Once the Dog (Sanxe) is dead, will the rabies end?

We were on our way to Seville with several friends to watch the Copa del Rey final when one of them mentioned that we would crush Real Madrid. Immediately, a section of the group, all Barça fans, was on guard and argued that this wasn't the attitude. Meanwhile, Real Madrid fans, after a disastrous season, displayed one of their maxims: "Real Madrid doesn't play finals, Real Madrid wins them." Real Madrid ended up losing that final. The reports in the Real Madrid media weren't bloody. The ranks were closed. We would have committed hara-kiri.

These days I've met several left-wing friends, not necessarily PSOE voters. And the feeling of desolation was widespread. They were dejected. There's a sense of pain and a lot of anger at the betrayal of ideals. Party members and many voters are flagellating themselves, as if penance would save them. And the widespread opinion is that the government, the first left-wing coalition since the Second Republic, is dying.

I don't recall that dejection among the right-wing ranks after the first leaks of the Gürtel scandal. I do remember the photo of Rajoy surrounded by his party's entire leadership when the first reports appeared. "This isn't a plot by the PP, it's a plot against the PP," and he spoke of a conspiracy of judges, prosecutors, and police.

Not to play the "you're more of a party," let's also recall the reaction of Felipe González's PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) when the Filesa scandal broke. At the time, the Socialist leaders spoke of "unorthodox investigations that keep the Socialist Party under constant suspicion of unspecified crimes."

Many characters I don't trust are somewhere between euphoric and anxious.

Many years after all this, Felipe González and Mariano Rajoy are still holding conferences. The former Socialist prime minister attacks Pedro Sánchez every chance he gets, and Mr. Rajoy casually attends a demonstration under the slogan "Mafia or Democracy," held three days before everything broke out. It seems someone did have some information about what was coming.

I have no idea how far the Cerdán case will go. It doesn't look good, to be honest. I have no idea if it will uncover new irregular financing of the PSOE or if Pedro Sánchez will end up implicated. If so, I expect immediate resignations. I only know that the UCO report, which is not a court ruling, has caused Sánchez to expel both Ábalos and Cerdán from the party, and the latter has done something unusual: resign his seat as a deputy.

Read also Peter's enemies Jordi Évole

Today, the easy thing to do would be to join the coven I read and see in far-right, right-wing, and even left-wing media. There's no closing ranks here, which seems fine to me. Sánchez hasn't had his best week. The legend of the man who always ends up resisting and surviving isn't going through its best chapter.

Spain has never had a leftist president as hated as him. Not even Felipe during his last term. Sánchez's head is coveted by various powers, and even the Episcopal Conference is calling for elections. I'm not entirely sure whether, once the dog is dead, the rabies will end. I see many figures somewhere between euphoric and anxious, who I don't trust at all. Feijóo's half-smile is unsettling. Not even ten days ago, he participated in an event supporting Mazón, the Spanish politician who has staged the most shameful act in our recent history.

And Aznar, a former president who still casts doubt on the 11-M attacks, has yet to appear. His slogan has triumphed. He who could, has done. And not always with the finest art. There's no need for the left to commit hara-kiri. If Sánchez's move isn't a kick in the butt , as the saying goes, then perhaps it's time to resist.