Antoni Bassas' analysis: "Pact for Language and Pujol's Message"

The signing of the National Language Pact, endowed with a very considerable sum of 255 million euros for this year, has put the situation of Catalan at the center of attention.

Regarding the pact, we recommend theinterview we publish today with Francesc Xavier Vila, Advisor on Language Policy, by Laura Serra. The questions are very direct and the answers are cautious, providing a good summary of the situation: it is necessary to balance recognition of the emergency situation in the use of the language (proof is that otherwise the plan would not be necessary) with the certainty that things can be done to recover it.

And then there is the political debate, and still the partisan debate, which is not always the same. Political debate: In Great Britain, Labour's Keir Starmer has announced measures with this tweet:

"If you want to live in the UK, you should speak English. It's common sense. Therefore, we will increase the English language requirements for all major immigration routes." Says a Labour MP. In England! If the British government wants to protect English, we shouldn't protect Catalan. Incidentally, Wales and Scotland weren't happy at all that he didn't speak their respective languages, and some reminded him that there are thousands of Britons living in Spain who don't speak Spanish. But that's another matter; what matters is that in an increasingly mixed world like ours, governments see language as the lowest common denominator from which to bind everyone to a shared project, whether out of pleasure or legal imperative, where if there are rights, it's because there are duties.

Partisan debate in Catalonia. Neither Junts nor the CUP signed the Pact, although they have been working on it. And suddenly Jordi Pujol appears at the signing. Let it be known that his presence has not bothered Puigdemont, although it creates a contrast with the absence of Junts that cannot be ignored. Pujol's message is clear: language is the key to the country's recovery. Like Fabra: if the language fails, everything will fail. And therefore, if a Socialist president, who switches to Spanish whenever he thinks it suits him, pushes for a language pact, out of necessity or conviction, he must leave. For Pujol, consensus on language is an obsession. He devoted himself intensely to observing the effects of the wave of immigration in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s in Catalonia. If there is a majority in Parliament in favor of the language, it must be operational and useful. This is the meaning of the presence of someone who will turn 95 in a few weeks, and that is why, despite the ailments of age, he takes up his cane and goes as a spectator to an event.

I'm done. Artur Mas files a complaint against Fernández Díaz and Cospedal for five alleged crimes: continuing criminal organization, falsification of official documents by a public official, misappropriation of public resources, disclosure of secrets by public officials, and violation of fundamental rights. This is how Operation Catalunya was carried out. Now it's being done through the bribe: the meeting of regional presidents convened by the Spanish government periodically will be held in Barcelona in three weeks.

Good morning.