Although the Spanish Government’s decision to amnesty some 500,000 illegal immigrants has been mostly blamed on the far left faction of the Socialist Party led coalition, it highlights once again the ostensibly odd alliance between forces that traditionally have been perceived to be sworn enemies – for the other main enthusiasts for the amnesty are the employers organisations.
A viral social media video which has garnered millions of views features a rant by former Equality Minister Irene Montero of Podemos in which she promises that the reds will now campaign for illegals to be allowed to vote so that the left could “sweep” the country. This would facilitate a “replacement” project in which right wingers, racists and “scroungers” will be replaced by immigrants.
Among Montero’s previous contributions to “equality” when she was a Minister included the passing of legislation to allow anyone over the age of 14 to change their gender on a whim. Most controversially she was the proposer of legislation that was so clumsily framed that its most immediate impact was to facilitate the reduction, on appeal, of sentences of convicted rapists.
Presumably the “scroungers” include the 2.5 million unemployed Spaniards who constitute 10% of the workforce. More than 400,000 Spaniards under the age of 25 – almost a quarter of the cohort – were unemployed at the end of 2025. This might explain the much greater level of support for Vox in that category as compared to the rag tag far left Sumar and the now depleted Podemos.
While such ‘Great Big Melting Pot’ infantilism might be expected of the far left, the other main celebrants of the amnesty are the Spanish employers’ organisations – for obvious reasons of course: it increases the pool of labour and further undermines working conditions and wages.
A rather odd common purpose to be shared with communists but there you go. Follow the foundation money, as they say.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was given the rare privilege of an op-ed in the New York Times on Tuesday to explain why “The West needs migrants.” He sounds not unlike our own crowd where he refers to the fact that “Spain was once a nation of migrants.” So, as in this country, it’s claimed that no one has any authority to question the impact of mass immigration, including illegal immigration, on Spain. Or Ireland of course.
Más perros, más negros, más espanoles,” as it were. The thing is that young Spaniards, in common with young Irish people, continue to emigrate in significant numbers. More than 120,000 Spanish nationals left Spain in 2023.
Sanchez also claimed that Spain’s apparently growing economy needs more immigrants. Which might appear an odd conclusion given the unemployment figures cited above. It is also believed that many of those who will avail of the amnesty are already working in the ‘informal,’ or black economy largely within their own migrant communities.
One of the most enthusiastic welcomes for the amnesty came from Foment del Treball which is the Catalan employer’s association and tied closely to the tourist industry centred on Barcelona. The main employer’s representative group is the CEOE and it has long argued for “regularisation.” Business interests in tourism, agriculture, nursing homes, and construction are strongly in favour.
The support of the employers for the amnesty was reflected in the decision by the centre right People’s Party to back the move.
PP support in the Cortes was not required as the amnesty was passed by Royal Decree – which was criticised by the CEOE who would have preferred that it be seen to have broad political backing.
It suited both the Government and PP that it did not go to a vote as that would have left the opposition exclusively to Vox. Recent opinion polls on the amnesty, including one published by El Mundo last weekend showed that 55% of those polled were against the amnesty.
These included almost 40% of Socialist Party voters and even 20% of supporters of the far left Sumar. PP voters were overwhelmingly negative which will surely boost the electoral fortunes of Vox which a January 30 poll had on 18%.
Podemos, whose leadership are the most fanatical of the backers of the amnesty, languish at 5%. Which would lead one to believe that the sort of bile vented by Irene Montero is not aimed at the “fascists” and the “racists” but at the 95% of the Spanish electorate who spurn them having sampled their lunacy when they were in power.
The Spanish far left, in common with the Irish far left, is driven by a desire to undermine and ultimately destroy the countries which host them. The objective of those who are effectively their allies in the bosses’ federations is much more prosaic. It is simply to earn money through the undermining of those societies. The end result will be the same of course if both are allowed have their way,