"I have no experience, but I do have ideas and imagination": Bob Pop launches his mayoral campaign
The writer and actor is holding a first event to publicize his project with an eye toward the BComú primaries.
BarcelonaA café next to the CCCB (Centro Cultural Barcelona) is the meeting point chosen by Bob Pop to explain why he wants to be the Barcelona en Comú candidate for mayor. More than 25 people show up, whom the writer and actor, originally from Madrid but now living in Barcelona, greets with a smile, an open notebook, and a pen in hand. Some order coffee, while others, after 6 p.m., head straight for beer. Everything is ready for Bob Pop to answer the question hanging in the air: what is his proposal for governing the capital of Catalonia?
"I don't have experience, but I do have ideas and imagination," he explains. Bob Pop rails against capitalism, against "the shopping mall city" that he believes Barcelona has become, and maintains that, faced with the rise of the far right, it's necessary to go back to the streets, talk to the residents, and, above all, listen to them: "Politics can be fun. They tell us that people are bored talking about politics, but that's not true." Despite the "enthusiasm" and "desire" with which he still faces the challenge, he admits that he needs to improve his Catalan (although most of his speech is in this language) and that he has much to learn from the 73 neighborhoods of the city of Barcelona.
Among the audience are grassroots activists, from Nou Barris to Sagrada Família. There are also familiar faces from the Barcelona en Comú political space: former senator Rosa Lluch, historian and daughter of Ernest Lluch, and former member of the Catalan Parliament Enric Bárcena. Beside them are some representatives from the Barcelona en Comú leadership, present to hear the proposal of a candidate who, if he ultimately takes the step, will have to participate in a primary election to become Ada Colau's successor. The process is scheduled to begin in December.
But who are Bob Pop's adversaries? For now, there are no official ones. DThe name that keeps coming up this summer is Gerardo PisarelloBut it remains to be seen whether councilwoman Jess González or someone else will want to run. Bob Pop confesses he has doubts about whether primaries could end up doing more harm than good, due to the divisions they might create within the party. "What do you think? Do you think it's a good idea for me to run?" he asks. No one is telling him not to, and in fact, most of those present emphasize the value of someone like him—a Barcelona resident by choice, part of the LGBTQ+ community, and living with multiple sclerosis—being willing to be a candidate. If he loses, he says, he'll take it in stride: "The furthest I'll go with Pisarello is telling him it's something turras"," he quips.
A "breath of fresh air"?
Housing, the lack of accessibility in Barcelona, and disillusionment with the left's poor performance in this political cycle are some of the topics that emerge in an event that ends up being more of a one-on-one conversation. The prevailing opinion is that a candidate like him could represent a "breath of fresh air" in a political space that, 10 years after its inception, risks becoming too similar to what it was created to challenge: the traditional parties. However, one question keeps coming up: who does he plan to run with? Bob Pop admits that he has a name in mind for his running mate—BComú's regulations require him to have a female candidate—but he doesn't reveal it. He reassures those who fear that his list will become a personal project. "I can't play the personal game: I'm a dependent person," explains the writer, who uses a wheelchair. His idea is to form a team that brings the management experience and knowledge of the neighborhoods that he lacks. He wants BComú to be able to use him as a voice.
The possibility of Gerardo Pisarello, already a city councilor in 2015 and now a member of Congress, being the mayoral candidate for BComú doesn't satisfy everyone present. Some recall that BComú was founded to end political careers that drag on indefinitely, with an ethical code that limits terms in office. Others see in Wednesday's small gathering something reminiscent of BComú's founding meetings ten years ago. The meeting ends with positive feelings for the writer and actor, who intends to hold similar meetings at least once a month. This Wednesday, Bob Pop won over the attendees. Now he'll have to win over the faction of the party that sees him as an outsider or, at best, as a media personality who wants to lead an organization he doesn't know.