A series of disruptions and emergencies has left some Spaniards feeling that their country is not working properly. The Spanish-language opinion piece points to rail problems, the major blackout, wildfires, the dana and rising prices, while cautioning that amplified social media narratives can turn genuine concerns into sweeping claims about institutional failure.
The article notes that Transport Minister Óscar Puente resigned the previous day, taking personal responsibility for repeated problems on high-speed rail. It argues that this should not be taken as grounds for a general rejection of the country’s institutions. Spain has serious shortcomings, the piece says, but remains a country with a high standard of wellbeing that should be improved rather than dismantled.
The debate is reflected in comments from two experts cited in the article. EsadeEcPol director Jorge Galindo calls for a capable new state project focused on investment in infrastructure and public capacity. Metroscopia director Ignacio Urquizu says a poll conducted by the firm the previous year found that three in four Spaniards believed the country was not working.
The article identifies population growth as a major pressure on services and infrastructure. Spain had 47.4 million residents in January 2020 and has since reached 49.8 million, while the latest projection from the National Statistics Institute puts the population at 53.8 million by 2041. The piece argues that planning for that increase should already be under way, but that infrastructure, housing and public services are not being expanded sufficiently, particularly in major cities.
It links population pressures to difficulties securing health appointments, crowded commuter trains and metro services, worsening road conditions, dirtier municipalities and heavier traffic. Without more capacity, the article warns, these pressures could grow, with additional health centres, schools, universities, roads and public transport needed to serve a larger population.
The piece also raises questions about spending priorities, including the balance between high-speed rail and commuter networks, burying railway lines and roads in cities, and how to maintain roads without tolls. It argues that Spain needs to decide what kind of country it wants to be by 2050 and how to pay for the services and infrastructure that model would require. It presents that debate, rather than broad claims that the system has failed, as the central challenge.
Sources: La Vanguardia.