"Sánchez: 'There are judges who play politics.' Welcome to the club."

What life is like, especially what political life is like. The separatists have been saying for years that judges play politics. (They had a reason: "They are afraid!" and "Whatever you can do, let it do.".) Then Pablo Iglesias said it, in his own words. But last night, the president of the Spanish government said it live on Spanish public television. Pedro Sánchez was asked about the legal cases against his wife and brother. And he answered this:

"And I also believe that even if I trust in the justice system, and even if I think the vast majority of judges and prosecutors in our country do their jobs well and comply with the law, I can just as emphatically say that there are judges who don't. And these are clear cases where that's not the case, that there's a problem with compliance, with investigation, simply because they're my relatives.

Mr. President, are you telling me that there are judges who are at war with the government?

"There are judges playing politics and there are politicians trying to do justice. Fortunately, they are a minority, but they do exist, and they do terrible harm, immense damage to justice."

It's serious that a full-fledged Spanish prime minister can openly assert that there are judges among politicians, because in a democracy, the separation of powers and institutional respect are supposed to work. It's one thing to think this (surely all prime ministers have thought this at some point), and another to actually say it. Perhaps it took a touch of his wife to make him jump in this way, which is humane but hardly presentable, but this is the portrait of Spanish politics as we begin this year: they remain in the trenches. And they will remain there, because when he was asked what he would do if he failed to pass next year's budget, he said he would continue, and that there would be no calling elections, because it would be a paralysis to plunge this country into an electoral process. Comparing elections to paralysis does nothing for a democrat. In any case, Sánchez's message has been delivered: the resistance continues. Now, Sánchez's ears will be ringing this Friday at the opening of the judicial year.

Meanwhile, the day's news is focused on this afternoon's meeting, at 4:30 p.m., in Brussels, between President Isla and the president-in-exile, Carles Puigdemont. Regarding the run-up, everything has been said: Isla makes a move after speaking with Sánchez. As much as Turull claims the meeting is late, Junts wanted this meeting as a form of "political amnesty" for Puigdemont, and now he can't back down. The message is the meeting, that is, the Socialists are taking a further step toward recognizing Puigdemont. While we await the final meeting with Sánchez, without Junts' seven votes in Congress, this meeting would not have taken place, because there would have been no amnesty, which is where Isla is holding on ("amnesty is constitutional," he said), and, therefore, we are facing a gradual exercise of caution. Who will gain most from the meeting, we will discuss tomorrow.

Good morning