Antoni Bassas' analysis: 'When Montoro persecuted journalists'
We can tell you one that hits close to home. In March 2018, the Minister of Finance, Cristóbal Montoro, asked the Generalitat's auditor for detailed information on any contracts, services, or payments to media companies such as Mediapro, the newspaper ARA, and their shareholders. Nothing came of that request for information, but the smear job had already been done. And now, a judge is investigating Montoro.
Today will not be the day either the official status of Catalan in EuropeThere won't be a more constructive position from the German government, which is the key. Germany carries a lot of weight in the EU, and behind them are six countries that wouldn't necessarily vote against it, but that are putting up obstacles: Italy, Croatia, Austria, Sweden, Finland, and the Czech Republic. What's happening to Germany? Well, since the last elections, it has had a conservative chancellor, that is, from the PP political family, and the PP has been and is still knocking on every door to prevent Catalan from becoming an official language in Europe. It's doing so against Catalan, but also against Pedro Sánchez. And it's relatively easy for it to do so because, among other reasons, the EU is a club of states that don't want any more noise than they already have or to give wings to languages that are politically considered "regional." Because we're talking about incorporating three languages at once: Catalan, Basque, and Galician. One of the arguments the PP uses is to point out that neither Catalan, Galician, nor Basque are official languages throughout Spain: so how can they be official languages in Europe? The argument is fallacious because one thing doesn't negate the other, but in a club of states, these kinds of tricks work. And, of course, when you've spent your entire life hiding the fact that your country has more than one language, hearing Minister Albares say that Catalan "is part of our identity" is surprising, to say the least. However, as long as Pedro Sánchez holds out, the petition will not fall. On this page you will find all the information from our Brussels correspondent, Gerard Fageda.
But this morning, the main headlines are still dedicated to Montoro. Even The World Today's headline reads: "PP ministers warned Rajoy about the lobby founded by Montoro": for example, the Minister of Industry, José Manuel Soria, warned that Montoro was sending him information about what was of interest to the energy company Abengoa. In other words, according to The Country, it's not that Montoro had opaque relationships with gas companies, but also with electricity and renewable energy companies, and that "the Mossos d'Esquadra investigation indicates that the companies paid around 11 million euros in the office of the former Finance Minister between 2008 and 2015."
Montoro resigned from the PP while the party, which reveled in the PSOE's Cerdán case, claims that at least in Montoro's case, there are no "prostitutes, bribes, or the placement of friends." No, there's only the minister in charge of collecting our taxes, who is being investigated for having collected underhanded taxes by manipulating laws. What a Montoro fan, and what a PP fan!
Today, of course, everything comes out stories of Montoro as a minister, like when he threatened journalists and media companies with his tax authority. We at ARA can explain one that hits close to home. The sovereigntist sphere. The list is long. There are numerous journalists linked to ARA, such as Toni Soler, Antoni Bassas, and Albert Om, as well as Oriol Soler, who was CEO from the ARA's founding in 2010 to 2012 and with whom he no longer has any ties. The smear was already done. And now, the one investigating Montoro is a judge.
Good morning.
