Living in a political unreality
The PSOE-ERC-PSC agreement for a supposed new financing model is a prime example of the current political reality in Catalonia. Or, to put it more accurately: of the current state of affairs.political unrealityFirst and foremost, because in our country, both the mainstream media and those who always prioritize stability—even above their own economic interests—have presented the agreement as a fait accompli, even though it is only a highly improbable possibility. In other words, ERC and PSOE have counted their chickens before they hatched, assuming that if anyone denounces them, they will pay dearly.
In fact, since 2017 we have been feeding on broken promises, half-truths, and frustrated desires. Negotiations have been accepted from prison and exile, under threats and harsh sentences, with a fleeting and transient strength born almost by chance, and always with their hands tied. This has been the case with the amnesty, with Renfe (the Spanish national railway company), with the Catalan language in Europe, with the publication of fiscal balances, and with a long list of commitments, culminating now in the hypothetical tax model. As a result, government agreements here and there have long been met without any obligation to fulfill them. Making deals with those who are known to have no control over their fulfillment inevitably leads to the unrealistic outcome of all unrealistic agreements.
The second major political unreality exposed by the financing model agreement—which, I reiterate, is neither an agreement among all those who must decide and abide by it, nor is it in any way a new model—is the supposed reconciliation between Catalonia and Spain, spearheaded by Presidents Isla and Sánchez. The reactions it has provoked clearly demonstrate that anyone seeking Spanish-Catalan harmony should first look to Spain, not here. The most direct expression of the state of affairs regarding "friendly" relations between them—the most populist, admittedly, but not the most forceful—is that of Carolina España, Minister of Economy of Andalusia:What Montero wants is to give champagne and caviar to the separatists, and to the rest of the autonomous communities and the Spanish people, the daily menu, but without dessert and, what's worse, a menu that has been pre-cooked by the separatists."That 'Spain is robbing us' is a tickle compared to this 'Gourmet Catalonia is fed up, we're just giving them junk food.'"
The third point also highlights the unreality in which we live when it comes to clarifying what should be, precisely, the most factual and indisputable part of the agreement: the numbers, the hard facts. But it turns out that the extra 4.7 billion they say could arrive doesn't take anything away from anyone—"Everyone wins"—which means that we will have already paid for a good part of it ourselves, and in advance: in the form of a fiscal deficit or, in the future, public debt. Furthermore, without updated fiscal balances, we won't be able to compare its effects. The ordinality, which could be fulfilled in 2027, is also problematic. It is not explicitly guaranteed for later in the model. And the cost of living isn't taken into account, nor do we know how the "adjusted population"—that is, adjusted to its size—will be calculated, an unrealistic notion that will ignore the actual population. In other words, even the part that should be measurable is a jumble of words that everyone can interpret—and believe—as they see fit.
But the Montero-Junqueras agreement still displays one last dose of high political unreality. Given where we come from, and the experience we carry, at this moment distrust should be the most sensible perspective from which to read the agreement. And, therefore, since we already know ourselves, intuition should be the most reliable guide of all. Because we assume that, indeed, the agreement promises something more concrete for today. And in a moment of delirium, we imagine that Spanish-Catalan concord will prevail between Vox, the PP, the PSOE of Pepe Blanco and Emiliano García-Page, and even Junts. And we even take it for granted that, finally, in one of those dramatic twists that Pedro Sánchez is so adept at pulling off, just before plunging off the cliff, the updated version of the old model will be approved in the Spanish Parliament. What are the chances that they will comply? How long will it take them to take it to the Constitutional Court? And who will be governing Spain? Or who will govern Catalonia?
I don't know if they're counting on the fact that most Catalans will remain anesthetized by the occupiers' condescending rhetoric for much longer, if they think we'll be content to live amidst so much unreality forever, or if we'll feign ignorance in the face of this next debacle. Call me dreamers, but to me, who resign ourselves to living forever in this political unreality, it seems like an unsustainable and improbable fiction!
