Together compares Isla to Trump and maintains distance from the Catalan government: "He's leaving Catalonia in a coma."

BarcelonaOn the second day of the general policy debate, the opposition attacked President Salvador Illa's speech on Tuesday. The management of the Socialist executive was the focus of Junts in a harsh intervention by the party's president in the chamber, Albert Batet, who demonstrated his distance from the Catalan government. The main opposition party accused the president of the Generalitat of being "a great anesthetizer" and of leaving Catalonia "in a state of coma" and "in the ICU," but warned him that "Catalonia will wake up." The Junts leader's marking has not only included criticism. The "irresponsible" housing promise for more than 200,000 apartments -which he has assured that he does not believe and which he has compared to the functioning of the Cercanías (local train system), the state of the infrastructure and education, or the "denationalization" of the country, but Batet has also affirmed that the executive "neither works, nor does it have the strength to govern" because it is "a government without budgets." At this point, he directly compared Isla to the president of the United States: "Donald Trump also governs like this and he is not the best example," he snapped.

In this sense, he also pointed out that the Government puts "the social contract in danger" due to the state of public services, which "opens the doors to magical solutions from populisms of both extremes." However, the comparison with the American president, with a marked far-right profile, has angered the president: "It hurt me a little that you compared me to Trump, because I don't want to have anything to do with him," he said in his reply. In fact, the head of the Catalan government has commented that he has never doubted Junts' "deeply democratic credentials" and has demanded the same of the PSC.

Batet has also taken issue with the president for the "provincialism" he believes the executive practices. Isla has countered this by advocating for international travel and using Jordi Pujol as an example in this field. "I have been the first Spanish political leader to meet with a head of state," he said, referring to his meeting with the Pope last week. But this response is what has endorsed, according to Batet, the "provincialization" thesis, because "he said he was the first Spaniard" to meet with Leo XIV. A "provincialization" that Batet has seasoned with the "loyalty" and "submission" that he believes Isla has with the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez.

In his response, the president of the Generalitat reminded Puigdemont's party that the state of education and healthcare "is not a product" of his government, but rather "of how things have gone in recent years" and defended his relationship with Sánchez because "a progressive coalition government is the best thing that can happen to Catalonia."

Junts' diagnosis also pointed to the "collapse of social services," the fact that "the economy is creaking" with a drop in per capita GDP compared to Madrid, and that the executive has "damaged the social elevator." Batet said that services "are not designed for eight million inhabitants," but for six, and again denounced the "fiscal deficit," the 20 billion euros that the Principality is losing in favor of the State's territorial solidarity. This is a reason to demand economic agreement, which Junts will bring to the debate in a proposed resolution.

The Brussels agreement

That's why he has pressured the president to also speak out about the pact with the PSOE for Sánchez's investiture, the Brussels agreement. "The PSC must clarify what Salvador Illa we have, the Island that demonstrates with the PP and Vox against October 1st [...] or what has signed the agreement with the PSOE that recognizes that there is repression and lawfare". The preamble to the pact will be translated into a proposed resolution.

Another criticism from the regional council members has been the government's pact with the CUP on housing - "with the extremes," according to Batet, who predicted a "failure" like the one he attributes to Ada Colau in Barcelona. And he also attacked Mr. Al Cañad: "The Lord [leaders of Comunes] command more than any minister." And Batet even had occasion to criticize the fact that he sometimes relies on the PP and Vox. While the president has asked Batet for a "good opposition," the regional council leader has repeated that the weakness of the executive, without a budget, was already evident in the indura. This wouldn't work. The responsibility for accessing the presidency of the Generalitat in this way is solely his," he reiterated.

"Harshness of the PP and Vox"

At the same time, the PP has once again cast the shadow of corruption over Isla for his handling of the Ministry of Health during the pandemic and has once again linked him to the Cerdán case. "It's enough to sayChiliso that he becomes Chucky, the evil doll," said the Catalan Popular Party leader, Alejandro Fernández. He added that "there must be a reason he loses his temper and refuses to explain the role of Santos Cerdán, Koldo and Ábalos." The president has asked him to stop "the defamation and lies" and that "it could lead to pneumonia and I don't want it to get worse." Fernández received the response as a threat: "He didn't threaten me with a knife, but he did threaten me."

For his part, the leader of Vox, Ignacio Garriga, gave a harsh speech against the immigration minister and his "criminal policies" as president. But, above all, he raised his tone against the "garbage" of the Government, the "nonsense" it promotes, the "pacts with ETA" of the socialists and even against the "slave taxi" of the Open Arms. This has led to several calls to the president, in fact, he has reminded him that ETA is no longer exists.