The uncomfortable coexistence of Junts with its left-wing current

BarcelonaThe convergent gene re-emerges within Junts in the midst of a process to straighten out the party and its ideological bases, but there is a Junts sector that still self-identifies as left-wing. This situation is causing internal tensions, both at the national and local levels, and sources consulted by ARA explain that a portion of the party's leaders believe that the time has come to dispense with this current, and some even advocate for ending all currents within the party and channeling nuances through unity. Right now, however, this is not a viable scenario, as no major shifts are expected from former president Carles Puigdemont. But, what is the influence of the left within Junts?

his rise in Junts has been limited in recent yearshis influence in Junts has been limited in recent years due to various scandals.

Beyond specific names, there are progressive voices who celebrate their direct influence in various areas, even though they have sometimes distanced themselves from Junts' official position, such as when MESCat did want to sign the pact to access the registry "without discrimination". Several Junts sources closer to the convergent gene ironically note that the left-wing sector is applauding all the tax cut proposals in Parliament and Congress, even though it is in Madrid where the "liberal spirit" is shown more uninhibitedly, without this prompting any criticism from the left-wingers. These sources celebrate that eliminating inheritance tax or lowering other taxes is now also considered "left-wing" within the party.

The problem that some see is the lack of ideological clarity that this current conveys, in addition to the progressive quotas that must be respected internally. Convergència, for example, brought together the liberal, social democratic, and Christian democratic families, but not organized currents. On the other hand, according to progressive sources from Junts, "the key is not to lose right and left in the current context", a danger that precisely the ARA pollpointed out, of leaks towards the extreme right of Aliança and towards ERC. "If we give the image of turning to the right, it will never be enough to stop Aliança and we will lose to the left", assure other sources from this sector.

The incidence

Some left-wing sources in Junts emphasize that there is "progressive porosity" throughout the party, for example in language, as when referring to "middle and working class" and "catalanism of the popular classes." On taxes, it is the deflation that they consider left-wing because it "levels" the IRPF according to inflation to avoid losing purchasing power. And on immigration, it is the resolutions approved at the Calella congress, with "the spirit of integration".

"Another thing is what an mayor may say, but we are not so far from each other," they conclude. Regarding taxes, they also believe that the "fiscal system needs to be rationalized so as not to harm the popular classes," but they fully reject the suppression of the wealth tax – a proposal that Junts has taken to Congress. Regarding rents, they are not against protecting them, but "against the method"; the same applies to the reduction of the working day to 37.5 hours, where the party was open to negotiating it with compensation for SMEs. A model that the left-wing sector emulates is Nordic social democracy or the Catalan Josep Pallach. The objective: "to make capitalism and the welfare state compatible without harming the popular classes," they say.

They do admit that politics in Madrid, in contrast to the Spanish government, which "is the most skewed to the far left," leads to an ideological clash. Another influence from the left would come, according to some sources, in the position on Palestine and the vote in favor of the arms embargo on Israel in Congress. Genocide was also spoken of frankly, despite the clash with the Junts international sector.

The problem of Foment

Other sources within Junts with a progressive tendency indicate that the most relevant data is the self-positioning of the party's voters, which is 4.9 on a scale where 0 is far-left and 10 is far-right. "We must aim for centrality and 4.3 is where the majority of people are," they maintain. This indicates that they should be even "more to the left." On the other hand, there are voices from this sector that point out "the terrible staging error of an alliance with Foment." That is to say, the fact that the employers' association recurrently thanks Junts for having saved Spain from "filo-communist" policies would have a counterproductive effect, and they warn that "the country is center-left" and that "if you move away from the average, you shrink."

Although the progressives highlight the greater coincidence of the Junts members with the socialists in voting – in general – there have been some elements that have marked a battle of ideas, such as the rejection of the tax on electrical companies, the moratorium on evictions, the working day, and the extension of rent.