Zohran Mamdani’s victory as mayor of New York represents much more than an electoral victory: it is a ray of hope against Trumpism. His political rise, unprecedented and devoid of the large investments of lobbydemonstrated that it is still possible to make politics in the United States based on collective conviction and action. The most notable thing about the Mamdani phenomenon is not just his historic victory, with over 50% of the votes, but the manner in which he achieved it. The political campaign was not only brilliant, but it mobilized one of the sectors most disillusioned with politics: generation Z. Its presence in the youth spaces of social networks not only humanized it, but did not make it fall into the stereotype marketing empty and its digital communication was genuine, transparent and participatory from the first minute. Ringing three million bells means that politics can return to being a practice of community, meeting and action. In a context where the 1% continues to concentrate economic and political power and citizens feel weak in the face of their power, their victory is a reminder that change is not only necessary, but possible. Hopefully, the Mamdani phenomenon is not an exception, but rather the beginning of a new way of understanding politics: from below, with the people and for the people.
Ainara Insausti. Barcelona
Social fragmentation
According to the FOESSA report published by Cáritas on 5 November, more and more “middle class” people have been displaced into poverty and social exclusion due to high housing prices and precarious work, especially affecting women, migrants and young people. A profound fragmentation is taking place in Spanish society. The data is devastating: serious social exclusion affects 4.3 million people, of which a third are minors. In this panorama, there is a lack of strong action by public authorities to help mitigate social inequalities. The good macro data of the Spanish economy – which makes it the fastest growing in the European Union in terms of GDP, inflation control and employment growth – do not reach families and individuals at risk of social exclusion, who survive thanks to the help they receive from non-profit foundations such as Cáritas, Manos Unidas or food banks.
Javier Cordero Ruiz. Madrid
What does Junts play?
Míriam Nogueras announces, with great satisfaction, that from now on her party will block all issues that the Government will submit to Parliament. It seems that they do not care whether these proposals are advantageous or not, whether they can benefit Catalans and Spaniards or not, whether they are right or not. The only thing they want is to block governance. Given that the task of parliamentarians should be to dialogue, discuss, present amendments to government laws and that those of the Junts will not do their job, I propose that they also temporarily freeze their salaries, while maintaining this attitude. At least they would be more coherent.
Araceli Capdevila Duran. Barcelona
