Some 80 people queued this Thursday night waiting for the opening of the Plaza 1° de Mayo stage. Goat fell, La Trasnochada, A la Bartola, Queso Magro and Asaltantes con Patent were part of a promising grid.
While the first spectators patiently waited for the doors to open, a group of young people remained discreetly under a red gazebo located a few meters away. “Sky of a single color”, the emblematic song of No Te Va Gustar, sounded on a loudspeaker with his request for “oh celestial, give me a sun”.
For some of the neighbors who were approaching, the reason for the presence of that music was only revealed when the young people unfurled the sky-blue posters with the phrase “Don’t stop the change”whose lower edges displayed, on a red background, an unmistakable carnation.
The Colorado Party thus implemented its first “landing” to defend the Law of Urgent Consideration (LUC) in an “arid” terrain for the historic community: the Carnival. Or in the words of deputy Felipe Schipani, one of the leaders who led this first move, “wolf’s mouth”.
respectful negatives
Before beginning, the legislator warned: “The idea is to take advantage of the call and the movement generated by the Carnival and try to convince as many people as possible. We will see how successful we are.” said to The Observer.
The cold response did not lead to many surprises.
The Colorados began to distribute the partisan “institutional leaflet”, which defines the LUC as a “very good law”, which “showed very positive results” by providing solutions to the Uruguayans.”
“None of the evils that the promoters of the referendum predicted happened,” the brochure says. It is said that the law promoted better education, a safer society, together with orderly public accounts and the right to financial freedom, so that so each person “can decide how they receive their salary.”
The material also highlights the transparency in the fuel market –“now, UTE and Ancap are obliged to explain their internal costs”–, the protection of the right to work and the establishment of a better adoption regime, together with access to housing , the protection of free movement and number portability.
Colorados claim to have played a central role in these developments. “We work a lot on change”they affirm, with an exhortation to “continue changing”.
But the leaders did not find in the carnival public on Thursday night precisely a captive electorate to be excited about the party’s role in drafting the rules that will be challenged on March 27.
Most offers instead ended in a respectful negative. Some people pretended to accept the flyers, but changed their minds when they found out what it was.
“I’m with the Yes”, clarified a young man to avoid the offer. “I got it, thanks”chose to answer a lady.
Up on stage, meanwhile, the show was showing signs of starting, and with publicity in favor of the repeal. “The 27 vote for yes, to continue defending the education of the people”, requested one of the announcements that preceded the performance of the murgas.
“Run to the side”, while the organizers asked the militants for the Nowho had been located at the gate of the property intercepting all the people who entered.
Schipani admitted that Carnival represents a “clearly hostile” environment since, a priori, many of his followers are from the Broad Front. In addition, he remarked that most of the groups are today “very combative” against the government.
“However, I am convinced that many people who like Carnival don’t have a particularly strong vote. The idea is to talk to them”, he assured.
Hand to hand
The Colorados had competition. Wearing a pink vest identified with Yes, a militant stood next to them and quickly began handing out other flyers, calling for a vote for repeal.
He identified himself as Gustavo, a “simple worker at the Hospital de Clínicas”, who stressed the need to inform the population in the face of the “important concealment” by the government of what the LUC really means.
The material he disseminated left no room for doubt. “Vote in self-defense,” requested one of the flyers, which also warned that the blank vote will be equivalent to voting No to the repeal.
The application of the LUC “made fuel increase 30%” assured another brochure, signed in that case by the Ancap Federation.
“How are you doing, friend?”, greeted the deputy Sebastián Sanguineti, one of the most active among the colorados when trying to deliver flyers, and satisfied with the results of this first day. “People have been very receptive,” he said.
Although he admitted that the profile of the Carnival attendees does not agree with his party or the coalition, Sanguinetti specified that his “obligation” is “to defend this law and inform the population.”
Congressman Conrado Rodríguez also participated in the conference, who stressed the importance of the party being present in all areas to highlight the “benefits” of the LUC and the reasons why the 135 contested articles must remain in force. “There are going to be people who won’t grab a steering wheel from you, but there will be others who, more independent, want more information,” he said. “That’s why we have to be.”
“There are going to be people who won’t grab a steering wheel from you, but there will be others who, more independent, will want more information,” he said. “That’s why we have to be.”
The Colorados they plan to insist. They already schedule their presence on other stages, such as the Municipal Velodrome and the Summer Theater.
