The Spanish Government’s ‘Obscene’ Hashtag Makes Waves on Twitter · Global Voices
Lourdes Sada

*All links lead to Spanish websites unless otherwise stated.
We all know that these days the Spanish government's popularity is going through a period of criticism. Information in the press has uncovered what could be one of the most substantial and lengthy cases of corruption [en] in the country's political history. The accusations, that the most prominent members of the ruling party -amongst them, even the president of the government, Mariano Rajoy- could have been receiving undeclared money from illegal party funding, have caused a public outcry [en].
In order to alleviate the devastating effects that these revelations are having on the governing Partido Popular's [People's Party] image, and in an almost desperate attempt to clean his name, a few days ago President Rajoy published a copy of his income tax return (IRPF), in which assets paid for by direct taxes are reflected.
This act of supposed transparency has been praised amongst his fellow party members, who have been sure to throw down the gauntlet to the leader of the opposition, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, demanding that he also publish his IRPF tax return. Thus, the hashtag that appeared on the Partido Popular's twitter feed:
@PPopular: Mariano Rajoy ya ha publicado su declaración de la renta y de patrimonio #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba [#ShowyoursRubalcaba]
@PPopular: Mariano Rajoy has now published his income and assests tax return #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba [#ShowyoursRubalcaba]
As if it were foreseen, the hashtag #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba, with its many possible interpretations, has been received with great furore on Twitter, becoming a trending topic within a few hours. In this article we've collected some of the sharpest and most caustic tweets, as well as some images that net surfers have been uploading onto the social network.
Carlos Carrascoso and mariaml1998 show certain doubts:
@CharlyFalcao9: Me diréis que tengo la mente sucia, pero “#QuelaenseñeRubalcaba” suena mal, muy mal.
@CharlyFalcao9: Tell me I've got a dirty mind but “#QuelaenseñeRubalcaba” sounds bad, really bad.
@mariaml1998: Soy la unica que ha pensado sucio al ver el TT de #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba
@mariaml1998: Am I the only one who thought the TT #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba sounds dirty?
Breaking Bad, Luis Serrano, Alfonso Landabaso, Gema C_F y Raquel Martos would prefer that things didn't go any further:
Photo uploaded to Twitter by Ana Álvarez
@carterego: Joer, estáis enfermos…
@carterego: Jeez, you're sick…
@luisnomad: pero no en horario infantil, por favor…
@luisnomad: but not during kid's hour please…
@Shilk2 ¿pero esto es un chiste? no les vale con robarnos que ahora tb quieren que nos suicidemos.
@Shilk2 Is this a joke or what? It's not enough to rob us, but now they want us to be suicidal too.
‏@GEMAJ61: We're in for a shock!
‏@GEMAJ61: Pa sustos estamos!
@RaquelMartos: Entrar en Twitter, ver el hashtag #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba y lamentarme por tener imaginación visual.
@RaquelMartos: Go on Twitter, see the hashtag #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba and regret having a visual imagination.
Others, such as Rubén Sánchez, ioetx, pilar m. velasco, Pablo Serrano, Alejandro Tanco, Jorge Blanco y Adrián take it out on the hashtag's creator:
“I'm very embarrassed by it.” Rubalcaba in an image sent by Jaime Nuñez Cabeza on Twitter.
@rubensancheztw: el último tiro en el pie del PP. Me pregunto si el que les idea los hashtags aprendió a respirar con un curso de CCC.
@rubensancheztw: the PP's latest shot in the foot, I wonder whether the one who came up with the hashtag learnt to breathe with a self help book.
@ioetx: Teniendo community managers como el del PP…¿quien quiere oposición? ¿Qué será lo próximo? ¿#averquienmeamásalto?
@ioetx: With Community Managers like those in the PP, who needs an opposition? What's next? ¿#averquienmeamásalto?
@pilmagan: ¿Quién es el figura del PP que ha lanzado el TT #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba? De verdad que están sembrados.
@pilmagan: Who from the PP wrote the TT #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba? Honestly, how witty of them.
@pabloserran: Se confirma que el CM del @PPopular es un infiltrado del 15M, la única duda es si él lo sabe ya o no. #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba
@pabloserran: It's confirmed, the @PPopular‘s Community Manager is an insider of the 15M attacks, the only question is whether he know's it or not yet. #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba
@Jandrotanco: Los Monty Python se retiran: “No podemos competir contra el creador de hashtag del PP”
@Jandrotanco: Monty Python surrender: “We can't compete with the PP's hashtag creator”
@bokanovski: El encargado del Twitter del PP no pensó en el doble sentido de #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba o quizas si, entonces pasará a ser mi idolo
@bokanovski: Whoever's responsible for the PP's twitter feed didn't think of the double meaning of #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba or maybe they did, in which case they're my idol
@R11Adri: Mañana habrá un parado más, el creador del hashtag #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba
@R11Adri: Tomorrow there'll be another unemployed, the creator of the hashtag #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba
Dani Ponce and JUANVI take it with humour:
“What are you saying, crazy?” Image on Twitter by Laura Vivero.
@DaniPonce1: #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba ¡¡¡y la Declaración también!!
@DaniPonce1: #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba … and the tax return to!!!
@jvmendezdeleon: #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba y que Ángela Merkel se decida.
@jvmendezdeleon: #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba and let Angela Merkel decide.
There are others who display their disgust at such immature behaviour from the country's leading political parties, such as Blue note, Condesa du Cornavin, oscarmg and Hextre:
@aycarmela67: Caca, culo, pedo, pis, #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba …el lenguaje del PP.
@aycarmela67: arse, fart, poop, pee #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba …the language of the PP.
‏@condesacornavin: #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba ¿Lo próximo será “rebota, rebota que tu culo explota”? Los párvulos son más maduros que los políticos de este país
@condesacornavin: #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba Will the next one be “Wham, slam your ass bangs?” Schoolkids are more mature than the politicians in this country
@oscarciomg: #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba estrategia del partido de los recortes y la miseria: otros lo han hecho, otros tienen mas… Suena a colegio VERGÜENZA
@oscarciomg: #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba stratgey of the party of cuts and misery: some have it, others don't… sounds like the school of SHAME
‏@hextre:#QuelaenseñeRubalcaba #RebotaYEnTuCuloExplota #YTúMás venga niñ@s, se acabó el recreo!!! a gobernar ya! coño
@hextre:#QuelaenseñeRubalcaba #RebotaYEnTuCuloExplota [#Wham and your ass bangs]#YTúMás [#Butyoumore] come on kids, playtime's over!! let's get to governing hey, idiots
Ál, VamosAContarMentiras and alexjo are amongst the many who think all this is a diversionary maneuver on the government's part, given that in an IRPF tax return you're hardly likely to see presumed illegal payments showing up:
“Do you want to see something fat?” Rubalcaba in an image by José David Sánchez on Twitter.
@alscrawl: —Perdona, ¿De dónde sale el dinero de las cuentas Suizas? —Las dos y media. Y ahora #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba
@alscrawl: – Excuse me, where does the money from the Swiss accounts show up? – Two and a half. And now #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba
@Contar_Mentiras: #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba como si lo que cobran en negro apareciera en la Declaración de la Renta
@Contar_Mentiras: #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba as if undeclared money they earn shows up in the tax return
@alexjo17: #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba ¿Alguien me indica la casilla de la declaración para sobres con dinero negro? Gracias…..
@alexjo17: #QuelaenseñeRubalcaba Can someone show me where the box for envelopes with undeclared money is? Thanks…..