Rufián puts Colau against the ropes

BarcelonaThe alliance between Gabriel Rufián and Podemos "is a front open to whoever wants it", sources from the entourage of the ERC spokesperson in Madrid explain. Translated, it means that if Ada Colau and her Broad Front want to join – paying the price demanded of them – they have the door open or, even clearer, that if they run on another candidacy it will be because they wanted it that way. Obviously, it is not as simple as that, but in the battle for the narrative, the signing of Rufián by Podemos makes it easier for this to be the interpretation when the moment of truth arrives.

The purple party's move puts them in a position of strength. They will not run in Catalonia – their structure in the Principality is minimal – where they will support ERC, in exchange for taking the number 1 spot in the draft. In other words: for those who are not familiar with American sports, Podemos has been able to choose the politician that all the left-wing parties were trying to capture. Not only the most famous one, the one most valued by potential voters, but also the one who has capitalized on the search for unity over the last few months, even against the criteria of his own party. It will be difficult for the relationship between Rufián and Oriol Junqueras to be as close as it once was, but ERC has managed to retain the one the leadership assumed was the best candidate it could present. Now it will be necessary to agree on how many days they can keep him in Catalonia, at least when the electoral campaign begins.

Sumar, Comuns, IU and Més Madrid are against the ropes. Either they accept Podemos' conditions, starting with Irene Montero being, if not number 1, number 2 for Madrid, or they resign themselves to a fratricidal war that the polls predict could wipe out the parties to the left of the PSOE. "To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle", wrote a left-wing icon like George Orwell, in a journalistic essay in 1946. The first consequence of the disunity, in fact, could lead to Colau herself abandoning a ship adrift. She is the one who has most advocated internally for unity with Podemos —she is the one who maintains the best relationship with Irene Montero— and who a few days ago offered Rufián himself to join the broad front to contribute his "leadership" to the movement.

Until Friday there is time to negotiate a joint candidacy for the State, knowing that ERC –headed by Rufián in Barcelona–, Compromís, Més or the CHA will not join it. And that Pedro Sánchez's strategy puts them in direct competition also with a PSOE that, at least until November 29, will offer its most left-wing face.

Curiously, despite being the standard-bearer of this unity, Rufián could end up campaigning with the party that broke it three years ago. Also with the one that rejected the new financing model promoted by ERC or the transfer of immigration powers to the Generalitat. In that same essay, Orwell also recommended that everyone keep a diary or a record of their opinions on important events to avoid falling into contradictions: "Otherwise, when an especially absurd belief is disproven by facts, one can simply forget that one ever held it".