On many occasions, as surely many of you know, I have debated and disagreed - even harshly - in discussions with Sarah Santaolalla, whom, on the other hand, I consider a great political analyst and, even more so, a great colleague. And precisely that is the basis of a solid and healthy democracy: disagreeing and debating. That is why, and believing firmly in this, I want to publicly defend Sarah Santaolalla from the systematic, even personal and sexist attacks she receives from sectors, especially from the right and far-right, culminating this weekend with the vile desecration of the tomb of the Thirteen Roses - a symbol of the fight against the repression of the Franco dictatorship - with death threats against my colleague in analysis and debate.
You see, on so many occasions - it's public - I have defended, when I have deemed it appropriate and always with total independence, proposals from Feijóo's People's Party, just as, in the same way, I have done with Pedro Sánchez and his Government or with any other party or Executive. And I don't hesitate to acknowledge measures - or statements - made by both the PP and the PSOE that, in my opinion, I consider correct.
But **as for criticism**, it is indeed indisputable evidence, and I speak as both a journalist and the director of ‘ElConstitucional.es’, that the PP and Vox, in particular, react very poorly to criticism from journalists and media outlets. To this, dear politicians who dislike criticism from journalists, I only have one thing to say: **deal with it**. Because that is precisely the backbone of a democracy, including ours, the freedom of information and expression. There's nothing else to it. You have to swallow the criticism, as we colloquially say, with potatoesIn summary, in any democracy, politicians and their parties, whatever their ideology, whether right-wing, left-wing, ultra, or middle-of-the-road, should not only not reject criticism from journalists but, on the contrary, should praise it. Thanks to it, freedom and pluralism, which are the unavoidable foundation of any democratic country, are strengthened
And this, in fact, is what we will always defend in the newspaper ‘ElConstitucional.es’ which was launched this week and which I direct.
