Its future is at “risk”, it is “exhausting” the pension fund and the Spanish Government has “injected” EUR 15 billion in order to be able to pay them in 2018. Pensioners, meanwhile, have their payroll frozen, as they receive only a monthly average of EUR 2 more miserable (0.25%), a year-on-year increase of 0.75%. Most pensioners earn less than EUR 1 000, tens of thousands of people not even EUR 650.. And, moreover, there is talk of the possibility of abolishing one of the two extra extra extra extra special pay.

Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE has made a proposal to establish a tax on banks and financial operations and to help pay pensions. This double tax would raise EUR 2 billion per year and reduce the social security deficit (EUR 15.5 billion). Sánchez argues: “If the Spaniards helped with their sweat in the bank rescue, the fairest thing now is for the banks to help maintain the pension system.”

The media front, headed by the newspaper El País, in the service of the banks of course, has rejected the proposal, claiming that it is “populist” and “wrong”. It remains to be seen whether the proposal is an electorate or an honest one. If it were honest, it would have to seek alliances. And it would be much more honest if I made a new proposal to pensioners to eliminate IRPF and reduce some state structures, which would affect their party: The expenses of the House of the King, of the Defence, of the political parties (advisers, official cars, diets, travel…) – and their privileged pensions – of subsidies to trade unions and parties… In this bureaucracy, billions of euros are wasted, essential to sustain the pension system.