man attractive. =P
Really? I thought the tiny pants and furry boots look was a good one!
Journal, too cheap to pay for a picture of Elsa?
They couldn’t take the risk in case any little girls are reading the article
Hilarious!
For goodness sake, what next??, of course dolls are pretty, they’re supposed to be, what little girl wants to play with an ugly doll??, dolls have been with us for centuries, every little girl remembers her favourite doll, not because it was pretty but because she got hours of enjoyment out of it, this is all that is wrong in our world, analysing and over analysing our children!, ever heard the term doll face??, , it frightens me all this gender neutral business, let little girls be little girls and little boys be little boys, the natural order of things, there would be a lot less wrong in our world if we could go back to basics and to a time where children were allowed to be children and plain speaking and a no nonsense attitude were the order of the day!
Hear hear kate.
Kate- very well said.
He is entirely correct. How many women do you know that can shoot ice or build an ice palace from nothing? Completely unattainable!
Disney and realism aren’t compatible. Take the real story about the extremely young native American Indian girl getting carted off by some fat old fella, that became something completely different in Pocahontas.
I’ve never seen Frozen, I know the song but not the movie. I feel like I’ve let everyone down.
Teddington , do you feel left out now ? You should watch it over the weekend . great movie !
Reality is often quite far from expectation. Teach them that and don’t fret so much.
I know several women that fit into the size zero category naturally.They’re sick and tired of articles telling them they’re unhealthy and unnatural.They eat well and exercise regularly.One was bullied throughout her school days and nicknamed the sardine can because of her of her physique developing an eating disorder where she’d periodically stuff her self with food to the point of being hospitalized for a near ruptured stomach.The point being that this unhealthy obsession with others appearance can cut both ways. Just teach kids to be healthy and happy and stop the bloody moaning if you yourself can’t be arsed to be the same.
If people really learned not to depend on unattainable looks for their self-esteem, the guy would be out of a job or removing warts and scars for a living.
I thought I was Steve Mcgarrott, when I wore a pair of checkered trousers, watch the original Hawaii five O, and you’ll see I’m not such a weirdo.
What’s even worse is the real life girls on Facebook who photo enhancing apps to make their eyes bigger, whiter in the whites than they really are, their wastes smaller, their lips bigger, their baps bigger…..the list goes on. Thousands of people are living lies every day. I think it starts with not telling your little girl she is a beautiful little princess every day or else she will grow up thinking her sole purpose is to be beautiful, make her see she has other qualities and while being pretty, while it can be nice or fun, is not a trait worth her entire self esteem.
Yup. Definitely want to minimise those ‘wastes’ alright!
Sorry Michael, yes, waists of course. Glad to see you got so much out of that, jog on.
She’s a cartoon, you morons – of course it’s unattainable.
The film is not a true story so why would it based on real looks Disney deal in fantasy not reality
More bollocks!
Headline should read: “Plastic Surgeon Keeps it Real”, with sub head, “#Isn’t it ironic”.
The only realistic looking Disney female I’ve ever seen was in Lilo and Stitch. Nani was a reasonable body shape. And she is the most beautiful female Disney has ever produced, in my opinion.
unless we start having Disney films all look like lilo and stitch, we won’t get realistic looking women. And having only one style of drawing in films will not be interesting at all. Do they want Disney to stick with animals, monsters and cars as their main stories so they are PC enough?
You’re kidding right? A cartoon is bad for little girls while the models and actresses aren’t? Her eyes are unrealistically too big, yes, but because she’s an ANIMATION! And little girls are smart enough to realise that as they also know that most girls don’t look like the emotions from Inside Out.
Whats the betting that if it were possible to alter the female appearance to mimic this cartoon character then the plastic surgeon wouldn’t have an issue with it.
I really don’t think anybody who’s job it is to carry out a lot of unnecessary cosmetic surgery is really in a position to say what or who can be considered a good role model.
Dying to see how Tom Burke swings this one to be about abortion.
I had a thing for Wilma Flintstone, when I was a young fella.
He’s quite right. I for one am disappointed plastic surfpgery can’t make me absorbent, yellow and porous, or allow me to live in a pineapple under the sea. Cartoons LIE!!!
Another RTE transcript…
I can see where he was coming from… I saw The Incredibles when I was younger, very pissed that I wasn’t going to attain superpowers
……………”that’s nice” ………
Irish plastic surgeon says Frozen’s Elsa is not a good role model for little girls…
Tron might be better then lol.
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