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Proud of Spain Today | 25 comments (25 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: Proud of Spain Today (none / 1)
Spain has weekly "Control Sessions", and debate of legislative proposals.

The debate we're talking about is a yearly "General Policy Debate", nicknamed "State of the Nation Debate". Apparently it was introduced by Felipe Gonzalez in 1983.

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Jul 5th, 2007 at 05:36:14 PM EST
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Re: Proud of Spain Today (4.00 / 2)
But is there anything (or anyone) that (who) can be debated in the "General Policy Debate" but not in the weekly "Control Sessions"?

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Fri Jul 6th, 2007 at 03:54:22 AM EST
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Re: Proud of Spain Today (4.00 / 2)
In practice, no, but the Wednesday control sessions probably have an agenda that limits the issues to be debated and all the media picks up is the row started by the PP, mostly about ETA terrorism.

The rest of the year, the news tells us that "such and such a (social reform) law was approved by all parties except the PP".

Our knowledge has surpassed our wisdom. -Charu Saxena.

by metavision on Fri Jul 6th, 2007 at 06:14:55 AM EST
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Re: Proud of Spain Today (4.00 / 3)
The control session has an agenda, but it is not unusual for different questions to be asked than the one that was "booked", especially if there has been some new breathless cospiranoid revelation about ZP surrendering to ETA in the far-right press.

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Jul 6th, 2007 at 06:18:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Proud of Spain Today (4.00 / 3)
The weekly control sessions generally focus on the issues of the day. The "General Policy Debate" allow the Government and all other parties to recap the previous year and make commitments for the following year.

For instance, Zapatero announced his intention to obtain a resolution of Parliament authorising a negotiation with ETA "if the right conditions were met" at his first Debate as PM in 2005.

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Jul 6th, 2007 at 06:25:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Proud of Spain Today (none / 1)
Also, the "control sessions" are like the "question time" in the UK parliament. The format is a question from the floor and a focused reply from the appropriate minister. There is no room for free-form policy statements from either the government or the opposition. Similarly, debating proposed laws doesn't allow free-form policy statements.

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Jul 6th, 2007 at 06:28:15 AM EST
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Proud of Spain Today | 25 comments (25 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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