Spain Gets Mixed Reviews on Handling Economy

 SEVILLE — One year ago Tuesday, November 20, Mariano Rajoy's Partido Popular (PP) won a landslide¹ victory in Spain's parliamentary elections, but it is facing mounting criticism from voters on its handling of the economic crisis. Experts counter results will take time.

When Spain’s conservative Partido Popular won an absolute majority in the November general elections last year, the country’s economy was already sliding on a downhill slope, headed towards its second recession in three years. A record 21.5 percent of Spaniards were out of a job. 

In his first speech as prime minister-elect, Mariano Rajoy promised to tackle unemployment, the deficit² and the country’s excessive debt.

Within seven months, his government had announced $80 billion worth of cost-saving measures, including cuts to all ministries³. And it made labor⁴ laws less rigid⁵.

Streets and squares have been filling regularly with angry protesters. The leading unions and the opposition⁶ believe the government is irreversibly destroying Spain’s cherished social model.

Socialist⁷ party leader Alfredo Rubalcaba says Spaniards are worse off than a year ago.

Unemployment now stands at 25 percent. But some argue it was bound to get worse before it gets better.

Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a lecturer in European and international studies at King’s College in London, says it is too early to judge whether or not the government’s plan is good or bad.

“I think [what] the government has done right is that it has started to tackle some of the long-term problems of the Spanish economy," said Pardo. "On the other hand, I think some of the measures that have been taken, like cuts in the health sector⁸, cuts in the education sector have been introduced far too quickly.”

Economist⁹ and former bank inspector¹⁰ Rubén Manso Olivar believes the reforms and economic measures have not gone far enough.

He says, for example, that banks should have been allowed to fail rather than the government transferring their toxic¹¹ real estate assets to a newly formed entity¹², and it should have been more forceful in demanding autonomous¹³ regions rein¹⁴ in their spending.

Although talks of a bailout have subsided¹⁵ lately, both Manso Olivar and Pacheco Pardo think there will be calls again for Spain to seek help, as borrowing costs are likely to remain high.

“The central government and the regional governments in Spain really have no means to pay off their debt," said Pardo. The Spanish deficit is not as high, yeah, if you compare with other European countries. The problem is that there is a lack of confidence in the Spanish government paying off its debt.”

He says there will probably be more social unrest in the coming months because the economic situation will not improve in 2013.

Mariano Rajoy’s government seems determined¹⁶ to maintain its course. And it should, says Rubén Manso Olivar.

He says Spaniards voted to give the Partido Popular a four-year mandate¹⁷, and the government should be afforded a chance to govern.

1 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

2 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

3 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

10 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

11 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

12 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

13 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

14 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

15 subsided   

v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上

参考例句：

• After the heavy rains part of the road subsided. 大雨过后，部分公路塌陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• By evening the storm had subsided and all was quiet again. 傍晚， 暴风雨已经过去，四周开始沉寂下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

17 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。