Spanish exceptionalism – the country’s supposed immunity to the far-right parties that have seeped into mainstream European politics – has finally succumbed to the wounds it received last December.

How the far right gained a foothold in Spain

I have always found interesting how that idea of a supposed immunity to the far right in Spain spread across Europe.

There are plenty of analysis today about how the far right irrupted into the Spanish politics and broken into the parliament, but the thing is, this is not new, this is not news.

The far right has always been there. Only, it was hiding in plain sight between the ranks of the Partido Popular, a political party that carried proudly the legacy of Franco’s years, that has always avoided saying or doing anything that could be interpreted as anything less than an endorsement of those years.

I am happy that in the eternal fight between The Two Spains, the Spain that wants a modern and open country that looks to the future won, today, over the Spain that wants to keep the country rooted in its obscure past. As usual, I am afraid this little victory won’t last long.