This week we commemorate the deaths of two individuals who have been significant figures in history, both in Catalonia and in Spain. November 20th marked the 50th anniversary of the death of Francisco Franco, and, coincidentally, November 21st marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Ernest Lluch. The former died in bed, surrounded by loved ones, after a long month of heart problems and a painful final agony. The latter died alone in a parking lot, assassinated by an ETA commando. This stark contrast is one of the contradictions, but that is not what I wish to address. Rather, I want to reflect on some aspects that arise from this coincidence.
1. Commemoration, not celebration. The arrival of a significant anniversary of someone's death is a good reason to remember their personality and activities. But we shouldn't confuse remembrance with celebration, since not everything surrounding a person and their activities can be described as positive, and there may be much criticism. Any actions or writings undertaken must consider both positive and negative aspects. I must confess that my assessment of Franco is intensely focused on many negative aspects, and in the case of Lluch, it's the opposite.
2. The death of Franco and the Transition. In 1975, the dictator's death removed a barrier and allowed for the start of a long process of very positive changes for Spain and Catalonia, which brought us, among other things, democracy, economic growth, the welfare state, and entry into Europe. I never wished for his death, much less his suffering, but I would have liked the barrier he represented to have disappeared much sooner, either of his own volition or through the political decisions of those who supported those governments. At the time, it was good news that most citizens knew how to take advantage of.
During these days of commemorating the 50th anniversary, we must be prudent when recalling many of the activities of the dictatorship. We should avoid descriptions that are overly biased toward either approval or criticism. In particular, I believe we must not pass on to young people who did not experience that period images that distort reality through exaggeratedly positive portrayals. I see that some right-wing political parties, some social media platforms, and some news outlets are deliberately presenting a distorted view of what the country was like during the Franco dictatorship. The same can also happen in the opposite direction, which I consider much more reasonable and which I don't encounter as often. I welcome some political decisions being made these days that are in line with complementing the Transition, which was interrupted at a certain point. In short, this death, like any other, can never be desirable, but in this case, it was welcomed by a large majority of people.
3. The death of Lluch and its foundation. Ernest Lluch's death in 2000 was unexpected for everyone and had a profound impact, especially in Catalonia. A foundation was established in his name in 2002, and in 2013 the founders asked me to be its president. I gladly accepted, as we had both served as ministers in the Spanish government and enjoyed a good personal relationship. It will come as no surprise, then, that in this second instance I find it very difficult to find anything negative about him or his activities, both as a professor and as a politician. What is truly negative and must be strongly condemned is precisely his assassination.
The events related to the commemoration of the 25th anniversary that are taking place these days, some organized by the Foundation but others by many other organizations, are intended to be a remembrance and expression of gratitude to him, but also a rejection of those who decided and caused his death.
The Foundation has sought, and will continue to seek, to collect and disseminate the entire intellectual legacy that Ernest left us. To date, it has organized more than 600 public events, many in collaboration with organizations he worked with, and in places where he carried out his work (Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, Santander, Zaragoza, Vilassar, and numerous Catalan cities), focusing on themes that I would highlight with two phrases that capture his personality: peaceful coexistence and well-being as the ultimate goal of individuals, and personal health and the revision of universal and free healthcare to adapt it to the changing times of the 21st century. The methodology of the events we have used, and which we are intensifying these days, is dialogue—that is, conversation between two or more people exchanging ideas on a specific topic to compare viewpoints and reach points of agreement. Dialogue was one of Ernest Lluch's obsessions. And it goes without saying that his insistence on applying this method with ETA members was the root cause of his tragic death.
