Everyone is waiting for Montero's numbers.

BarcelonaCatalan politics, and partly Spanish politics, is in the hands of an Andalusian politician named María Jesús Montero. In the coming weeks, she is expected to present a proposal for regional financing that will determine the future of the Catalan and Spanish legislatures.

The formula Montero must present will have two elements: a global figure showing the state's additional contribution to the financing of the autonomous regions, and a table showing how much each corresponds to. Here, everyone will make the numbers speak for themselves, but we have a precedent that can serve as a guide: the cancellation of regional debt. There, Montero was very careful to ensure that Catalonia wasn't the biggest beneficiary, either in absolute terms (it was Andalusia) or in relative terms (it was the Valencian Community). The paradox is that an operation carried out because Catalonia wants more resources will be taken by others so that it goes unnoticed.

The problem is that if the ordinality criterion is applied without any limits, which is what ERC has agreed to, it's very difficult for the Community of Madrid not to benefit the most. The great sudoku facing Montero is to find the magic formula to ensure that Madrid doesn't take the biggest slice of the pie and instead Andalusia, where she will face Moreno Bonilla in a few months, does. In terms of per capita resources, the most fortunate will likely be the Valencian Community, a territory where the Socialists also have a lot at stake in the upcoming elections.

ERC and Junts

ERC is experiencing a tense wait, but so is Junts. Junqueras is pressuring Isla so that he, in turn, will pressure Sánchez and Montero. Isla wants the best deal for Catalonia, but not at the cost of sinking the PSOE's electoral prospects. The break-even point—sufficient for ERC and defensible for the PSOE—is complicated but not impossible. And ERC isn't keen to break up the fight either. Junts, for its part, already knows it will have to say it's insufficient and a pittance, but what happens if, let's say, it represents 2 or 3 billion more for Catalonia and ERC accepts it? Will they vote against it in Congress? As I said, everyone is watching Montero.

The details

Parliament Speaker Josep Rull had to remind several Socialist officials on Tuesday that guests must remain silent and cannot applaud during speeches. Lluïsa Moret and Xavier Amor, among others, did not hesitate to join in the applause from the Socialist bloc at certain points during Salvador Illa's speech during the general policy debate.

On Thursday, the Valencian public broadcaster À Punt offered its first interview with the president of the Generalitat (Catalan government), Carlos Mazón. Journalist Vanesa Sanchis, who had held positions of trust within the PP during his time at Canal 9, was tasked with interviewing him. Mazón was so comfortable that one of his answers lasted 17 minutes, a veritable rallying cry.