In the era of social media and 24 hour news cycles, people expect instant, up to the minute information. However, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez chose to announce a five day pause in his duties via a lengthy four page letter. He will use this time to reflect on whether he will remain at the head of Spain’s government following a corruption investigation being opened into his wife, Begoña Gómez.

In doing so, he has sparked a crisis of government in which he already has the upper hand, controlling both the timing and the agenda of political debate.

As expected, the announcement dominated the front pages of Spanish newspapers, and hit the headlines in many international media outlets. Once again, Sánchez has made himself the epicentre of public opinion.

His missive is not a love letter, nor does it strike the melancholy tone of a person on the verge of quitting. While it does mention his love for his wife, and he did seem genuinely upset in the parliamentary session in which the investigation into his wife was revealed, the letter is filled with epithets directed at the far right and other political adversaries, all of whom have contributed to the current parliamentary scrap.

Spain is living in divided, polarised times. Half the country will most likely see the letter as an act of desperation: with the writing on the wall, Sánchez is choosing to bow out instead of being unceremoniously ousted. The other half will speak of the injustices of “lawfare”, and of the........

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