Podcast Summary: "Marta García Aller dibuja el calendario de adviento del PSOE: 'Acaba en entierro, no en nacimiento'"

Podcast: Más de uno
Host: Carlos Alsina (A)
Guest/Commentator: Marta García Aller (B)
Date: December 15, 2025

Main Theme

This satirical segment with Marta García Aller sketches a "calendar of Advent" for the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), each day revealing a new political scandal or corruption case instead of chocolates – reflecting the tumultuous December marked by numerous controversies and investigations plaguing the party. Marta deploys wit and vivid imagery to summarize a landscape of alleged fraud, embezzlement, and political fallout, ultimately concluding that the traditional narrative of birth and hope at Christmas is replaced by one of political "burial."

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The "Scandal Advent Calendar"

• Metaphor Introduction ([00:08]):
  • Marta quips:
    "Son tantos los escándalos de diciembre en el PSOE que dan para un calendario de Adviento. Abres la ventanita y no sabes si te va a tocar una detención de la UCO, el registro Ministerio o una denuncia de acoso. Cada día tiene su afán."
    ("There are so many December scandals in the PSOE that you could make an Advent calendar out of them. You open a window, and you don't know if it'll be a UCO arrest, a ministry raid, or an harassment accusation. Every day has its own business.")
• Instead of chocolate treats, each calendar "window" reveals a fresh controversy or criminal investigation.

Overview of Major Scandals and Cases

• Case Mascarillas ([00:16]):
  • "Un clásico ya en el que están procesados Álvaro Coldo y Aldama. Más que ventanitas son celdas."
    • This recurring case involves Álvaro Coldo and Aldama as indicted figures, mocking that the calendar's windows resemble jail cells more than festive surprises.
• Case Coldo ([00:22]):
  • The investigation at the Audiencia Nacional brings in high-profile names:
    • Isabel Pardo de Vera (ex-president of Adif)
    • Javier Herrero (former General Director of Roads)
    • Coldo's brother and ex-wife, among others.
• Case Hidrocarburos ([00:33]):
  • "Tiene ventanillas más grandes para que quepan el botín y los sospechosos habituales."
    • The magnitude of the loot and breadth of suspects—Ábalos, Coldo, Aldama, plus Claudio Rivas (Aldama’s partner) and Carmen Pano (businesswoman allegedly transporting €90,000 in cash).
  • Involves alleged bribery ("sobornó a Ábalos por un millón para defraudar más de 200 millones en combustible") and fraud exceeding €200 million via the company Villafuel.
• Raids and Ministry Involvement ([00:45]):
  • The UCO (Civil Guard’s Central Operational Unit) has already searched three ministries: Transport, Industry, and Ecological Transition.
  • Marta jokes about leaving “windows open” in case of more indictments.
• Case Cerdán (Obras Públicas) ([00:56]):
  • Impliquées: Cerdán’s friend Anchon Alonso de Servinábar, Justo Peregrini (ex-director of Acciona construction), two employees, and, inevitably, Coldo and Ábalos.
• Biting Satire:
  • "Este calendario de Adviento de la corrupción en vez de chocolates lleva mordidas."
    • "This Advent calendar of corruption carries bribes instead of chocolates."
• More to Come ([01:12]):
  • With ten days left before Christmas, Marta notes there's barely room for all the ongoing investigations, including:
    • Case Leire Díez (with Pérez Dolcet, accused of pressuring prosecutors)
    • Case SEPI (state industrial holdings): Involving Vicente Fernández Ancho (ex-president), Vicente Berlanga (ex-president of Nusa), and others.
  • She counts up to 24, mirroring the traditional number of Advent calendar windows.
• A Separate Calendar for Harassment Cases ([01:33]):
  • "Para los casos de acoso va a haber que hacer otro calendario."
    • Suggests that the number of harassment cases could fill a second calendar.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• The Metaphor’s Punchline ([01:48]):
  • Marta García Aller:
    "Este calendario de Adviento acaba en entierro, no en nacimiento."
    ("This Advent calendar ends in a funeral, not a birth.")
    • A darkly humorous twist on the holiday season’s themes.

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------| | 00:08 | Introduction of the "scandal calendar" concept | | 00:16 | Mascarillas case outlined | | 00:22 | Coldo case and implicated officials | | 00:33 | Hidrocarburos case, bribes, and new names | | 00:45 | Raids on ministries, future imputations | | 00:56 | Cerdán case and more suspects | | 01:12 | List of other pending cases | | 01:33 | Suggestion for a separate harassment calendar | | 01:48 | Closing punchline: "funeral, not birth" |

Tone & Language

• The segment is characterized by biting satire, vivid metaphors, and a light-hearted but critical tone. Marta García Aller uses playful language while exposing the scale and frequency of PSOE’s December scandals.
• The imagery of a "calendar of corruption" substitutes traditional Christmas joy for a cascade of allegations and legal actions, highlighting political disenchantment with dark humor.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode’s comment by Marta García Aller creatively catalogues the PSOE’s December scandals as an anti-Advent calendar. Moving case by case, Marta illustrates how each new day brings fresh revelations, raids, and indictments—so numerous that even conventional festive customs must be repurposed to contain them. Her ending, both sharp and comic, warns that with so many ongoing scandals, this political Advent calendar’s finale is more morbid than merry.