Antoni Bassas' analysis: 'Trump enters the conclave'

Today, Pedro Sánchez is in Barcelona, ​​​​at the Círculo de Economía conference. A week later, he will offer no explanation for today's blackout, which occurred a week ago. Allow me the pun, but the more days pass since the blackout, the less the blackout turns off, and the more the concern about what happened and why it could happen again turns on. Sánchez's silence is deafening.And precisely because it was so serious (even though we all came out of it unscathed together), the attribution of responsibility could have far-reaching consequences: Did the grid not hold up because it wasn't prepared for so much renewable energy? And why? Who hasn't invested, the state or the operators? Who is responsible for designing and implementing the firewalls to prevent a service outage across the entire Iberian Peninsula? And what about mobile phone service shutting down due to a lack of its own energy? The level of technological sophistication required by everyday life requires a lot of investment in maintenance. And I insist on the social and political implications: we are a resentful society, very prone to believing conspiracy theories, and the more days that pass without an explanation, the more the market opens for charlatans and conspirators to gain audiences and votes. Spain will now spend (we are going to spend) more than 10 billion euros on defense spending. If you want to defend yourself, why not start by reviewing the electrical grid from top to bottom? Because on Monday, in five seconds, sixty million people were shut down. The fact that Sánchez didn't say anything until six hours later is quite telling. Pretending we're going to stop the coup with a survival kit is childish.

And this week we'll have a new pope, most likely. The conclave, the closed meeting, will begin on Wednesday, and that day we'll already have the first vote. One of the participating cardinals wrote to me a few days ago that "in the congregations these days, people are talking about the situation of the Church and the world and, consequently, the profile of the pope to come. But, all in all, there's a serene, calm, and fraternal atmosphere." The manner may be gentle, but the election of a pope is the election of a leadership of the Church, and there are many political interests at stake, due to the universal influence of the Catholic Church. Look, if you don't believe it, Donald Trump.

The Official White House social networks have replicated this image, of Trump dressed as a pope. What does this image, unbecoming of a head of state, mean? Trump wants the spotlight for himself, the spotlight the Vatican has these days. And he would like that influence for himself, and he would like the title of Vicar of Christ on Earth for himself. Trump dresses up as a saint in further proof that we're facing a dangerous and botched presidency, capable of anything, including implying that there's only one pope here, and that's him. How disgusting.

Good morning.