WallStreetJournal, 25 septiembre 2009. Estructura del gasto público español: un Estado frágil e hipotecado.
[ .. ]
Zapatero no convence. No convence nada. Es percibido en Europa y los EE.UU. como un personaje que no entiende, no controla y es víctima de su propia soberbia insignificante.
El sonambulismo del presidente del gobierno acentúa muchos e inquietantes problemas de fondo, de este tipo:

[ .. ]
–Un Estado frágil y sin rumbo conocido.

–Un gobierno “central” víctima caciquismos (sic) personales, ideológicos y geográficos.

–Unos caciques locales que desprecian a Zapatero y gastan por su cuenta, con poco control.

–Unos asalariados y pequeños empresarios que vivieron engañados por el crédito fácil y están condenados a ganar menos, trabajar más y esperar más años de incertidumbre.

Liberation… de los caciques del PSOE a la incapacidad:

[ .. ] extrême faiblesse du dirigeant socialista espagnol, dont l’image ne cesse de se dégrader. D’anciens ministres, des caciques du PSOE ou des intellectuels de gauche fustigent ouvertement ses “atermoiements”, ses “tergiversations” et son “incapacité” à affronter la crise [ .. ] [Liberation, 24 septiembre 2009. François Musseau, Zapatero à hue et à dia].

Wall Street Journal… las autonomías gastan demasiado, el Estado deja al descubierto su incapacidad; como consecuencia, la crisis se ahonda:

Spain’s efforts to rein in its budget shortfall by a 2012 deadline set by the European Union are being stymied because the central government in Madrid has relatively little sway over public-sector spending. [ .. ] But Spain’s central government — excluding the state’s pensions administration — directly controls less than a third of public-sector spending, and can only set broad guidelines for the regional and municipal governments that control the rest. Those governments will start presenting their 2010 budgets in October. [ .. ] Spain’s 17 regions — the so-called autonomous communities — control the biggest portion of public-sector spending, more than 36% in 2008. Responsible for basic services such as health and education, they have borne the brunt of absorbing the more than 4 million immigrants who have arrived in since 2000, attracted by abundant job opportunities in Spain’s formerly buoyant economy.
[ .. ] The municipal governments in turn say they have been stuck with services that regional authorities should be providing — such as nurseries for children and services for the elderly — to the tune of €6 billion ($8.8 billion) a year. As a result, even during the good years, Spain’s regional and municipal authorities were running budget deficits. Their financial situation has worsened considerably in the recession. [ .. ] Alfredo Pastor, economics professor at the IESE business school and a former Spanish deputy finance minister, said a tax increase in 2010 is «pointless» because it won’t succeed in boosting revenues much when the economy is so weak. But, over the medium term, he said, tax increases will be necessary.
«I don’t think our public sector has room to cut the deficit much by cutting taxes…given its structure with its central, regional and municipal governments,» Mr. Pastor said. [ .. ] [Wall Street Journal, 25 septiembre 2009. Spain Wrestles Itself to Shrink Deficit].

Telegraph… los trabajadores verán caer sus rentas; las pequeñas empresas, asfixiadas por la falta de crédito:

[ .. ] salaries must fall by 10pc in real terms to regain lost competitiveness [ .. ] The latest ECB data shows that 60pc of Spanish firms have seen access to credit fall so far this year. Most say they have been denied their full request for loans or credit lines. [ .. ] Spain is sliding into a full-blown economic depression with unemployment approaching levels not seen since the Second Republic of the 1930s and little chance of recovery until well into the next decade [ .. ] [Telegraph, 25 septiembre 2009. Spain tips into depression].

Las negritas son mías.

• España y Economía en este Infierno.