“Work with me!” implores Spanish Prime Minister to Socialists as he attempts to end deadlock

Oil and water don’t mix. Nor, does it seem, do the PP and the Socialists.

In a plea that is likely to fall on deaf ears, incumbent Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has called upon his biggest rivals – the Socialist Party – to work with him and his People’s Party (PP) in forming a new coalition government and ending months of political deadlock…

Having been given the backing by his own party to hold talks with Ciudadanos – which is perhaps the only party to have emerged from this unseemly political affair with its reputation enhanced – Rajoy on Wednesday extended a rather limp olive branch to the Socialists.

“Ciudadanos has taken a step forward,” Rajoy began, “but the Socialist Party has not taken a single one,” he concluded, at once asking for, and reducing his chances of receiving, the Socialists’ support.

However, if Rajoy is able to reach agreeable terms with Ciudadanos, it would be at least the first tangible sign that the impasse, which has existed since December last year, could be about to come to an end.

Last week, the centre-right Ciudadanos Party put forward a six-point package for political reform. Should the PP be willing to work on these six points, then Ciudadanos would enter into a coalition alliance with its bigger rival.

But even if the two parties could agree to work together, they would still lack the required majority to form a government, hence Rajoy’s rather ham-fisted “work with me” call-out to the Socialists, who have so far steadfastly refused to climb into bed with their fiercest rival.

Rajoy was 100% correct about one thing this week, though, telling Reuters that “Spain needs a new government right now, not new elections”. On that, we can all agree. Except, it seems, the Socialists. Where will the impasse end? Nobody seems to know…