'President Isla, how to move from thank yous to real improvements'

This morning we saw President Salvador Illa againwho has already gone to work.

First, they showed him when his team greeted him at the foot of his car in the carriage courtyard, and we saw him walking up the stairs to his office. Around 8:15, he appeared standing behind a lectern in the Gothic gallery of the Palau. He looked the same as a month ago, perhaps a little thinner.

Illa delivered a very personal, eight-minute speech, with the tone of the reflection we all experience when our health forces us to stop and be admitted to a hospital. He praised the professionals of the public health system and thanked them, and shared thoughts such as "these have been hard days," "the important thing is to take care of ourselves," and "to gain perspective on ourselves and reflect."

And from personal reflection it has moved to collective reflection: "You cannot put a price on health," that is, commodify it, and we cannot dehumanize each other, neither in the political debate nor in the debate of the territories.

And from there he has explained the connection between his thoughts and all the problems that have erupted in Catalonia coinciding with his absence: The doctors' strike will last all week., the teachers' strike last weekThe farmers' protest, the gale, and the commuter rail system mired in chaos. And he pledged to offer "solutions, answers, and truth" by stating that he knows "what Catalonia needs."

"I know what Catalonia needs. I know what the Catalan people are demanding. I know what needs to be done, and today I tell you, once again, that we will do it. This is not a time for fatalism, complacency, or shirking responsibility. A country is built with awareness, responsibility, and high standards. Its work is a matter of faith, and each one of us is more determined than ever to continue working from this very day forward. Thank you very much and good morning."

Incidentally, while he has sent a specific thank you to Councilor Dalmau, to whom he delegated the functions of president, he has said nothing about Councilor Paneque.

Logically, Isla's problem is how to move from words of praise to concrete improvements for doctors, teachers, or commuter rail users. This is especially true when the Catalan government is under immense financial strain and the Spanish government is walking a tightrope to avoid upsetting the Spanish government, led by a friend of his former minister.

Mirin, what's happening with housing or the commuter rail is a metaphor for many of Catalonia's problems. If you go years without investing in maintenance, without buying new trains, and the population grows and you have climate change, if you depend on two companies like Renfe and Adif, and if a Secretary of State has to be stationed in Barcelona to find out what's going on, sooner or later all of this will explode.

Good morning.