Leo the interview with the counselor after the botched allocation of places in the Department of Education. To begin with, it must be said that this Catalan word, botched job, is magnificent. Nyap means something unsuccessful, poorly done. It is said in Coromines that botching also means "to seize something violently, or suddenly." Nyap comes from naño, "a wound that someone gets as a result of a blow." All these connotations of something sudden, violent (given how it affects people), poorly done, clumsy, or dented could be applied to the subject of recent headlines.
Philosophy is a strange activity that unravels the skein of botched jobs. The best example of this bizarre interest in what doesn't fit was Socrates, strolling through the city markets, dining at friends' houses, talking with younger people. His purpose was to make the convinced interlocutor see that, in reality, he didn't know what he was saying. After making it clear that what he thought he was saying was in fact something else, he carefully recommended having the courage to listen a little. Perhaps we could conduct a similar exercise with the issue of the regional government's botched job. First of all, it must be said that I am literally incapable, at this time, of precisely explaining the problem of allocating positions. The regional government says there was an intentional error that "has been resolved" with dismissal. It also says that "more technical strength is needed." What constitutes a virtue of this kind? We can speak of physical or even moral strength, in the sense of having the courage to act for the common good. But what does technical strength mean without the political will that guides and gives it meaning? In the case of applying an administrative procedure considered unfair, even if technically it should be carried out, what should be done? If the administrative procedure affects a large group of people, is the answer to be technically strong or rather to act fairly? Justice is one thing, and technical strength is quite another, an oxymoron from which no one can emerge unscathed. However, in our world, procedures are key, and politics—says Jean-Claude Milner—is reduced to the "problem-solution" binomial—which we could translate here as the "botch-up-reaction" binomial. The interview also states: "We must improve planning to improve the quality of the education system and, in turn, improve trust." What comes first, the relationship of trust or planning and quality? If the regional ministry doesn't think about teachers and their lives, what good does it do to be technically strong? Lluís Duch underlined the crisis of trust relationships in contemporary societies. The lack of trust is replaced by administrative procedures and "technical strength." This substitution responds to the breakdown of politics as a fundamental discourse oriented toward the common good. That's why botched jobs are well aimed and hit the target. Like Socrates getting his fellow citizens to speak, botched jobs point to an uncomfortable truth about politics. What does the regional ministry make of this truth?
