Yes, it was possible! How the Madrid City Council harnessed the economy to serve the people.

919 Days! Yes, it was possible!

How the Madrid City Council harnessed the economy to serve the people
If there is one prevailing neoliberal slogan, it is the portrayal of the left as incapable of managing public resources efficiently. However, from 2015 to 2019, for the first time in our modern democratic history, the left held power in the Spanish capital. This opportunity allowed them to forcefully refute these recurring arguments.

In this book, the heroes of that administration recount the most significant milestones of the Madrid City Government, explaining clearly and instructively how it was possible not only to reduce the public debt and balance the accounts, but, above all, to make this compatible with a substantial increase in social spending and investment. This was based primarily on three pillars: uncovering and correcting the irregularities that occurred during the years of People’s Party rule; reforming the tax system to ensure that large corporations and the wealthy pay relatively more and the majority of society pays less; and reclaiming or redirecting the management of certain public services.

The book also explains how the right resisted all these developments through the media, political spheres, and institutions, and how this remarkable experiment was ultimately forcibly aborted.

Any left-wing political project that threatens elite privileges will face significant challenges. Understanding these challenges is the first step toward overcoming them when a similar opportunity arises in the future.