Podcast Summary: "Tertulia: El PSOE en declive y Sánchez Sordo"

Podcast: Más de uno
Host: Carlos Alsina (Onda Cero)
Date: December 23, 2025

Overview

In this lively episode of "Más de uno," Carlos Alsina and his panel delve into the repercussions of the Socialist Party's (PSOE) crushing defeat in Extremadura, the political survival strategies of Pedro Sánchez, and the shifting dynamics between the Partido Popular (PP) and Vox. With humor, sharp analysis, and the backdrop of a special broadcast from a hospital, the team dissects the state of Spanish politics on the eve of Christmas. The conversation traverses internal tensions within the PSOE, the growing strength and risks of the far-right Vox, and the increasingly necessary — if uneasy — coalitions in Spanish regional and national governments.

Main Themes and Key Discussion Points

1. The Aftermath of the PSOE’s Electoral Collapse in Extremadura

• Media & Interpretation:

  • The episode opens with Alsina summarizing the negative press coverage for Pedro Sánchez and the PSOE, highlighting cartoon depictions and critical headlines.
    • "La viñeta de Tomás en El Español dibuja a Pedro Sánchez acompañando al señor Gallardo hasta el despeñadero por el que va a lanzarlo el presidente." (01:50)
  • Newspapers describe Sánchez as "deaf by choice" (La Razón) and "blind by choice" (El Mundo), accusing him of ignoring internal party alarm bells.
    • "La descomposición del bloque progresista ya es un hecho político." (El Mundo, 02:35)

• Internal Discontent and Lack of Self-Criticism:

  • Despite severe losses, party leadership remains publicly loyal, with dissent only expressed in private.
    • "Pocos se atreven a alzar la voz en público, pero en privado aumentan quienes piden reconducir el rumbo." (Carlos Alsina summarizing ABC, 03:15)
  • David Jiménez Torres criticizes this dynamic, arguing that internal criticism only emerges when Sánchez looks like a losing bet:
    • "Si los socialistas empiezan a bajarse del barco del sanchismo ahora no es por escrúpulos morales... sino porque empiezan a ver a Sánchez como un caballo perdedor." (17:03)

• Denial and the Federalization of Blame:

  • Both the president and party leaders attempt to isolate national responsibility, blaming local candidates (e.g., Gallardo) or external factors.
    • "El problema no era el candidato; era Pedro Sánchez." (David Jiménez Torres, 15:28)

2. The Changing Electorate and Erosion of PSOE “Graneros”

• Collapse Across Social Segments:

  • Analysts highlight that despite long-standing strongholds ("graneros electorales"), the PSOE lost support in all demographic and income segments.
    • "El PSOE se desplomó en todos los distritos y en todos los tramos de renta en las elecciones extremeñas." (El País via Alsina, 05:25)

• Rise of Vox in the Countryside and Small Towns:

  • Pilar Velasco underlines the party’s collapse in municipalities historically dominated by PSOE:
    • "[Vox] ha subido 20-30%... no existen ni los graneros ni los feudos socialistas." (Pilar Velasco, 24:20)
  • She points to issues like rural identity, hunting, and opposition to the Agenda 2030 as factors fuelling this shift.

3. The Sanchismo Factor

• Sánchez as the Lightning Rod:

  • Across the panel, consensus emerges that Pedro Sánchez himself is the main reason for electoral backlash against the PSOE, nationally and locally.
    • "Hay muchos más votantes en España que quieren votar contra Sánchez que a favor de Sánchez." (David Jiménez Torres, 16:04)
  • The analogy of the Titanic/Titán is humorously invoked to describe a party blindly following its leader into disaster:
    • "El barco ha decidido hundirse con su capitán." (David Jiménez Torres, 17:26)
    • "Anticiparse al Titanic es lo inteligente." (Alsina, 18:07)

• Limited Willingness to Change Course:

  • Paco Marhuenda: "Otras lo intentaron durante el camino, pero no me parece extraño que sea cuando se constata el fracaso... cuando incluso la gente más gregaria ha sido con el líder dice ‘no, ahora ya no me lo creo.’" (20:19)

4. The PP-Vox Dilemma and Electoral Strategy

• Difficult but Necessary Alliances:

  • The panel discusses how both PP and PSOE face the need for alliances: PP with Vox, PSOE with regional and “toxic” partners (like Bildu).
    • "Hay un partido más fuerte, más poderoso, que es el Partido Popular, uno que es más débil, que es el PSOE, y todos ellos tienen que intentar llegar a acuerdos." (Rubén Amón, 30:45)
  • The awkwardness and danger of these alliances is underlined, with the panel noting the growing normalization of Vox as a coalition partner and the reciprocal stigmatization by the left.

• Majorities No Longer Assured:

  • "El Partido Popular asume que las mayorías absolutas se le complican." (Alsina quoting ABC, 06:10)
  • The fear among PP barons (regional leaders) of having to depend on Vox is palpable.

• Risk of Overconfidence and Cyclical Change:

  • "La estrategia del Partido Popular será un desastre, pero ha ganado las elecciones y va a gobernar." (Rubén Amón, 25:33)
  • Marhuenda and others caution, however, that Vox’s ambition is not just to be the junior partner but to potentially supersede the PP as the dominant force on the right.
    • "Vox quiere sustituir al Partido Popular y de cómo jueguen sus cartas ahora dependerá quién se haga con la derecha hegemónica." (Marhuenda, 32:45)

5. Sánchez’s Blocks and Alliances: Bildu, Amnistía, and Backlash

• Polarizing Pact Strategy:

  • The hosts and guests criticize Sánchez for renewing pacts with Bildu right after the electoral defeat.
    • "¿Qué puede resultar más alentador que un buen acuerdo con Bildu... para emprender con salud renovada una nueva aventura con dirección al despeñadero en Aragón?" (Rafa, 10:19)

• The Amnistía and Its Electoral Cost:

  • The panel describes the amnesty for Catalan separatists as misunderstood and divisive nationwide.
    • "La amnistía no se ha entendido bien fuera de Cataluña." (Jordi Juan via Alsina, 05:00)

• Double Standards and “The Wall Against the Far Right”:

  • Regular returns to the idea of hypocrisy in labeling Vox unacceptable while normalizing alliances with Bildu.
    • "Situarse en esa idea de que yo pacto con Bildu... pero uy, qué horror, llega Abascal. ¿Qué ha hecho exactamente Abascal?" (Rubén Amón, 26:40)
    • "El dique contra la extrema derecha está demostrando no solo hacer aguas sino ser todo lo contrario, ser gasolina para la extrema derecha." (Marhuenda, 22:47)

6. Looking Forward: National Consequences and Strategic Uncertainties

• Alliances and the National Map:

  • Each regional contest (Aragón, Castilla y León, Andalucía) is viewed as a potential rehearsal for the general election dynamics.

• Risks of Misreading the Moment:

  • Both main parties risk losing if they cling to outdated strategies: PSOE by scapegoating Vox, PP by underestimating Vox’s staying power and ambitions.

Notable Quotes

• David Jiménez Torres (on PSOE's malaise):
  "El barco ha decidido hundirse con su capitán." (17:26)
• Carlos Alsina (about Sánchez's avoidance):
  "Pero ¿cómo va a querer Sánchez hacer balance si él adelantó una semana el balance de año para no tener que hacerlo?" (Paco Marhuenda, 19:55)
• Pilar Velasco (about rural desertion):
  "No existen ni los graneros ni los feudos socialistas. Vox ha subido 20-30% en muchos municipios donde el PSOE llevaba décadas gobernando." (24:20)
• Rubén Amón (on political change):
  "Ahora la ultraderecha es el tercer partido de España, muchos millones de españoles. Es una derecha patriótica, a mí no me gusta... Pero hay un cambio en toda Europa." (26:10)
• Marta García Yeri (on PSOE-Bildu):
  "Es una vergüenza que el Partido Socialista haya consolidado la relación más enfermiza de todas y que piense que no va a pagar por ella en las urnas." (36:45)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:20 — 03:50: Alsina's introduction, on-the-road broadcast, first press summary
• 04:00 — 08:55: National media analysis, PSOE crisis, early panel opinions
• 12:47 — 15:21: Start of tertulia, panelists introduced, laying out the day's key topics
• 15:21 — 22:56: Deep dive: PSOE’s defeat, internal dynamics, the “Titanic” analogy
• 22:56 — 25:31: Rural shift, Vox’s surge, loss of Socialist heartlands
• 25:31 — 28:46: Political cycles, right-wing coalition normalization, the “far right” narrative
• 28:46 — 38:21: Negotiations PP-Vox, the conundrum facing regional barons, consequences for future elections, final reflections

Tone and Atmosphere

The episode is marked by Alsina’s characteristic blend of information and irony, with panelists mixing analytic depth and occasional barbed humor. Tension is palpable: the atmosphere is introspective but also combative, especially when dissecting the apparent denial or strategic errors by party leaderships. There are light, self-deprecating moments (jokes about "granero electoral" dying out, metaphors of the Titanic), but the central mood is one of reckoning: the Spanish political landscape is shifting fast, and none of the major actors seem fully prepared for what’s coming.

Conclusion

This episode provides a comprehensive, engaging analysis of the critical moment facing Spanish politics: a wounded, leader-dependent PSOE gripped by internal denial and public skepticism, a PP emboldened yet challenged by a surging Vox, and an electoral scene transformed by changing loyalties, demographic realities, and relentless media scrutiny. In the voices of Alsina and his panel, listeners find both wit and warning — and the sense that the old certainties of Spanish politics have dissolved just in time for a very uncertain new year.