Antoni Bassas' analysis: 'The country of unresolved tensions'
In eight days, it will be one year since Salvador Illa was sworn in as president of the Generalitat. The Socialist Party's sailing through Parliament has been smooth. The country is chugging along on the surface, but boiling over in the background. How the latent rise in temperature, fueled by Spain's tension, will manifest itself will be the focus of the next political year.
This is the final analysis of the season, and the end of the journey invites us to take stock.
And the balance is uneven. Our economy is doing well, and in broad terms, it indicates that Catalonia's per capita wealth (all the goods and services we produce divided by the number of inhabitants) is just below the European average: in Catalonia it's €39,260, and in the EU, €39,660. We've lost ground, because until 2020 we were slightly above the European average. Meanwhile, salaries are falling short in an expensive country like ours, with local salaries and international prices. Housing is a big problem, as everywhere, but here more so due to the historic lack of public services and because the population has grown by approximately two million people in the last twenty-five years. The same thing happens with the trains that depend on Renfe and Adif (which have once again given us a humiliating year) and the AP-7: we are a country with hampered mobility.
The outlook, therefore, is too similar to what we had a year ago. There are solutions on the horizon, but we're moving too slowly: the transfer of commuter rail to the Generalitat (Catalan regional government) has barely been signed, and there are still five years to go, because we're noticing the improvements. And as for financing, we're far from the agreed-upon agreement that would return the fiscal effort we're making. We Catalans continue to fight with one hand tied behind our backs. The amnesty, approved in Congress, is stalled in the Supreme Court, and President Puigdemont remains in exile.
In eight days, it will be one year since Salvador Illa was sworn in as president of the Generalitat.A president aligned with Pedro Sánchez, from a party, the PSC, more aligned than ever with the PSOE. A marathon president who meets with his team early every morning and who makes up for a well-known lack of political charisma with hours of work, proximity to mayors, and close monitoring of councilors, which has been transformed into predictability and the security of a safe haven in turbulent times.. Although it only has 42 representatives, the Socialist Party's performance in Parliament has been smooth.Esquerra and Comuns, who invested in him, have simply refused to approve his budget, which is no small feat, but it hasn't been enough to shake him, because they didn't want it either. Together, they're battling the opposition, Isla and his government have been consolidating their position, and Catalonia remains the leftist reserve of the Spanish system and much of Europe.
This year has also seen the growth of the Catalan Alliance's anti-immigration rhetoric, particularly against Muslims, and which presents us with the same challenge as in the democratic world: maintaining coexistence without undermining public services and preserving our identity, which in our case means language, especially.
There are many unresolved internal tensions in Catalonia, one of which is giving effective political form to the 40% of people who would vote yes in an independence referendum. The country is simmering on the surface, but boiling over beneath the surface. How the latent rise in temperature, to which the Spanish tension contributes, will manifest itself will be the subject of the next political year.
Good morning and happy holidays.