{"id":6422,"date":"2015-03-11T06:12:46","date_gmt":"2015-03-11T11:12:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=6422"},"modified":"2015-03-11T06:12:46","modified_gmt":"2015-03-11T11:12:46","slug":"in-spain-rapid-rise-of-leftists-has-a-familiar-ring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=6422","title":{"rendered":"In Spain, Rapid Rise of Leftists Has a Familiar Ring"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Spain, Rapid Rise of Leftists Has a Familiar Ring<\/a><\/h3>\n

MADRID \u2014 He has promised to restructure the debt. He has said it is time to change laws \u201cthat allow the rich to keep stealing from us.\u201d He has vowed that Brussels \u201ccannot threaten us\u201d and that \u201cwe don\u2019t want any more heads of government who obey and don\u2019t negotiate.\u201d<\/p>\n

If it sounds familiar, no, this is not in Greece. It is in\u00a0Spain<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To many Spaniards, the man behind the statements, Pablo Iglesias, is known simply as \u201cthe one with the ponytail.\u201d<\/p>\n

But besides his hairstyle and penchant for discount clothing, Mr. Iglesias and his Podemos party are radically shaking up\u00a0Spain<\/a>\u2019s political establishment, mirroring\u00a0the ascent of Syriza<\/a>, the far-left party that swept to power in Greece in January on a powerful anti-austerity message.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really never thought I could become president of the government, but I think we\u2019re now in a situation where this could happen,\u201d Mr. Iglesias said in a recent interview at his new party headquarters.<\/p>\n