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    <title><![CDATA[Ara in English - Antoni Bassas analysis]]></title>
    <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[Ara in English - Antoni Bassas analysis]]></description>
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    <ttl>10</ttl>
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      <title><![CDATA[When they want to look good they take them to Barcelona]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/when-they-want-to-look-good-they-take-them-to-barcelona_8_5710011.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/9356bd70-4917-4478-a5f4-1112abdbe628_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p><a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/sanchez-surrounds-himself-with-left-wing-leaders-to-make-barcelona-the-anti-trump-world-capital_1_5709893.html" >Pedro Sánchez has brought to Barcelona the Brazilian president, Lula; the Mexican president, Sheinbaum; the Colombian president, Petro, and the South African president, Ramaphosa, among other leaders of the global left and center-left, with whom he has already been meeting in recent years.</a>Everyone has rushed to say that this is not an anti-Trump summit, but nowadays there is no more effective cement to unite the always individualist left than the current and egomaniacal president of the United States. So yes, it is a way of telling the world that the center-left is raising its voice against Trump. With the apparent endorsement, by the way, of Pope Leo, who is now openly speaking out against Trump. The choice of Barcelona is no coincidence. In socialist terms, it has it all: Collboni's mayoralty and Illa's Generalitat. In Madrid, this summit, with Ayuso and Almeida, could not take place. In Catalonia, the PP and Vox are minor, and at times, residual. In social terms, Barcelona was one of the capitals of the "No to war" against Iraq. And in national terms, Sánchez's message is twofold. To the world: "Do you see? The separatist problem in Catalonia has disappeared with me. There is no separatist problem in Catalonia." And in Catalonia: "Barcelona is a world capital when it passes through Spain." He already did it with the Spain-France summit, and now he has returned. In reality, Barcelona's capacity for attraction has often existed without the State and even against the State. Just one example: if the Pope comes to Barcelona in June (if there is fuel for planes then), it is because of the Sagrada Familia, a marvel of the modern world, in which the State has nothing to do. Barcelona always looks good.Speaking of all this, yesterday we were telling you that the new Minister of Finance had dismissed the possibility of Catalonia collecting income tax. Well, yesterday we heard that Aena –the airports– are also not touched<a href="https://en.ara.cat/economy/aena-reiterates-that-the-management-of-the-airports-is-exclusively-its_1_5709190.html" >.</a>The company's president, Maurici Lucena, made a “serene call” to shareholders yesterday to remind everyone that the Constitution – no joke – prevents the State from ceding the governance of airports. At most, a bilateral consultative body can be created, but neither transfer nor co-management, at most coordination. In this way, he denied President Illa, who had said this week in Parliament that Catalonia would have immediate presence in governance. Well, what Aena has immediately responded with has been the exact opposite.Good morning.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/when-they-want-to-look-good-they-take-them-to-barcelona_8_5710011.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:33:04 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/9356bd70-4917-4478-a5f4-1112abdbe628_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[When they want to make a good impression, they bring them to Barcelona.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/9356bd70-4917-4478-a5f4-1112abdbe628_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Sánchez's message is twofold. To the world: "Do you see? The separatist problem in Catalonia has disappeared with me. There is no separatist problem in Catalonia." And to Catalonia: "Barcelona is a world capital when it goes through Spain."]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[It could not be known: Catalonia will not collect personal income tax]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/it-could-not-be-known-catalonia-will-not-collect-personal-income-tax_8_5708938.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/97e278cf-ab47-4f1d-b942-754e456121da_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>It hasn't even been a month, on March 27, I asked myself in this analysis: “Can a socialist minister improve anything about financing?” The Valencian Arcadi España had just replaced Vice President Montero, who was leaving to run as a PSOE candidate in the Andalusian electoral campaign. We wondered if a new Minister of Finance could change anything about the distribution of money, because the new minister was perfectly aware of how poorly funded the Valencian Country is. Well, we haven't had to wait long for an answer that we hoped wouldn't have to be rhetorical.Here you have it: <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-new-minister-also-does-not-yield-catalonia-will-not-collect-the-irpf_1_5708385.html" >“The new minister does not give in and Catalonia will not collect personal income tax”</a>. Because the minister says that any transfer in collection will be made within the framework of the state Treasury. In other words, the Spanish government continues to not embrace Esquerra's agreement with the PSC for the investiture of Salvador Illa. It will be the State agency that will continue to have the powers in management and collection, and the Catalan agency would be a collaborating entity. Well, it's lucky that this was the federalist minister and that Sánchez and Illa have great personal and political harmony. Apart from the fact that the PSOE only goes along with improvements in self-government and believes that with the amnesty enough has been done, senior officials are a state within the State and it doesn't matter whether the PP or the PSOE governs.Meanwhile, Catalonia continues to be underfunded, far below what it pays and what it needs, and there is no room for the regional tier of personal income tax to be lowered: the PSC, Esquerra, Comuns, and the CUP voted against Junts' proposal (voted by the PP, Vox, and Aliança Catalana) to reduce personal income tax and eliminate inheritance tax. Junts knew it would lose but wants to make a point with the idea that Catalans live squeezed by taxes while other autonomies can afford tax cuts.On another note, we answer a question we asked ourselves this morning in the newspaper regarding the incident with the Vox deputy who went up to threaten the acting president of Congress during a plenary session. The question is <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-only-thing-was-thinking-was-where-the-slap-would-come-from-vox-deputy-confronts-the-vice-president-of-congress_1_5708106.html" >whether the incident was an anecdote or is significant</a>. The answer is clear: this is significant, the far-right is violent by definition and needs to discredit institutions through contempt and intimidation. They know exactly what they are doing: making it seem like they are so full of reasons that they have no choice but to lose their temper in the face of injustices. And specifically, the behavior of the Vox deputy José María Sánchez, like a madman, is perfectly conscious, because he is a judge on leave from the Superior Court of Justice of the Valencian Community. This is the level.Good morning.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/it-could-not-be-known-catalonia-will-not-collect-personal-income-tax_8_5708938.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:41:17 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/97e278cf-ab47-4f1d-b942-754e456121da_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[It couldn't have been known: Catalonia will not collect income tax.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/97e278cf-ab47-4f1d-b942-754e456121da_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[on March 27, I asked myself in this analysis: "Can a socialist minister improve anything about financing?" The Valencian Arcadi España had just replaced Vice President Montero, so we haven't had to wait long for an answer we hoped wouldn't be rhetorical. Here you have it: "The new minister does not give in and Catalonia will not collect personal income tax"]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[When about 150,000 people aspire to have papers in Catalonia]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/when-about-150-000-people-aspire-to-have-papers-in-catalonia_8_5708012.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/435158fa-159e-4df4-aa2c-866bce0b5ecc_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>It has been in force since this morning a measure that affects us closely: <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-spanish-government-will-toughen-the-conditions-for-regularizing-immigrants_1_5706902.html" >the extraordinary regularization of immigrants that the Spanish Council of Ministers approved yesterday.</a>Although the Spanish government has not provided figures by region, the calculations made coincide in stating that Catalonia will be the autonomous community where the most will be regularized, between 135,000 and 150,000 people. 90,000 will do so in the Valencian Community, 60,000 in Madrid and Andalusia, and 18,000 in the Balearic Islands, approximately. In total, in Spain, half a million people who already live here may end up having papers.The Spanish government has tightened the conditions for regularization, as proposed by Junts and the PP, so it will be necessary to present a certificate proving that the applicant has not had a criminal record in the five years prior to the application. The terms of the debate are known.If we talk about politics, with this measure Sánchez acts as an anti-Trump and his police go around hunting and capturing undocumented immigrants. It is Sánchez's way of always playing on the offensive and putting himself at the forefront of global progressivism. For his part, Feijóo moves within predictable terms and says that this regularization is “inhuman, unjust, and insecure”, and finishes by saying “anyone can enter here”. The reality is that both the PP and the PSOE (Aznar, González, Zapatero) approved regularizations.If we speak in humanitarian terms, all entities working with immigrants find it fair, if we don't want thousands of people living among us to live in poverty without any rights. The bishops have also been of the same opinion.If we speak in economic terms, the native population is aging rapidly, birth rates are very low, and immigration is the necessary workforce for a service business model, which is why Spain is growing, with low wages in the tourism and care sectors. In this regard, there is the paradox that employers, the Spanish left-wing government, and bishops are in favor of regularization. Another matter is the debate among economists about whether these new full-fledged citizens are asking for more services than they pay for. <a href="https://en.ara.cat/opinion/immigration-why-it-is-necessary-to-stop-it_129_5685554.html" >Miquel Puig has written about this in ARA</a>. It's the </p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/when-about-150-000-people-aspire-to-have-papers-in-catalonia_8_5708012.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:12:07 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/435158fa-159e-4df4-aa2c-866bce0b5ecc_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[While some 150,000 people aspire to obtain legal status in Catalonia]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/435158fa-159e-4df4-aa2c-866bce0b5ecc_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[If we talk about contradictions, many people who complain that immigrants come are the same ones who give them informal jobs. And many people from the left who speak of the humanitarian need to regularize them do not always find an answer to the real and psychological impact that the radical transformation that many of our neighborhoods have experienced means]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[When some 150,000 people aspire to have papers in Catalonia]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/when-some-150-000-people-aspire-to-have-papers-in-catalonia_8_5708011.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/435158fa-159e-4df4-aa2c-866bce0b5ecc_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>It has been in force since this morning a measure that affects us closely: <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-spanish-government-will-toughen-the-conditions-for-regularizing-immigrants_1_5706902.html" >the extraordinary regularization of immigrants that the Spanish Council of Ministers approved yesterday.</a>Although the Spanish government has not provided figures by region, the calculations made coincide in stating that Catalonia will be the autonomous community where the most will be regularized, between 135,000 and 150,000 people. 90,000 will do so in the Valencian Community, 60,000 in Madrid and Andalusia, and 18,000 in the Balearic Islands, approximately. In total, in Spain, half a million people who already live here may end up having papers.The Spanish government has tightened the conditions for regularization, as proposed by Junts and the PP, so it will be necessary to present a certificate proving that the applicant has not had a criminal record in the five years prior to the application. The terms of the debate are known.If we talk about politics, with this measure Sánchez acts as an anti-Trump and his police go around hunting and capturing undocumented immigrants. It is Sánchez's way of always playing on the offensive and putting himself at the forefront of global progressivism. For his part, Feijóo moves within predictable terms and says that this regularization is “inhuman, unjust, and insecure”, and finishes by saying “anyone can enter here”. The reality is that both the PP and the PSOE (Aznar, González, Zapatero) approved regularizations.If we speak in humanitarian terms, all entities working with immigrants find it fair, if we don't want thousands of people living among us to live in poverty without any rights. The bishops have also been of the same opinion.If we speak in economic terms, the native population is aging rapidly, birth rates are very low, and immigration is the necessary workforce for a service business model, which is why Spain is growing, with low wages in the tourism and care sectors. In this regard, there is the paradox that employers, the Spanish left-wing government, and bishops are in favor of regularization. Another matter is the debate among economists about whether these new full-fledged citizens are asking for more services than they pay for. <a href="https://en.ara.cat/opinion/immigration-why-it-is-necessary-to-stop-it_129_5685554.html" >Miquel Puig has written about this in ARA</a>. It's the </p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/when-some-150-000-people-aspire-to-have-papers-in-catalonia_8_5708011.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:11:51 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/435158fa-159e-4df4-aa2c-866bce0b5ecc_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[While some 150,000 people aspire to obtain legal status in Catalonia]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/435158fa-159e-4df4-aa2c-866bce0b5ecc_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[If we talk about contradictions, many people who complain that immigrants come are the same ones who give them black market jobs. And many people who from the left talk about the humanitarian need to regularize them do not always find an answer to the real and psychological impact that the radical transformation that many of our neighborhoods have experienced means]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Saint George and what we are: universals]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/saint-george-and-what-we-are-universals_8_5706942.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/579f80a1-475d-4295-a0ed-0d1c33d1072e_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>The political chronicle continues to be a judicial chronicle, with the trials continuing against Jorge Fernández Díaz and the patriotic police leadership, against Ábalos and Koldo, and against the Pujol family.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/saint-george-and-what-we-are-universals_8_5706942.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:28:16 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/579f80a1-475d-4295-a0ed-0d1c33d1072e_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[260414 analysis.00 00 37 21.Still image003]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/579f80a1-475d-4295-a0ed-0d1c33d1072e_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Mendoza has made a mistake, in tone and in content. Saint George is what makes the book festival in Catalonia the admiration, if not the envy, of the book world. We will have to repeat the obvious: the sum of rose and book, of literature and love, is of such great symbolic force that it has made this celebration universal, decodable by everyone, wherever they come from and whatever language they speak. Saint George is not an intruder, he is precisely the element that brings sentiment and popular color to what would otherwise be a book fair.]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Trump also declares war on the Pope]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/trump-also-declares-war-the-pope_8_5705856.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/69c31ffd-b18e-4159-9343-8ed70e106f79_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Good news arrived tonight from Hungary:<a href="https://en.ara.cat/international/historical-participation-in-hungarian-elections-even-before-the-polling-stations-close_1_5705356.html" >Viktor Orbán has lost the elections</a>. He has lost them clearly, because the opposition leader has won them with a resounding two-thirds absolute majority with the highest turnout in Hungary's recent democratic history; never before had so many people gone to vote since 1989 when the communist regime fell, meaning there was a desire to vote and a desire for change.The profile of the winner, Péter Magyar, is apparently contradictory: he worked for Orbán's government, but has been increasingly distancing himself until stating tonight that <a href="https://en.ara.cat/international/the-eu-celebrates-orban-s-defeat-hungary-has-chosen-europe_1_5705567.html" >"the people of Hungary have said yes to Europe"</a>. And in Brussels there is euphoria, because although Hungary is a relatively small country (9 and a half million inhabitants), Orbán's Hungary was a kind of black sheep in the European Union for a double and powerful reason: it was the candidate of Putin and Trump. It has always opposed European sanctions on Russia, and as for Trump, Orbán was one of the European references for the American president, to the point that last week Vice President Vance went to Hungary to support Orbán in an electoral rally. That Trump's candidates lose in Europe, that going hand in hand with Trump detracts rather than adds, is a sign that people do not want wars like those in Iran that are making us more expensive and complicating our lives, as we explain on this page: the rising cost of fertilizers threatens the cost of food, and it turns out that the Persian Gulf countries are among the main producers.<a href="https://en.ara.cat/economy/the-rise-in-fertilizer-prices-threatens-food-costs_1_5705605.html" >the rising cost of fertilizers threatens the cost of food</a>, and it turns out that the Persian Gulf countries are among the main producers.By the way, the first round of peace talks with Iran ended in disagreement (as expected) and tonight Trump said he will block the Strait of Hormuz (which will prevent Iran from charging tolls to pass through it), which in essence is an acknowledgment that he cannot open it. And since he does everything in bulk, this morning he attacked Pope Leo XIV in one of those on-the-fly responses, saying that the Pope is </p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/trump-also-declares-war-the-pope_8_5705856.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:20:59 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/69c31ffd-b18e-4159-9343-8ed70e106f79_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[260413 analysis (31).00 04 50 14.Still image001]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/69c31ffd-b18e-4159-9343-8ed70e106f79_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[This morning Pope Leo XIV attacked in one of those at-the-plane responses, saying the Pope is "very bad for foreign policy," that he assumes "likes crime" and that they don't want "a Pope who likes nuclear weapons" (Iran's). Sooner or later it had to happen. Leo XIV is American and when he said "God does not bless any conflict" he was confronting the conglomerate of God and army that ideologically sustains the American narrative]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[ERC does not intend to solve the ego problems of the Spanish left]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/erc-does-not-intend-to-solve-the-ego-problems-of-the-spanish-left_8_5703261.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/d4e882ae-4884-4014-ad8c-ae538745bdfc_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Whatever politicians (and, of course, analysts) do or say is conditioned by a major force, which is the impact of the war in Iran, which has not yet ended because it hangs by a very thin thread, which is the fifteen-day ceasefire. Yesterday, the International Monetary Fund warned states that “it is necessary to prepare for the worst”, because prices will rise, there may be a shortage of products or supply chain disruptions, because there will be no orderly return to normality, money will be charged more dearly to curb inflation, and states will not be able to indefinitely support tax cuts like the one approved by the Spanish government on the price of gasoline. All politics will have to operate under the impact of the war on people's pockets and public budgets. In this sense, this Trump war does no favors to the European far-right partners, such as Vox. But Pedro Sánchez polarizes the vote in Spain and voting against it or voting against the far-right is and will surely be a reason to go vote on the day it matters.From this fear of the far-right lives Rufián's project of uniting the left to the left of the PSOE.In yesterday's event in Barcelona, Rufián gave a headline, which is that <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/fill-tiktok-before-libraries_129_5702921.html" >Yesterday Rufián asked Esquerra to take the lead in the operation</a>. Esquerra will not officially respond to Rufián. However, the party says that if it were up to Esquerra, the right-wing would never govern anywhere, not even in Spain, that they are aware that democracy could be at stake, but that it is not Esquerra's function to solve the discussions and egos of the Spanish left-wing parties. </p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/erc-does-not-intend-to-solve-the-ego-problems-of-the-spanish-left_8_5703261.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 10 Apr 2026 08:46:31 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/d4e882ae-4884-4014-ad8c-ae538745bdfc_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[ERC does not intend to solve the ego problems of the Spanish left.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/d4e882ae-4884-4014-ad8c-ae538745bdfc_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Hence the need to go together. To go together with messages such as "for the first time we can have a space on the left of the PSOE led by the sovereignist lefts in which the right to self-determination of Catalonia and Euskadi is not questioned". It is hard to believe when we still remember Ione Belarra questioning that the Generalitat should have immigration powers because the Mossos could carry out "racist raids". Yesterday Rufián asked Esquerra to lead the operation. Esquerra will not officially respond to Rufián. Of course, the party says that if it is up to Esquerra, the right will never, nowhere, not even in Spain, govern, that they are aware that democracy may be at stake, but that Esquerra's function is not to solve the discussions and egos of the Spanish lefts. In other words, if the event was called "What should be done?", Rufián already knows that Esquerra does not intend to pay attention to him.]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Junqueras and Rufián still need each other]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/junqueras-and-rufian-still-need-each-other_8_5702125.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/c3e84305-bd02-4f35-9882-2a3f84531a80_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>This afternoon, Esquerra's spokesperson in Madrid, Gabriel Rufián, will present in Barcelona his proposal for a broad left-wing front, which he already presented in Madrid in February. He will be accompanied by Irene Montero, from Podem, but neither Oriol Junqueras nor Elisenda Alamany will be there.And they won't be there because they don't agree with Rufián's proposal to unite everything to the left of the PSOE to curb the far-right. Basically, because Esquerra's objective is to replace the socialists in Catalonia, not to position itself to their left. In the same way that for many years, and still now, first Convergència and then Junts occupied in Catalonia part of the space that the PP occupies in Spain, Esquerra has always wanted to get ahead of the PSC, and therefore Junqueras finds, to put it in current terms, that this is not his war, that if Podem or Sumar or Més Madrid have a representation problem, they will deal with it themselves.From here comes the headline of this chronicle, which is that <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/rufian-again-tests-erc-s-patience_1_5701913.html" >Rufián is once again testing ERC's patience</a>, and to be more precise, Junqueras', who said that he <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/colau-endorses-rufian-s-call-for-united-front-we-must-overcome-egos-and-past-grudges_1_5648216.html" >did not spend four years in prison to put Ada Colau as a candidate</a>. The party leadership has seen how Rufián has started to fly solo, has created his own political and personal brand by expressing himself as if he were the critical conscience of the Spanish left, and goes so far as to recall that he lives in the Basque Country and works in Madrid but does not visit Catalonia much. The situation is ironic, because Rufián is a political creation of Junqueras, the personification of an intuition: for Esquerra to enter the metropolitan area of Barcelona, it was necessary to have a candidate who was like the majority of metropolitan voters. The bet was disruptive and it worked. Precisely because of this, Junqueras still needs Rufián with one year to go until the municipal elections. And Rufián obviously needs Esquerra for his project of left-wing synthesis throughout Spain.Meanwhile, this morning President Illa received Minister Puente at the Palau de la Generalitat, amid smiles of complicity. Puente's reluctance with the chaos of Renfe and Adif in Catalonia is shown by the fact that Illa and Puente concluded this meeting taking advantage of the minister's presence in Barcelona because yesterday evening he attended the presentation of the first edition of the Aena literary awards. The Secretary of State who came to live in Catalonia left after a month. The problems that were supposed to be solved in April are now said to be solved in June. Ila's government has discovered that it was not so easy to solve problems through good governance and reconciliation with Spain, thanks to having an allied government in Madrid. Neither with Rodalies, nor with financing, nor with almost anything. Good morning.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/junqueras-and-rufian-still-need-each-other_8_5702125.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 09 Apr 2026 08:47:10 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/c3e84305-bd02-4f35-9882-2a3f84531a80_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Junqueras and Rufián still need each other]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/c3e84305-bd02-4f35-9882-2a3f84531a80_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The situation is ironic, because Rufián is a political creation of Junqueras, the personification of an intuition: for Esquerra to enter the metropolitan area of Barcelona, it needed a candidate who was like the majority of metropolitan voters. The bet was disruptive and it worked. Precisely because of this, Junqueras still needs Rufián with a year to go until the municipal elections. And Rufián, obviously needs Esquerra for his left-wing synthesis project throughout Spain.]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Madrid, the unity and Barcelona, the beauty]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/madrid-the-unity-and-barcelona-the-beauty_8_5701020.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/ff4d44c7-ff3b-4913-92d4-dcd52c078035_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>In the end, tonight, Donald Trump has not ended with “an entire civilization”, because <a href="https://en.ara.cat/international/trump-backs-down-and-agrees-with-iran-two-week-truce_1_5700804.html" >Iran and the United States have given themselves another fifteen days</a>. Trump has found a temporary way out of this war without a clear objective and Iran has resisted and put its conditions on the table. Everyone has lost, in fact, we have all lost, but Trump and the ayatollahs will say they have won. The one who continues to go their own way is Israel, which has already said it does not feel concerned by this two-week ceasefire and will continue to attack southern Lebanon. In any case, this morning we have reasons to breathe a little relieved. And if you want to add a point of reflection, do not miss this article by philosophy professor Ferran Sáez Mateu, titled “Trump: how did we get here?”, in which he explains why people vote for him. “Many voters make a decision based on who they believe they are or what subjective threats they perceive”. Closer, three interesting posts, today. <a href="https://en.ara.cat/culture/all-the-excesses-that-guernica-has-suffered_1_5700315.html" >The first: the Spanish Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, has not dared to temporarily move Picasso's Guernica to the Basque Country</a>, as the government of Vitoria had requested.Urtasun clings to the technicians' report which says that with the transfer, the painting could be damaged. The most progressive government in history will not take the symbolic step of exhibiting Guernica in the Basque Country. The reason interests us quite a bit: the work could be damaged. Like the frescoes of Sixena, right?Two: <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/change-to-the-constitution-the-spanish-government-promotes-reform-to-protect-abortion_1_5700131.html" >the Spanish government wants to change the Constitution to protect the right to abortion</a>. They did it in France, because the extreme right, when it governs, rolls it back, and because in Spain, most abortions are not performed in public healthcare (in Catalonia, yes), but in private ones. The Spanish government will not achieve it, because to change the Constitution, a majority of ⅗ parts is needed, meaning the PP's votes are required, and the PP will not give them the votes. Why is the PSOE doing it? With the real argument of protecting rights, it forces the PP to say no and alienate itself from the female vote and align itself with VOX, with whom, moreover, they are agreeing on regional governments in Extremadura, Aragon, and Castile and León. And the elections in Andalusia are coming.And the third, and very symbolic: yesterday, the Spanish Episcopal Conference presented some details of the visit of Pope Leo XIV, in just two months. The theme of the trip will be “Lift your eyes”, which is exactly what Leo XIV himself will do in Barcelona when he goes out onto Sardenya street to bless from below the cross that has recently culminated the Sagrada Familia.Without the Sagrada Família, the Pope would not have moved from Rome, but if he came, he had to pass through Madrid (no need to explain why) and take the opportunity to make a trip that his predecessor Pope Francis would have liked to make, which is to go to the Canary Islands, a point of arrival for which thousands of Africans risk their lives trying to enter the European Union. No sooner said than done, here is the logo, of a kitsch and outdated design as has not been seen for a long time, in which the Sagrada Família appears in the middle, the Puerta de Alcalá on the left and the sea (which represents the Canary Islands, which surrounds it). And now for the best part. When presenting the trip, the Episcopal Conference says that, in this act of looking up, one finds “the recognition of God as a source of unity (Madrid), beauty (Barcelona), and charity (the Canary Islands)”.Given that you are chosen for some concept, it is fine that Barcelona is associated with beauty, but don't tell me it's not sensational that the recognition of God as a source of unity is Madrid. Madrid, destination unit in the spiritual, too. It is clear that this trip will not escape the same national tension that was already experienced in 1982 with the visit of John Paul II and in 2010 with that of Benedict XVI.Good morning.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/madrid-the-unity-and-barcelona-the-beauty_8_5701020.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:14:11 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/ff4d44c7-ff3b-4913-92d4-dcd52c078035_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Madrid, unity, and Barcelona, beauty]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/ff4d44c7-ff3b-4913-92d4-dcd52c078035_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[At the moment of presenting the journey, the Episcopal Conference says that, in this matter of raising the gaze, there is "the recognition of God as a source of unity (Madrid), beauty (Barcelona) and charity (the Canaries)". Given that you are chosen for some concept, it is fine that Barcelona goes associated with beauty, but don't tell me it's not sensational that the recognition of God as a source of unity is Madrid. Madrid, unity of destiny in the spiritual, too.]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[The rot of the State]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/the-rot-of-the-state_8_5700018.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/cc108101-f90d-4a18-b78d-e95cf8cb5fe2_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Today is one of those days when you don't even have time to get your bearings. We are waiting for Iran, because Trump seems determined not to give any more ultimatums. Yesterday he said: "We can destroy Iran in one night, and that night could be tomorrow," meaning, this coming dawn. This time it could be for real, because these extended ultimatums are starting to be a joke and because the crude language Trump has used these days shows more desperation than ability to intimidate the ayatollahs' regime, and that makes it even more dangerous. If his threat is fulfilled, the consequences could be catastrophic, almost unimaginable, beyond the deaths, the war crimes he will commit, and the world economy also going up in smoke.To understand how erratic and neronian Trump is, we only need to think that he has the world admiring the NASA trip to the Moon: human beings had never been so far from Earth, and this is extraordinary news and of national and almost worldwide unity, but Trump himself has counter-programmed himself with a war whose meaning he does not know and from which he does not know how to get out. He only knows how to boast about the rescue of the shot-down pilot (a meritorious operation, yes, because if the Iranians had taken a prisoner the political cost for Trump would have been very high), but when you look at it, Iran already has a great hostage, which is the Strait of Hormuz, on which we all depend.Speaking of Hormuz, we highly recommend the reports that our Head of International, Francesc Millan, is currently filing from the Middle East. Yesterday we read about him sailing through the Strait, and today we find him in the ultra-modern and very exposed Dubai.Not everything is misfortune: unemployment has fallen in Catalonia and the number of people who have jobs and are affiliated with Social Security is nearing records. It is good news, which unfortunately does not prevent people from working and not escaping poverty.And yesterday an old acquaintance, Jorge Fernández Díaz, went to trial accused of having participated in the theft of information from Luis Bárcenas that compromised the PP. The Kitchen plot allegedly paid bribes to Bárcenas' driver with money from reserved police funds. On the defendants' bench are one who was a minister, one who was a secretary of state, five commissioners, two inspectors, and two police officers. Rot to the bone of the State, a type of rot we know well, because some of these, starting with Fernández Díaz, appear in all the photos of the patriotic police.And today begins the Koldo case, which affects the PSOE: purchase of masks, contracts, cronyism and favors. Do these two trials have anything in common? Yes, that Fernández Díaz was of Rajoy's utmost trust and Ábalos was of Pedro Sánchez's utmost trust.And we end with a page that makes us think that the nightmare will continue in Rodalies. It is this one signed by Natàlia Vila. As you know, the service is provided with trains from 1990, and now the new ones were supposed to arrive. First they were supposed to arrive last year, then at the beginning of the year, and now they say "in the autumn", and most will be for Rodalies and few will come to Regionals, and they will be delivered over the next 4 years, until 2030. On top of that, some new trains that are already in the testing phase are already covered in graffiti. No further questions, your honor.Good morning.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/the-rot-of-the-state_8_5700018.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:13:19 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/cc108101-f90d-4a18-b78d-e95cf8cb5fe2_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[The rottenness of the State]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/cc108101-f90d-4a18-b78d-e95cf8cb5fe2_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Rot until the bone marrow of the State, a type of rot that we know well, because some of these, starting with Fernández Díaz, appear in all the photos of the patriotic police. And today the Koldo case begins, which affects the PSOE: purchase of masks, contracts, cronyism and favors. Do these two trials have anything in common? Yes, that Fernández Díaz was of the highest trust of Rajoy and Ábalos was of the highest trust of Pedro Sánchez.]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Torrent cheering on the Spanish team in Catalonia]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/torrent-cheering-the-spanish-team-in-catalonia_8_5696018.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/5b4f762a-a64a-4362-a1a3-37e23efb56a9_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Whistles at Egypt's anthem, <a href="https://en.ara.cat/sports/shouts-of-muslim-who-doesn-t-jump-at-spain-egypt-in-cornella-prat_1_5695692.html" >chants of “Muslim who doesn’t jump!”</a>, insults to Pedro Sánchez and the essential “Spanish Gibraltar!”. What is this if not Torrente going to Cornellà-El Prat yesterday to cheer on the Spanish team?Bring, bring the Spanish team to Catalonia, so that all the Vox voters come out to make racist chants.Racist and stupid. Because, as an Ara reader says today in their comments, “you have to be an idiot to go to see a match of your team, start shouting racist cries and chants, and end up insulting the best player on your own team.” Because, of course, these patriots have forgotten that if there is a player who can decisively contribute to Spain winning the World Cup again one day, it is a player named Lamine Yamal and he is Muslim. Not to mention whistling the Barça goalkeeper and former Espanyol player Joan Garcia on his debut for the national team. And they were not minority chants. At the end of the match, when asked about racism and xenophobia, the coach Luis de la Fuente (the one who applauded Rubiales on the day of “I am not going to resign”) replied that these people, “the further away from society, the better.” Impossible for them to be far away, they are society. They are a fraction of society that has a voice and a vote (Vox in Spain) which is a vote that is very much in line with their voice.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/torrent-cheering-the-spanish-team-in-catalonia_8_5696018.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 01 Apr 2026 09:11:45 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/5b4f762a-a64a-4362-a1a3-37e23efb56a9_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[260401 analysis.00 03 12 13.Still image002]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/5b4f762a-a64a-4362-a1a3-37e23efb56a9_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[They have what they have sown. Playing Spain in Catalonia is a political decision, much to the liking of the "reunion" operation. Its promoters repress the independence protest (these days, the Mossos have even identified bearers of Esteladas at the end of the Tour) and they know that they can always count on a warmed-up Spanish nationalist mob that, because they go out into the streets of Catalonia with a Spanish flag, thinks they have conquered Perejil]]></subtitle>
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    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[We make Catalan as exigible as Spanish]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/we-make-catalan-as-exigible-as-spanish_8_5694895.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/81b1057c-fc44-46e9-8046-44ee8a36f8ab_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p><a href="https://en.ara.cat/society/the-tsjc-orders-to-execute-the-sentence-that-cut-back-the-decree-to-shield-catalan-in-classrooms_1_5693920.html" >From this ruling by the High Court of Justice of Catalonia against Catalan</a> (I say “against Catalan” because it seeks to prevent our language from being “armored” in classrooms) a clear conclusion can be drawn: only a state of its own guarantees the legal protection that any official language has in its own territory. It shouldn't necessarily be this way: in a truly plurinational state, Catalan would be as Spanish as Castilian. But that's not the case, and I don't think I'm mistaken if I say it never will be. The only language we have a constitutional duty to know is Castilian. This is proclaimed by Article 3 of the 1978 Constitution, which at the end also states that “the different linguistic modalities of Spain” are a richness “that will be the object of special respect and protection”. Well, it's good that they protect Catalan!  </p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/we-make-catalan-as-exigible-as-spanish_8_5694895.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 31 Mar 2026 09:06:30 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/81b1057c-fc44-46e9-8046-44ee8a36f8ab_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[260331 analysis.00 02 40 22.Still image001]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/81b1057c-fc44-46e9-8046-44ee8a36f8ab_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Being attractive and seductive with Catalan is very good, but it is much better to be essential. You don't need to be an independentist to join this goal, you just need to answer one question: do you care if Catalan disappears? If the answer is no, let's start working together.]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[When the amnesty delay suits Sánchez]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/when-the-amnesty-delay-suits-sanchez_8_5693938.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/16a416e0-c208-40d2-8380-2492d11e5b2e_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>In an <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/feijoo-accuses-sanchez-of-slowing-down-the-tc-s-decision-puigdemont-to-keep-junts-tied-up_25_5693223.html" >interview yesterday in La Vanguardia</a>, the president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo stated that Pedro Sánchez is delaying the application of the amnesty to Carles Puigdemont. It is not new. Before, Feijóo had already said that Sánchez has deceived Carles Puigdemont with the amnesty law.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/when-the-amnesty-delay-suits-sanchez_8_5693938.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 30 Mar 2026 09:16:25 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/16a416e0-c208-40d2-8380-2492d11e5b2e_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[When the delay of the amnesty suits Sánchez just fine]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/16a416e0-c208-40d2-8380-2492d11e5b2e_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Can a socialist minister improve anything about the financing?]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/can-socialist-minister-improve-anything-about-the-financing_8_5691524.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f0a0e182-2d1f-4734-8eb8-fa3aa478c51b_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>We arrive at Easter, at the school holidays, the departure operations and the monas, stating that the return will be tough. Everything is rising due to the war in Iran, and since the end of the war is not in sight, the damage to our pockets from this inflation will last for a few weeks, at least. Yesterday evening, <a href="https://en.ara.cat/international/trump-extends-the-ultimatum-to-iran-again-until-april-6-negotiations-are-going-very-well_1_5691309.html" >Trump pulled ten more days of ultimatum deadline out of the hat</a> for the ayatollahs, while he systematically lies every day (and a lot, because he doesn't stop talking) just to prevent oil from continuing to rise in price and the stock markets from continuing to sink. He just keeps saying the war is won, but the Strait of Hormuz continues to be dominated by Iran, and the regime has not fallen. Meanwhile, in Spanish politics, there has been the announced change that could influence the future of the common financing system that applies to us. Yesterday, Vice President Montero resigned to go to Andalusia and <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/carlos-cuerpo-and-arcadi-espana-promise-their-positions-as-vice-president-and-minister-before-felipe-vi_25_5691451.html" >his replacement will be Carlos Cuerpo, until now Minister of Finance</a>. A doctor in economics, polyglot, technician, he does not have a PSOE membership card, a man who does not shout, an economist prepared to sit in Brussels or Washington or wherever; nothing to do with the mercurial Montero. And his place at the Ministry of Finance is taken by Arcadi España, a Valencian from President Ximo Puig's circle, who considers himself a federalist, who has often denounced how poorly funded the Valencian Community is, and who will have to move forward, seemingly with conviction, with the new system agreed with Esquerra. They say that in the PSC they are happy with España's appointment. But however federalist and aware he may be of the poor funding of the Valencian Community, can a socialist minister change anything about the distribution of money? This is the big question and the precedents are not precisely reassuring.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/can-socialist-minister-improve-anything-about-the-financing_8_5691524.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:16:06 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f0a0e182-2d1f-4734-8eb8-fa3aa478c51b_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[260327 analysis.00 04 29 01.Still image001]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f0a0e182-2d1f-4734-8eb8-fa3aa478c51b_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[They say that in the PSC they are happy with the appointment of Spain. But however federalist and aware of the poor financing of the Valencian Country they may be, can a socialist minister change anything about the distribution of money? This is the big question and the precedents are not reassuring, precisely]]></subtitle>
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    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Can a socialist minister improve anything about financing?]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/can-socialist-minister-improve-anything-about-financing_8_5691519.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f0a0e182-2d1f-4734-8eb8-fa3aa478c51b_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>We arrive at Holy Week, school holidays, departure operations and the "monas" affirming that the return will be tough. Everything is rising due to the war in Iran, and since the end of the war is not in sight, the damage to our pockets from this inflation will last for a few weeks, at least. Last night, Trump pulled ten more days out of his hat for the ultimatum to the ayatollahs, while he systematically lies every day (and a lot, because he doesn't stop talking) just to prevent oil from continuing to rise in price and stock markets from continuing to fall. He just keeps saying that the war is won, but the Strait of Hormuz continues to be dominated by Iran, and the regime has not fallen. Meanwhile, in Spanish politics, there has been the announced change that could influence the future of the common financing system that applies to us. Yesterday, Vice President Montero resigned to go to Andalusia and <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/carlos-cuerpo-and-arcadi-espana-promise-their-positions-as-vice-president-and-minister-before-felipe-vi_25_5691451.html" >his replacement will be Carlos Cuerpo, until now Minister of Finance</a>. A doctor in economics, multilingual, technical, he does not have a PSOE party card, a man who does not shout, an economist prepared to sit in Brussels or Washington or wherever; nothing to do with the mercurial Montero. And his place at the Ministry of Finance is taken by Arcadi España, a Valencian from President Ximo Puig's circle, who considers himself a federalist, who has often denounced how poorly financed the Valencian Community is, and who will have to move forward, seemingly with conviction, with the new system agreed with Esquerra. They say that in the PSC they are happy with España's appointment. But however federalist and aware he may be of the poor financing of the Valencian Community, can a socialist minister change anything about the distribution of money? This is the big question and the precedents are not precisely reassuring.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/can-socialist-minister-improve-anything-about-financing_8_5691519.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:14:31 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f0a0e182-2d1f-4734-8eb8-fa3aa478c51b_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[260327 analysis.00 04 29 01.Still image001]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f0a0e182-2d1f-4734-8eb8-fa3aa478c51b_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[They say that in the PSC they are happy with Spain's appointment. But however federalist and aware of the poor financing of the Valencian Country he may be, can a socialist minister change anything about the distribution of money? This is the big question and the precedents are not reassuring, precisely]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Who better defends the right to housing?]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/who-better-defends-the-right-to-housing_8_5690280.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/863ab03c-9ffb-4144-83f4-1dd9d6c55367_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p><a href="https://en.ara.cat/international/the-keys-to-the-war-that-is-putting-the-world-economy-the-ropes_1_5690081.html" >On the war</a>: the United States and Israel have neither overthrown the ayatollahs' regime, nor do they control the Strait of Hormuz, nor is Trump advancing peace talks as he wants us to believe with this daily obsession of talking, talking, and talking.<a href="https://en.ara.cat/international/the-us-sends-peace-plan-and-more-troops-to-iran_1_5689037.html" >Trump wants to claim victory and cannot</a>, he wants to announce peace and bombs and missiles continue to be heard, and Tehran says they are not negotiating anything, the war is harming the lives of people and businesses all over the world, and it is sending us into an energy crisis that could strangle us all. The dictatorship of the Iranian clergy has understood that Trump is in a hurry to finish, and logically they are not; the regime is already very damaged, and now they want the whole world to blame Trump for the general impoverishment.In this regard, I recommend again the<a href="https://en.ara.cat/international/trump-considers-the-most-dangerous-decision_129_5690077.html" >analysis by our Head of International, Francesc Millán</a>, on what might happen now. Because Trump said the war would last 4 weeks. It will be 4 weeks the day after tomorrow, Saturday. What should we do: insist on the diplomatic path or escalate the war, with nuclear weapons if necessary?In this scenario, today the anti-crisis decree is being voted on in Congress. It will be approved because Junts has already said they will support it because the PSOE will support what we explained yesterday about the zero VAT reduction for self-employed workers earning less than 85,000 euros per year. The vote and debate will be today, but yesterday Esquerra and Junts already debated another issue that will be voted on in a month, which is the decree extending rental contracts. And Rufián went all out against Junts: "Who do they work for? For whom? If they overthrow this decree, I wish them years of political ostracism. And I promise you that while I am here, I will strive very hard for that to be the case. Very. Because they do terrible harm to people, to this country, and to my country. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes..."</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/who-better-defends-the-right-to-housing_8_5690280.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:51:12 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/863ab03c-9ffb-4144-83f4-1dd9d6c55367_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[260326 analysis.00 05 19 00.Still image001]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/863ab03c-9ffb-4144-83f4-1dd9d6c55367_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[This is the debate: many people, with two salaries at home, have been left out of the housing market, whether buying or renting. The situation is critical. What solution does the State offer? The other debate, Rufián speaking from the left against Junts, we already know by heart. The left cries out for a right that it has not always known how to defend]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Sánchez attacks Aznar after the success of attacking Trump]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/sanchez-attacks-aznar-after-the-success-of-attacking-trump_8_5689270.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/3719e755-acdf-4af3-8290-46b5e9aabbcf_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>This morning something very interesting happened, a new strategic move by Pedro Sánchez in his long and well-known struggle to resist, to resist everything: his collaborators in prison, the indictment of his wife and brother, his party defeated in every election in Extremadura, Aragon, and Castile and León. This morning Sánchez went to Congress to explain the social measures to alleviate the cost of the war in Iran. And he went on the attack. Seeing that Europe is no longer leaving him alone with the "No to war" movement, he said that the 2026 war in Iran is like the 2003 Iraq War, which had disastrous consequences in Iraq, in the world, and on our streets with Islamist terrorism. That if that war was illegal, this one is too. And that the People's Party (PP) was complicit. But to say that Iran is like Iraq, to ​​once again use the trump card of the "No to war" movement of 2003, is déjà vu. And then, Sánchez personalized it with a tremendous attack against José María Aznar. He said that Aznar, in 2003, wanted to feel important, that he supported a war in exchange for ego, for the power to influence George Bush. He recalled that the Madrid bombings were the fault of that war. And he recalled that Aznar shows no remorse. He even went so far as to question his morality.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/sanchez-attacks-aznar-after-the-success-of-attacking-trump_8_5689270.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:13:26 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/3719e755-acdf-4af3-8290-46b5e9aabbcf_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Sánchez attacks Aznar after the success of attacking Trump]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/3719e755-acdf-4af3-8290-46b5e9aabbcf_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Why is he bringing up Aznar now, 22 years after he left office? It's clear: he's playing on Aznar's back because he wants a response from him. Sánchez is looking for the same thing in Aznar as he found in Trump: a "bad guy" who makes him look good, because Sánchez is good at energizing his supporters by inflaming their extremes. And, incidentally, he's diminishing Feijóo's importance.]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Montero is leaving, but the personal income tax is staying (in Madrid, for now).]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/montero-is-leaving-but-the-personal-income-tax-is-staying-in-madrid-for-now_8_5688186.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/45e628fd-f39e-42fb-8df5-9a17d69b9052_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>If you've been following the story of how the Government withdrew the budget proposal it had submitted to Parliament at the last minute, it won't surprise you that today we begin by emphasizing that <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/moreno-bonilla-calls-andalusian-elections-for-may-17_1_5687702.html" >The elections in Andalusia now have a date: May 17th.</a></p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/montero-is-leaving-but-the-personal-income-tax-is-staying-in-madrid-for-now_8_5688186.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:17:55 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/45e628fd-f39e-42fb-8df5-9a17d69b9052_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Montero is leaving, but the personal income tax is staying (in Madrid, for now).]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/45e628fd-f39e-42fb-8df5-9a17d69b9052_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[In short, after all this, it's clear there will be a budget. Late, but there will be one. However, Esquerra is looking for something to justify its support. They call it "gaining ground," extracting a commitment from Illa's government whereby the Generalitat will do something it hasn't done before, or commit to certain national policies more to Esquerra's liking than the current socialist complacency in Catalonia.]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Together and the PP will limit the regularization of immigrants by the PSOE and Podemos]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/together-and-the-pp-will-limit-the-regularization-of-immigrants-by-the-psoe-and_8_5687023.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/7a788d90-6827-4f4b-a08e-89a531250d20_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>The week begins in a very dangerous way. As you know, <a href="https://en.ara.cat/international/trump-threatens-iran-to-destroy-its-power-plants-if-it-does-not-reopen-the-strait-of-hormuz_1_5686719.html" >Trump has announced attacks on Iranian power plants if Iran does not unblock the Strait of Hormuz</a> Iran has warned that its response will be to attack the desalination plants of the Persian Gulf countries. You attack my electricity, and I'll attack your water.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/together-and-the-pp-will-limit-the-regularization-of-immigrants-by-the-psoe-and_8_5687023.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:13:18 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/7a788d90-6827-4f4b-a08e-89a531250d20_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[23 Thumbnail analysis]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/7a788d90-6827-4f4b-a08e-89a531250d20_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The measure makes social sense, will complicate the lives of those seeking to regularize their status, and will be the cause of a new clash between Junts and Podem, which will benefit both electorally, due to the message of firmness it sends to their electorates, in their respective and opposing positions.]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[What is the Government's response to teachers, doctors, farmers, commuter rail users…?]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/what-is-the-government-s-response-to-teachers-doctors-farmers-commuter-rail-users_8_5684080.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/81fe64fc-f992-4605-83fe-975e3835778b_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Concluding a week of nationwide strikes, <a href="https://www.ara.cat/societat/educacio/vaga-docents-metges-directe_6_5683791.html" >Teachers have blocked the Ronda de Dalt ring road at several points this morning</a>Shortly before 7:00 a.m., approximately 400 people blocked traffic in both directions in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, just before the La Trinitat interchange. Later, about 100 protesters blocked the same road near Vall d'Hebron Hospital, followed by another blockade on the B-20 highway near Finestrelles, in Esplu. This action is a response to the agreement the government reached two weeks ago with the CCOO and UGT unions, presented as a "national pact," but which did not receive the support of Ustec, the largest union in the education sector, or the Secondary School Teachers' Union, the largest union in secondary schools.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/what-is-the-government-s-response-to-teachers-doctors-farmers-commuter-rail-users_8_5684080.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 20 Mar 2026 09:34:47 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/81fe64fc-f992-4605-83fe-975e3835778b_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[260212 analysis.00 05 06 21.Still image001]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/81fe64fc-f992-4605-83fe-975e3835778b_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The central government is resisting the delegation of personal income tax management to the Catalan government, even though we've had an autonomous state for 46 years. And we're still resorting to this "fish in the horn" tactic. It's clear that the autonomous community model is far too small for Catalonia, and naturally, hosting the Goya Awards or the summit of regional presidents in Barcelona doesn't compensate for that.]]></subtitle>
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