A social peace that is not "borrowed"
We have recently read analyses about the need for Spain and the EU to bolster their defense in the face of global uncertainty. But at what price? In 2026, we face an alarming paradox: we spend five times more on weaponry than on housing policies.
The dilemma is not just between "guns or butter," but between a militaristic vision of security and a human-centered one. Investing billions in frigates and fighter jets while the public housing stock in Catalonia is laughably small, or while the education and healthcare systems are on life support, is a dangerous political choice. The real security of a society like ours begins with decent housing, guaranteed pensions, and quality education.
If we want to be a reliable partner in NATO, we must also be a reliable state for our citizens. It is necessary to lead the common European defense effort to save costs and demand that every euro invested in defense has a direct social return. If external peace comes at the cost of internal precarity, we will have lost the greatest battle: the battle for social cohesion.
Lluís Figueras Barrabeig
Barcelona
The Catalan farmers are right
The Catalan farmers have every right to protest! I know that if you're driving and find the road blocked, you get angry at them and everyone else. But we need to understand the reality of the few brave souls who still fight to survive off their land and their animals. I speak as a former health official. You can't imagine the number of reforms and changes they've had to make in their daily work on their farms, in slaughterhouses, meat processing plants, and on their land. They've accepted everything we've asked of them. Some faster than others, but they've finally understood that protecting public health was paramount. Now, with the arrival of cheaper products to our market due to the Mercosur agreement, we must be aware that meat and vegetable products are arriving that don't undergo the same controls as those in Europe. Where is that fight for quality in all products, free of antibiotics, hormones, and banned pesticides, a fight that has been so hard-won?
Albert Altés Segura
Lance
Making a better world
We've started the year just as we finished the last, all of us hanging on the every word of a few decisions that affect everyone's lives. And these decisions reveal personal interests rather than humanitarian ones for the common good. How is it possible that after witnessing the consequences of World War II, countries are still being bombed to dominate them? How is it possible that wars are justified in the name of peace? It's frightening to realize that the world continues to be driven by economic interests at the cost of destroying and conquering other people's territories and lives. We lack leaders who aren't narcissistic and who are humanitarian, not only towards their own kind but also towards others. We lack leaders who have a global vision for humanity.
Eulalia Rodríguez Pitarque
Torroella de Montgrino
A new world order
Brute force prevails, while institutional strength, dialogue, and diplomacy weaken. Colonialism has resurfaced. Ethical and moral values are irrelevant. Democracy and human rights are not priorities. What matters are power and geopolitical influence, money, oil, and rare earth elements. A strange and unsettling world, indeed. However, it is necessary to resist, and to preserve democracy, dignity, and decency more than ever. Or what remains of them.
David Serrador Ballester
Vic