Exactly eight years ago

The other day, at a talk on the history of Catalonia, one of the attendees spoke to me about the chronic weakness of the Catalan financial system, and all the attempts by the bourgeoisie to establish a large bank came up, despite the Basque-Madrid hostility, as in the case of the Bank of Catalonia (1 to 3 years) 80, victim of its own mistakes and other people's shady dealings). Then, of course, the BBVA takeover bid for Sabadell was discussed as just another chapter in this unfortunate story, and I noticed that the idea that the takeover bid was an attack on the Basque Country had strongly penetrated the audience. one of our own and that Sabadell should continue to exist. Important figures in the Catalan economy, such as former council members Andreu Mas-Colell and Natàlia Mas, have also expressed their opposition to the merger in this newspaper.

I do not question the reasons of those who know. I understand that monopolistic tendencies must be corrected, too big to fail which was so expensive for us during the last crisis, and that it's good that Sabadell survives, despite its international dimension, because it has its headquarters here and knows the Catalan business community. That said, my natural position as a citizen, when faced with two financial giants, tends toward absolute neutrality. And in the case of Sabadell, since this Sunday is October 5th, it's hard for me to ignore what happened on this day in 2017, when the Valles-based institution, together with La Caixa, decided to move its headquarters outside of Catalonia, in response to the referendum on the 1st, the massive mobilization on the 3rd, and Felipe González's speech on the independence movement.

One of the Process's strengths is that it was based on the votes of the citizens, against the pressure of the state apparatus, the PP and PSOE, the major Catalan media groups, the employers' associations, and the banks. But this funny It turned into a disgrace when, when it came down to it, the pro-independence parties in power found themselves alone in their attempt to force the Spanish government into dialogue to find a solution to the political conflict. Sabadell and La Caixa had already made their presence felt in the 2015 election campaign, threatening to leave and, practically, causing a playpen if there was a victory for Junts pel Sí. This attempt to coerce the popular vote did not prevent the sovereigntist absolute majority, but made it clear that they our Banks had a very loose concept of democratic values.

When, after October 1, 2017, La Caixa and Sabadell decided to pack their bags, they acted exclusively to protect their own interests, without considering any other considerations. It could be said that neither Fainé nor Oliu had any obligation to sympathize with independence, and that's entirely true. But it's also true that the Generalitat (Catalan government) was weary of asking Madrid for dialogue and pleading for the intercession of all relevant voices. If Messrs. Fainé and Oliu, instead of pressuring and threatening the weaker party—that is, the majority of the people of Catalonia—had had the courage to pick up the phone and pressure President Rajoy, or even the King, being influential figures with a great capacity for dialogue, things might have turned out better. I don't doubt that both Fainé and Oliu had to make a "painful decision," as they later claimed. But the truth is that they lacked courage at a decisive moment in their country's history. Many people have celebrated that Sabadell and the La Caixa Foundation have returned to Catalonia, now that they are in charge. theirFor me, their presence is a perennial reminder of what will happen to us if we don't do kindness.