Sink like stones

The coat of arms of the Generalitat (Catalan Government) was the only symbol that framed the handshake between President Illa and President Puigdemont. The recognition of the institution, restored after the suspension of autonomy, by the leaders of the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) and Junts per Catalunya (Junts per Catalunya) is good news. The coat of arms and two sad ficus trees, no flag, so as not to irritate anyone.

After the events of 2017, the Generalitat (Catalan Government) was questioned by the most rigorous Spanish and independentist parties. The PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) supported the suspension of autonomy, and former President Torra himself described the institution as "an obstacle to independence," as if it were a government agency. Today, no one doubts that the Generalitat (Catalan Government) is the great instrument for the defense of the country, and this is no minor issue.

The meeting between Isla and Puigdemont is good news for those who want to engage in politics and for citizens, who see how the world is changing profoundly and rapidly without waiting for anyone. And no one is anyone, as their French neighbors are beginning to learn, immersed in an irresolvable economic and political crisis. The atmosphere is tense in a Europe where the far right is advancing, the United States is acting arbitrarily in the commercial sphere, destabilizing international trade, aging and immigration are changing society, artificial intelligence will impact the labor market, and the welfare state is difficult to sustain. Poor school results and the strain on healthcare, when more money than ever is being invested, are the most visible signs that the seams of the social protection system are about to burst.

For Puigdemont, the Brussels meeting is the recognition he demanded, the political amnesty he has been demanding while in exile. For Isla, it is a necessary but insufficient condition to explore agreements that would allow the survival of Pedro Sánchez's government, and, domestically, Puigdemont's recognition that the president of the Generalitat is now a Socialist and has full institutional authority.

For the Socialists, the photograph helps to deflate the Puigdemont effect, but the extent of his political capital will remain unknown until the amnesty is complete and the former president returns to Catalonia. Puigdemont's return with honors is not a formality; it will be the definitive end of an era marked by uncertainty, provisionality, and an unchallenged, emotional leadership fueled by the injustice of repression.

Meanwhile, Junts per Catalunya is wrong to postpone the challenge of reconstruction. A party born out of urgency and Puigdemont's personal hegemony today clearly needs a human and political recapitalization. It's not just about reorganizing the acronyms, but about providing them with content, a narrative, and leadership that goes beyond the permanent memory of the past and the failure of the 2017 project.

In this context, the departure of former Economy Minister Jaume Giró from the party and Parliament highlights the tensions. Political strategy is carried out in private, and decisions are made individually and communicated to a small group of no more than four people the leader trusts most. Giró's farewell letter is devastating when it asserts that Junts leaders put party interests before the interests of the country.

Without new leaders who have credibility and the ability to interpret the country of today and the future, Junts runs the risk of becoming irrelevant. Today, its strength lies in its influence on Spanish socialism, but it will be difficult to renew that strength if there is no clear project aimed at liberal-centrist sovereignty. Ideologically, today it is a heterogeneous amalgam that bewilders many of its voters and quite a few of its mayors. The cycle is closing, and only politics—understood as an exercise in responsibility and foresight—can open a new one. The effects of injustice are finite, and voters expect proposals in times of uncertainty.

As Bob Dylan wrote, the times they are a-changing: "Admit that the water around him is rising. And accept that soon he'll be soaked to the skin. If time is any good to you, he'd better start swimming, or he'll sink like a stone, for the times they are a-changing."