Pedro Nuno Santos, former minister and former leader of the PS, returned to the newspaper pages to write an assessment of the ‘contraption’, precisely ten years after its formation. In an opinion article written for the publicthe socialist describes the experience of which he was one of the greatest enthusiasts as “extraordinary” and “of immense wealth”but take the opportunity to point out “errors and insufficiencies” which, he says, should serve as a lesson for the future of the left.
The government solution, which united the PS, the PCP, the BE and the PEV in unprecedented parliamentary support, opened a “ray of hope” in 2015, after years of “despair and anguish”, says Pedro Nuno Santos, highlighting that, despite few believing in its viability, the legislature not only came to an end but did so “with stability and with great popular support”. Praising the role of Cavaco Silvathe President of the Republic who at the time demanded a written agreement, committing the parties and contributing to stability, Pedro Nuno compare this with the attitude of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousawhose lack of the same requirement in 2019 says contributed to subsequent instability.
The End of Austerity and Strategic Autonomy
For the socialist leader, Geringonça’s greatest achievement was in its policies and results, particularly in that says it is practical proof that “balance in public accounts cannot be achieved with austerity”. The decision to accelerate the restoration of cuts in income and rights suspended during the troikahe claims, made it possible to “accelerate economic recovery and, amazingly, facilitate the balance of public accounts”. The period of governance was marked by social advances which he sees as remarkable: minimum wage, pension increases, free access to daycare and school textbooks, as well as the end of most user fees in the SNS.
From a political point of view, explains Pedro Nuno Santos, the ‘contraption’ enshrined the idea that whoever achieves a majority in parliament governs, which he believes has enriched Portuguese democracy. But also expanded the PS’s “strategic autonomy framework”who, for the first time (with the exception of the absolute majority in 2005), was able to govern without depending on the support of the PSD or the CDS. This period coincided with the moment when “Portuguese confidence in political institutions was highest”.
Self-criticism: housing failures and migration
Despite the praise, the former PS leader admits that “it didn’t go well” and admits errors in the conduct of governance: lack of public investmentwith consequences for public services and public administration salaries (following here for Mário Centeno); In housing, saying that the Government should have started building “much more houses sooner” – just as he should have regulated the market (criticisms that do not apply to Pedro Nuno himself, who only takes over the portfolio at the end of the contraption). AND, above all, errors in migration policies (folder that was in the hands of Ana Catarina Mendes and José Luís Carneiro, current leader of the PS.
In this case, Pedro Nuno recognizes that, although the economy integrated the overwhelming majority of foreigners who entered, the country “was not prepared, nor prepared” to receive more than a million people in half a dozen years. Excessive yielding to market dynamics meant that, although more tax and contributory revenue was recorded, problems and social tensions were generated, such as the lack of places in daycare centers for all the children who needed them. The former socialist leader criticizes the devaluation of these impacts by the left, warning that this omission could result in a loss of confidence among the population.
Pedro Nuno Santos concludes that the lessons from this experience are vital to “regain the confidence of the Portuguese” and for the left to win future elections with a view to structurally transforming the way the majority of the population lives and how the fruits of their work are distributed.