The enthronement of Salvador Isla in Madrid

BarcelonaSalvador Illa's visit to Madrid this week was a kind of enthronement. Never before has a Catalan socialist leader enjoyed the complicity of the Madrid economic world that his figure generates. And his colleagues in the PSOE are beginning to see him as one of the few, if not the only, leader capable of filling the void that Pedro Sánchez will leave sooner or later.

Obviously, all this is nothing more than speculation, but there are objective elements that reinforce this thesis. Salvador Isla, unlike people like Félix Bolaños or María Jesús Montero, is a Sanchista who doesn't seem like a Sanchista. Where Sánchez opts for audacity and close combat, Illa opts for tranquility and lack of punch A certain flag. And just as post-Process Catalonia has rewarded him for this approach, there are those who think that after the polarization and circus that Spanish politics has become in recent years, a profile like Illa's would also be well received by the Spanish electorate. Even more so if the opponent is Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the queen of tension.

PP voters like him.

It is precisely this serious, hieratic, and non-histrionic demeanor that makes him a difficult adversary, as can be seen in the Parliament. Ayuso has tried to provoke him several times and even challenged him to a televised debate, but his tone is cold. In the Catalan parliament, Illa always speaks with a certain paternal superiority that drives his adversaries to despair ("Who does he think he is?") and only comes down to earth when Silvia Orriols responds. Isla does provoke rejection among the most die-hard pro-independence supporters, but even those in the PP recognize that his voters like him.

One of the secrets of his success is that he carefully selects the issues he addresses. He almost never addresses contentious issues, but instead focuses primarily on the economy and management. The goal of surpassing the Community of Madrid in terms of GDP is clearly a lure, but it works for him. And right now Isla is reaping the rewards of previous administrations, especially that of Aragonès. The 2024 growth figures are very good, and we'll soon know if Catalonia has grown more than Madrid. It would be a gift for the illista narrative.

When Salvador Illa moves through the socialist groups throughout Spain, he arouses the admiration of members, who remember him as the minister who managed the worst pandemic of the century without raising his voice. Never has a PSC leader been so well received among the socialist rank and file.

That's why, when the time comes, Isla will be one of the best-positioned names, especially if Montero fails to take over the Andalusian government. Isla would be a kind of Sánchez-esque evolution who would play the card of moderation in the face of the turmoil in the capital, but who shares something with Sánchez: a very clear understanding of what power is and how to use it.

This week's details

1.

Mazón "floods" the networks

The Valencian president was forced to change a tweet that included the verb "flood."

The president of the Valencian Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, has no luck even with his tweets. This Fallas week he tweeted: "The Fallas are the soul of our neighborhoods; they fill every corner of the city with music and atmosphere." When X users pointed out that his use of the verb flood perhaps it was not the most appropriate in the context of the DANA, the community manager deleted the tweet and wrote "fill up."

2.

The geography of Puente

The Minister of Transport invents a railway line

Minister Óscar Puente is one of those who always incorporates witty references into his speeches. On Wednesday, he acknowledged that the construction work on the commuter rail network is causing inconvenience, but that the lines are still operating, unlike what Germany has done with the Berlin-Hamburg line. "I'm not talking about a line between Bollullos del Condado and Amusquillo de Esgueva," he suggested ironically, reinforcing the importance of the German cut.