Mariano Rajoy: Spain´s `safe pair of hands´ risking it all on Catalonia | Observer profile
(The Guardian Spain)

The prime minister built his reputation on saving his country from economic disaster, but one region´s push for independence has forced him into the gamble of his lifeAs political credos go, the Spanish phrase `Esperar a que escampe` - `Wait until the weather clears up` - hardly ranks alongside `Yes we can`, `¡No pasarán!` - `They shall not pass` - or even `Strong and stable`. But that cautious, circumspect and rain-soaked philosophy has served its principal exponent remarkably well. At least until now. Yesterday Mariano Rajoy took the dramatic decision of moving to impose direct rule over Catalonia.Rajoy, a 62-year-old political veteran from the equally rain-soaked northwestern region of Galicia, has been Spain´s prime minister for six long and difficult years. In that time, Spain has slowly retreated from the brink of economic catastrophe, witnessed the death of four decades of two-party hegemony, squirmed over a whack-a-mole succession of corruption scandals and spent 10 months deadlocked and government-less. Continue reading...