Swords makes the PP ugly "pranks" on issues such as health or gender violence and its "coincidences" with Vox

SEVILLA, 4 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The general secretary of the PSOE-A and candidate for the Presidency of the Board in the Andalusian elections on June 19, Juan Espadas, criticized this Saturday some "harsh jokes" that, in his opinion, were heard this past Friday by the mouth of representatives of the PP in relation to issues such as health or gender violence, an issue on which the latter has also reproached the 'popular' for their "coincidences" with Vox.

Swords has thus spoken to questions from journalists in a media attention during a visit to the Amate sports center in Seville at the beginning of the second day of the electoral campaign in Andalusia.

The socialist candidate has referred, specifically, to the proposal made this past Friday by the President of the Board and PP-A candidate for re-election, Juanma Moreno, so that the Andalusian public hospital televisions work free of charge in the next legislature, and a comment from the mayor of Estepona (Málaga), José María García Urbano (PP), for which the councilor subsequently apologized after alluding to gender-based violence when making a comment about the bandaged hand with which he appeared at a rally in his town in which the national president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, also spoke.

Juan Espadas, who has also pointed out that the PP and Vox defend "a proposal for a society that is not inclusive" in relation to immigrants, that "is not supportive, inclusive", has defended that "Andalusians take good note of the coincidences on certain issues between the PP and Vox".

"The PP tries to hide them, sometimes with very complicit silences, and sometimes with heavy jokes," continued the socialist leader, who in turn considered it a "prank joke" that Juanma Moreno defended that public health was a "priority" for him "when primary care" in Andalusia "is falling apart, when your family doctor does not give you an appointment within 15 days, when we have waiting lists for pathologies of diseases, such as cancer, which cannot wait six months in a list".

"With all this, and being the last autonomous community with hospital beds, the only thing that Mr. Moreno Bonilla seems to have to say, I don't know if it's a bad joke, it's an initiative that is not bad, that is positive, that is that of television, in this case by the Junta de Andalucía, in the rooms of public hospitals, but which obviously clearly states what kind of public health care Mr. Moreno Bonilla wants", reflected Juan Espadas.

In this regard, he has expressed his wish that next Monday, in the six debate between the main candidates for the Board scheduled on RTVE, he can debate with Moreno "on whether those are his priorities" for public health.

In relation to gender-based violence, Espadas has stressed that this matter "cannot be the subject of any kind of practical joke by a person in charge of the Popular Party", and has warned the public that "there are already too many coincidences in relation to with the fight against gender violence between the Popular Party and Vox".

In this line, he has summoned the PP to clarify "if it shares, as it seems, sometimes by action and others by omission, that reduction and restriction of the importance and weight that equality and gender violence policies have in society Andalusian", so that Andalusians can choose on June 19 "between an option that cuts rights, those of women, and an option of advancement and progress such as that of the Socialist Party", as he defended.

Regarding the apologies of the mayor of Estepona, Espadas has wondered "if they are useful to women", and has added that the question is "if these types of jokes or these types of statements are not really showing clearly what is wrong of commitment to draw a clear and transparent line between the policies of the democrats and those who defend human rights, among others, equality between women and men, and the fight against the most important scourge that society has right now, the gender violence and sexist murders".

"It is very hard to hear such statements when two women were murdered a few days ago," added Espadas, in line with the words of the mayor of Estepona, who, referring to his bandaged hand, commented at the aforementioned rally that there had been no "put his hand where he shouldn't", and it had been "a simple domestic accident". "Neither does it have to do with gender violence nor have I slapped anyone. I have never done it in my life and I am not going to do it," added the councilor in a few words for which he later apologized.

On the other hand, facing the debate on Monday, Espadas has indicated that he will propose "clearly that there are two alternatives on June 19", one of which is the "PP-Vox coalition", a "coalition of the right and extreme right that clearly defends a restriction of key rights, the first of which is the right to equal opportunities between women and men", which is something that "it seems essential to us that it be debated, and that Mr. Moreno explains those coincidences with Vox", according to has added.

In this regard, Espadas has advanced that he will urge Moreno to "clarify if, indeed", he bets, as "he said publicly", on the "government model" implemented in Castilla y León, a coalition between PP and Vox chaired by the ' popular' Alfonso Fernández Mañueco.

Similarly, the socialist candidate intends to debate on Monday about "the model of society that we want, and what are the pillars on which he bases the generation of employment and access to employment by the entire society, and importantly that of our young people", as well as on fundamental public services such as health.

That, as Espadas has continued, "means talking once and for all about whether or not we want to leave being the penultimate autonomous community in health spending per inhabitant", which must "be a goal of the legislature", as he remarked before criticizing that Moreno has dedicated himself during his years in government to "transferring resources to private health, not investing in public health."

Espadas has also alluded to public education, about which he wants to ask Moreno if the Board is going to "continue suppressing educational units" after doing so with "1,200 in this legislature", instead of "lowering the ratios and improving the quality of teaching in the classroom" as, as it has underlined, defends the PSOE-A.

In addition, he has cited the dependency and care of the elderly, on what he has branded as "unacceptable to continue maintaining a waiting time of almost 700 days on a waiting list that, in the end, what it produces is the result that that person who is waiting for that resource dies, because the times are absolutely unaffordable".

"I think there are enough topics to discuss", summarized Espadas, who has expressed his desire and the will of the PSOE-A for said televised debate to be "respectful, serene and constructive", and not "simply to throw us the tackle to the head some parties and others, because the people are simply fed up with that", as he has warned.