Illa and Puigdemont: A friendly step to prolong the talks

So much talk about that meeting, and here it is. President Illa receives President-in-exile Puigdemont at the official headquarters of the Generalitat (Catalan government) in Brussels. After the press conference in front of the cameras, they went into a room and spoke privately for an hour and a half. Upon leaving, neither of them made any statements, and we must play the game of supposition. I'm sure you've drawn your own conclusions from these images. Here are ours:

The meeting was the message, because it allows the PSOE-Juntos talks to continue. Sánchez needs it to hold on, and Junts needs it to maintain political prominence. Sánchez would like Junts to approve the budget or the next labor reform (both difficult goals), and Junts wants Catalans in Europe and a transfer of immigration (equally difficult). And, of course, Puigdemont wants to return home, and Junts needs him to return. That doesn't depend on the PSOE, but it does depend on normalizing its dialogue with Puigdemont, which is what Illa did yesterday. taking the final step towards the Sánchez-Puigdemont meeting. It's what Junts itself said one day: "political amnesty": that is, since the judges won't grant him amnesty, Sánchez shouldn't hide from talking to him. Think about something: Sánchez doesn't care anymore. He's holding on by a hair and has just said that there are judges who are involved in politics, who are against him, that is, who are doing it. lawfare, the same thing Puigdemont says and the independence movement has said. This brings them closer.

From the content of the meeting, we know that neither Illa offered Puigdemont more influence in Catalonia if he supported Madrid, nor did he preempt the negotiations for the State or Generalitat budgets. It was a friendly exchange between two people who had never met in person, two politicians who calculated that it was in their best interest to meet, even though they come from very far away politically. And they extended the amiability on social media. President Illa first tweeted that he had met with Puigdemont: "Just as I have done with the other former presidents. [...] Dialogue is the engine of democracy so that Catalonia continues to advance."

And half an hour later, Puigdemont continued the Jocs Florals, but with a nuance: "I thank you for your kindness and the conversation. In a normal democratic situation, this meeting should have taken place many months ago, and not in Brussels, but at the Palau de la Generalitat. Today it has become clear once again that we are not living in a normal situation."

The scene was lackluster. How odd that two Catalan presidents meet and there's no Catalan flag. Probably because the Spanish flag was also there, which Illa has displayed at his official meetings, and Puigdemont didn't want to have anything to do with it. And then Illa returned to Catalonia, and Puigdemont stayed in Belgium. And that was that.

Good morning.