Antoni Bassas' analysis: 'Immigration and the Survival of Catalan Identity'

Yesterday in Congress, Miriam Nogueras used an expression that we will hear about, when she said that "The survival of the Catalan identity is not guaranteed."It was during the plenary session of Congress that, as we have been explaining, the delegation of immigration powers to the Generalitat was defeated, as agreed by the PSOE and Junts, with the combined votes of the PP, Vox, and Podemos.

Podemos voted no because they found the law racist, and Rufián, who has been systematically saying for some time that Junts is with the right and the far right, said that Part of Nogueras's speech was, in fact, racist.It's well known that Rufián seeks to confront the Spanish left more than the Catalan independence movement, and in the fight for hegemony in the pro-independence camp and in agreement with Junqueras, he won't miss an opportunity like yesterday's to attack Junts.

I don't want to repeat myself (but it's difficult, because we've been going around the same issue for days), but Podemos is campaigning against the PSOE and against Sumar, and it needs to weaken Sánchez, and immigration is the issue that moves votes, here and around the world (you only have to listen to Donald Trump telling the UN yesterday that Europe is moving towards management).

When Nogueras says that Catalan identity is not guaranteed, he's saying something that everyone is saying about their own identity, in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, or, let's not even mention, now, in the United States, and not necessarily on the far right. It's a debate that often takes place with fear and uncertainty. And yes, when you welcome two million foreigners in 25 years, the vast majority fleeing poverty and seeking a better future, public services suffer, and the Catalan language suffers, due to its well-known legal, social, and demographic inferiorities. In this sense, having the Generalitat (Catalan Government) in charge of welcoming, processing, and regulating those who come or have come is a tool of the state in Catalan hands.

However, if the survival of Catalan identity isn't guaranteed, it's not only because of immigration. First, it should be understood that Catalan identity changes over time. We had a president named José Montilla, who was born in Andalusia. And in the future, we'll have a president named... (use any foreign name you like) who will speak impeccable Catalan learned in a public or private school in that country. And, second, since immigration is a fundamental element of the situation, Catalan identity is affected by the fact that Catalan isn't compulsory, that Spanish has a multi-million dollar market, that young Catalans can't afford an apartment, and if there's no apartment, if there's no nest, there are no children. And if public services are severely stretched, it's because Catalonia is poorly funded, paying a lot and receiving little. And if low-paid labor comes in, it's because someone here hires them, someone here pays them, and makes them work in the sector that consumes almost everything in this country, which is the services sector. Catalan commerce, transportation, and hospitality have a higher weight than the Spanish and European average, and are activities with lower added value. In scientific and technical activities, we are above Spain and below Europe. Not to mention that what does the most for a country's identity is having a state recognized worldwide. With this, I'm saying that it would be unfair to reduce the problems of the survival of the Catalan identity to immigration. And, at the same time, it's clear that immigration forces countries to undergo social change.

I'll end with two names, by the way, that are quite contrasting: Emma Vilarasau and Donald Trump. The actress from Sant Cugat acted yesterday as the town crier for the La Mercè Festival in the Saló de Cent of Barcelona City Hall, speaking specifically about the language, talking about the service that TV3 has provided to the country with series like Nizaga of power:

Almost at the same time, in New York, Donald Trump spoke at the UN against the UN, against Europe, against renewable energy, against the truth ("global change is a scam"). As American journalist David said: "This speech is such an extraordinary combination of lies, delusions, narcissism, hatred, ignorance, and madness that no one but the President of the United States would be capable of delivering it. It could very well be the lowest point of US diplomacy in our entire history."

Good morning.