Antoni Bassas's analysis: 'Will you be going to the demonstration on February 7th?'
Will you go to the demonstration on February 7th? The answer is interesting, because for years we've been telling ourselves we're numb. I think what's happening is that we've just come from years of constantly taking to the streets for a much bigger goal (in fact, the main goal). Because for a demonstration to succeed, there has to be something to protest against (we already have that), but also some hope for change. And the only hope we can have right now is that Renfe and Adif will disappear from the Cercanías commuter rail network in Catalonia.
This morning at 6:30, when Renfe spokesperson Antonio Carmona was asked if the commuter rail service was operating, he replied that The service was being provided "with reasonable normality""Reasonable" because we've had several days without service, and yesterday the service was intermittent. Therefore, the mere fact that trains are running is "reasonable." This morning, at 8:00 AM, service had been restored to 80%; however, some sections were by road and others by train.
Meanwhile, all the front pages of the day proclaim in large letters that Two officials from Renfe and Adif have been dismissedThe Government asked the Spanish government, and yes, yesterday afternoon the Secretary of State for Transport came out all dignified to say that Renfe and Adif have not been up to the task, and that there has been a lack of coordination.
That's what it seems: these two dismissed officials are scapegoats for a situation with deep-seated and long-standing causes (disinvestment and lack of maintenance) and for a political reason that's easy to understand: the Catalan government has been taking the fall for a problem it perhaps hoped wouldn't arise, and it was careful not to upset the socialist Spanish government, especially given that both presidents were involved. But it grew tired of it, particularly when it realized that Renfe was acting independently and running trains despite the Catalan government's objections. With these dismissals, Isla, Paneque, and Dalmau can tell the country that they weren't responsible, and above all, they ensure that the narrative that we were living in railway chaos and nothing was wrong can no longer be used. In short: two officials dismissed, the government can say that Madrid is to blame, and Madrid has paid a reasonable price.
In addition, a windfall of millions. Yesterday they also announced that we had won. An extra 1.7 billion euros in the Renfe Lottery thanks to an agreement between the Ministry of Transport and the Generalitat to extend the 2020-2030 investment planIt seems you have to endure a four-day service suspension before they deign to invest what's necessary.
One last point. The chaos at Renfe and Adif will provide us with another episode of déjà vu: in two Saturdays' time, on February 7th, the platforms defending commuter rail users are working to organize a large protest demonstration. Will they go? Will they attend the demonstration on February 7th? The answer is important, because for years now we've been saying that it's unbelievable that people don't react, that if they left France without commuter rail for four days, there wouldn't be any windows left in the stations, and that we're all just numb. I think what's happening is that we've come from years of constantly taking to the streets for a much larger objective (in fact, the main objective), which was considered a general solution to most of the country's problems. For a demonstration to succeed, there has to be something to protest against (we already have that), but also some hope for change. And the only hope there can be now is that Renfe and Adif will disappear from the commuter rail network in Catalonia.
Good morning.
