Isla-Junqueras duel

Suddenly Pedro Sánchez has managed focus on 23-FWe won't begin to learn what the declassified documents say until tomorrow, and therefore, we won't know the historical significance of this latest distraction tactic by the Spanish president until tomorrow. The political significance, aside from steering the public conversation, is to remind everyone that far-right coups in Spain are possible.

But while in Madrid they have turned on this spotlight, in Catalonia A firestorm has broken out between the PSC and EsquerraIt's a card game where nobody wants to be left out in the cold, meaning the 2026 budget not being approved. It's a duel between Salvador Illa and Oriol Junqueras, who are raising the stakes. I recall: on Friday, it seemed President Illa could finally announce he had the votes of Comuns and Esquerra to pass the budget. Junqueras met with Sánchez at Moncloa Palace and, apparently, was told that for the time being, the Spanish government couldn't announce the transfer of powers to the Generalitat (Catalan government) to collect 100% of income tax, due to timing and expediency: they're selling elections in Castile and León and, above all, in Andalusia. Junqueras then announced he wouldn't vote for the budget. He placed the blame for its failure on Illa. But yesterday, Isla summons the top representatives of Fomento, Pimec, CCOO and UGT to the Palau de la GeneralitatWith them, he signs an agreement in front of the cameras outlining 86 economic and social measures, from industry to healthcare and from vocational training to housing, with which employers' associations and unions support the approval of the budget. And then Illa announces that this Friday he will convene an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Council and approve the draft budget to send it to Parliament. Illa passes the buck back to Junqueras: those who don't want the budget are the Republicans.

What has Esquerra responded? This morning, Oriol Junqueras declared on Catalunya Ràdio that if there are no changes in the coming days, Esquerra will vote against the budget. He also told the PSC "not to escalate conflicts they cannot win."

Esquerra will vote no and will present a comprehensive amendment; they do not agree.

That's why I speak of mourning: Isla maintains the idea that now he cannot ask the PSOE that the candidate for Andalusia, and economic vice president of the government, be the one to close the IRPF agreement for Catalonia (I emphasize that it is the management of the collection, not that 100% of the IRPF officials stay in Catalonia), among other reasons it would wear down Montero at a time when she has enough work to do to face a practically certain victory of the PP and VOX.

And so here we are. Look, Illa is now approving the budget, even without Esquerra's votes, because that way he maintains the possibility of passing it within a month. That's four weeks to find a way out, and if things go badly, he can claim he's done all the work and that Esquerra is the one failing to deliver. Junqueras isn't satisfied with Illa's gesture of saying he also wants the Generalitat to collect 100% of income tax. Whether all this will end up being just a minor incident or the day Esquerra and the PSC parted ways in this legislature, we still don't know.

Good morning.