Setback for ERC's membership in Igualada to the proposal of a coalition with the CUP and Comuns for next year's municipal elections. The assembly that the party held on Thursday night rejected the proposal by a narrow margin: 34 votes against, 31 in favor, and 2 abstentions, as reported by Nació Digital and confirmed by ARA. This Monday, the municipal groups of ERC, the CUP, and Comuns made a pre-agreement public to run jointly with the aim of ousting the current mayor from Junts per Igualada, Marc Castells. However, after the decision of ERC's membership, this pact now remains in limbo.

The proposal by ERC spokesperson Gabriel Rufián to form a broad left-wing and pro-independence front in the Spanish elections does not have the backing of the ERC leadership, which has distanced itself from it from the outset, and can only boast of having on its side to his comrade in arms, Joan TardàHowever, at the municipal level, their approach is viewed favorably by the Republican leadership, especially if the parties run under their electoral umbrella. This is what will happen in Igualada. The municipal groups of ERC, CUP, and Comuns announced a preliminary agreement this Monday to run jointly in the 2027 municipal elections.

The residents of Sant Climent Sescebes, a small town of about 700 inhabitants in the Alt Empordà region, are accustomed to the sounds of gunfire and explosions in the distance. Less than a kilometer away lies the Spanish army's training base, the only one in Catalonia where soldiers conduct live-fire exercises and maneuvers with explosives. Every week, the soldiers carry out exercises with live ammunition, and occasionally, other forces such as the Civil Guard, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police), or, in recent months, even elite squadrons of the Ukrainian army, also come to the 1,300-hectare training ground.

Last week, Chantal Pérez, the ERC spokesperson in Ripoll, announced that she was stepping aside and would not be running again as the lead candidate in the upcoming elections. She will also not be in any of the top positions on the ballot and will end her time on the city council, which began in 2019 as the number two candidate. Pérez, who will remain a councilor until the end of her term, appealed for the need to regenerate party leadership in the capital of the Ripollès region. In her farewell letter on social media, the Republican leader asked that the future candidate "not be linked to everything that has happened in recent years, in order to restart synergies." The wounds opened by the failure to prevent the leader of Aliança Catalana, Sílvia Orriols, obtain the mayoral staffAnd even after she retained her position, the repercussions are still lingering. So much so that Junts and the CUP, the other two pro-independence parties in the council, will also change their mayoral candidates. These two parties, however, already saw their candidates, Manoli Vega of Junts and Dani Vilaseca of the CUP, who were also newcomers, resign halfway through their term.

Aliança Catalana is gradually placing councilors in local government who had previously run on other party lists. The latest instance occurred this Tuesday in Santpedor. Jordi Soteras, who had been on the Junts listOn Tuesday, Aniol Soteras, a new councilor from Aliança Catalana, entered the Santpedor town hall, filling the vacancy left by a Junts councilor who resigned, after the six people behind him also resigned. However, the arrival of this new councilor was not as peaceful as the others and ended with a scuffle. Around fifty people from the pro-independence left gathered at the town hall doors to protest Soteras's swearing-in. Soteras is currently the vice president of the far-right pro-independence party in the Bages region. Aniol Vila, the CUP's lead candidate in the 2019 Santpedor municipal elections, was arrested that evening for seriously resisting arrest during the protest. Amid a heavy police presence, the protesters, linked to the CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy), denounced the fact that supporters of the far-right party were allowed into the plenary session while they were excluded. The former CUP councilor, however, managed to enter and reportedly tried to let the rest of the crowd in, at which point he was subdued and arrested in front of the town hall. The CUP accuses the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) of using excessive force, including restraint and handcuffs. After 11 p.m., he was released on bail from the Mossos d'Esquadra station in Manresa. Outside, where about twenty friends and family members were waiting for him, Vila didn't mince words when criticizing the police action.."I only pointed out the incongruity of not allowing the town's residents into the plenary session, when inside the room there were a dozen people who weren't from the town, and who were supporters of Aliança Catalana." He added, "I'm calling the intolerance, totalitarianism, and violence exercised by the extreme left unacceptable. Really, the fascists," he retorted.

After another chaotic morning on the commuter rail network, with Two new failures at the Adif control center The CUP has presented this Tuesday that they have stopped all trains during rush hour. a free online video game under the name Adventurers on the train. The game offers an "ironic and critical look" at the operation of the commuter rail service in Catalonia, in which players must drive a train with the goal of reaching their destination without delays. "Train your patience," the CUP members suggest.

Former ERC deputy Joan Tardà is one of the few public allies Gabriel Rufián has found in advocating for a unified candidacy of parties to the left of the PSOE to confront the far right. Until now, Tardà had defended "a plurinational left-wing common front" where ERC would share a list with Sumar, Podemos, or Bildu in the general elections. Now, however, he is going a step further. In an interview on Cadena Ser radio, the former spokesperson for the Republicans in Congress has asked ERC to discuss running jointly with the Comuns and the CUP, both in Spain and in Catalonia. "It makes no sense that a citizen who votes for the CUP, Comuns, the Left, or the Communists should have to choose separate lists," he stated.

King Felipe VI's call to preserve "democratic coexistence" The King's remarks against "extremism, radicalism, and populism" in his traditional Christmas Eve address have been strongly refuted by pro-independence parties. During the floral offering at the tomb of former president Francesc Macià, who died on Christmas Day in 1933, the sovereignist parties questioned the monarch's conciliatory discourse. The Secretary General of Junts, Jordi Turull, considered it "surreal" that Felipe VI would appeal in his traditional Christmas address to eliminate extremism when he himself was "the most extremist and the most radical against democratic coexistence" in the lead-up to the referendum of June 1st. He recalled that Felipe VI appealed to the "they are afraid "Judicial," he asserted that the king has "zero credibility" and encouraged people to instead follow the legacies of the former president of the Generalitat and Pompeu Fabra, whose death anniversary is also being commemorated today. Finally, he urged the independence movement to unite in the face of the "weakness of the State" and to achieve "the maximum for."

After entering the Catalan Parliament and with an eye on the municipal elections, Aliança Catalana has been creating regional executive committees. All of them have chat groups with the leaders and members of the region. There, they discuss current political events and organize the weekend information booths. The far-right pro-independence party also has an unofficial one.

Catalonia is heading towards 10 million inhabitants by 2050, an increase of two million in the next 25 years, according to demographic projections. However, these forecasts have not taken into account the speed at which the current population of 8 million has been reached. Seven years ahead of schedule, this milestone was achieved in 2023, mainly due to the increase in the foreign population. It is precisely this argument that the far right uses to justify its xenophobic discourse on immigration policies: if the bulk of new immigrants arrive without resources, social spending to integrate them skyrockets. This issue has been straining relations within Junts for some time, and the party has hardened its stance to stem the flow of votes to Sílvia Orriols's party. In fact, Junts members openly oppose Catalonia reaching 10 million if the current reception conditions continue as they have been. "Neither the Catalonia of 10 million, nor the Catalonia of hatred," declared the mayor of Vic, Albert Castells, this week. It is also this framework that is causing discomfort to the left, which until now had relegated the debate to the background.

The far right continues its rise in Catalonia: Aliança Catalana would climb to 19-20 seats and tie with Junts (19-20) for third place, according to the latest barometer from the Center for Opinion Studies (CEO). However, Junts remains ahead in vote share (13-15%) compared to Aliança (11-14%). The poll also indicates that the PSC remains in first place, but is stagnating (38-40); in fact, it would lose two seats compared to the last barometer published in July. ERC, for its part, would gain ground and become the second largest party (22-23), ahead of Junts. The upward trend of the far right would also be reflected in Vox (13-14) making overtaking in the PP (12-13). Comuns would remain at 6 seats, as would the CUP, with 3-4. The barometer was compiled between October 13 and November 11. It was during this period that Junts made the decision to break with the Spanish government and enter the opposition.

The comparison between Catalan independence and nationalism with the film has long been used as a joke. Life of BrianFrom Monty Python. Specifically, everyone remembers the scene where the People's Front of Judea and the Judean People's Front clash, two fringe groups, difficult to distinguish at first glance, yet who hate each other with a ferocious intensity. "We hate the Romans, but above all we hate the People's Front of Judea." Monty Python aimed their satirical capacity in two directions. On the one hand, against the abuses of power of imperialism and closed systems of thought, such as religions. On the other, against the ineffectiveness and internal miseries (often linked to the egos of the leaders) of movements that aspire to be alternative and transformative. Terry Gilliam is right when he says that, today, a film like Life of Brian It would be met with great hostility: both sides would be caricatured, and immediately both sides would accuse the comics of working for the enemy.

Six months have passed since an unprecedented agreement was reached in the Parliament in April: the PSC, ERC, Comuns and also the CUP sealed an agreement. which allowed the Government to save its decree of urgent measures in the area of housingIn return, the Socialists agreed to adopt two measures they had previously been reluctant to adopt. One was the regulation of seasonal and room rentals, who were defeated by voting with Junts at the end of the previous legislature when Pere Aragonès's government decreed it in the nick of time. The other was the retroactive protection of social housing, which Salvador Illa's administration initially objected to for reasons of "legal certainty." However, the parliamentary process has smoothed out the rough edges, and finally, the PSC, ERC, Comuns, and the CUP have reached an agreement on the text that should specify these reforms, according to sources from the four parties told ARA.

This Monday will mark eight years since the Catalan Parliament proclaimed the Catalan Republic after the victory of the "yes" vote in the 1-O referendum. That was the most politically significant day in the history of the chamber. But an hour later, the Senate applied Article 155 of the Constitution and suspended self-government by dissolving Parliament. The unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) remained a dead letter, without any effect, and in fact, the government did not publish it in the Catalan Parliament. Official Journal of the Generalitat of Catalonia (DOGC). On the eve of a new October 27th, the DUI is a date erased by the independence movement.

Esquerra did not bring any resolution proposal defending the self-determination referendum in last week's general policy debate – it voted in favor of those of Junts and the CUP – but it did write one that advocated for its success. an "understanding of the country" that would serve to resolve the political conflict. Beyond their continued advocacy of a referendum, the Republicans understand that the "country is in a different place" right now. "The Parliament recognizes the need to promote a broad national understanding in defense of democracy, for the resolution of the political conflict, and for advancing the national and social sovereignty of Catalonia. An understanding that challenges the entire Catalan society with the participation of social stakeholders and civil society," the proposal stated. The initiative garnered 107 votes from the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), Junts (Junts), ERC (Electrical Regionalist Party), Comuns (Comuns), and the CUP (Cup). A large majority that the Republicans were proud of, but at this point there is still no clarity on how it will materialize. Have any steps been taken a week after this vote? What difference is there with the national convention that ERC agreed upon for the investiture of Salvador Illa?

On July 6, 2021, the mayor of Berga since 2015, Montse Venturós, announced that she was leaving the mayor's office due to the depression she had been suffering from for six months, which had led her to take leave. In a press conference in the capital of Berguedà, the CUP mayor justified her departure by the need to recover and the impossibility of assuming the responsibilities entailed by the position she held until then. Four years later, Venturós has broken her silence and in an interview with The Supplement from Catalunya Ràdio has given details of how she experienced the mental illness that removed her from the political frontline.

Albert Batet, president of the Junts group in the Parliament, yesterday defined Salvador Illa as "the great anesthetizer of Catalonia." It was a way of bringing together in a single adjective the monotonous public personality of the president of the Generalitat (caricatured in the Poland (like someone capable of withering plants just by speaking) and denouncing what Junts calls the "denationalization" of Catalonia.

The Israeli government deported another 171 activists from the Global Summit Flotilla on Monday, including Swedish youth Greta Thunberg, on planes to Greece and Slovakia. It denied that they had suffered any abuse in custody, as some of the prisoners had alleged. "This genocide is being fueled by our governments and our institutions. It is our responsibility to end this complicity. We are not heroes; what we have done is the bare minimum," Thunberg said from Athens airport. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has stated that this group of "provocateurs" includes citizens of Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, Slovakia, Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The Swedish activist, one of the Flotilla's most well-known faces, arrived at Athens airport on Monday afternoon surrounded by displays of support.

With the uncertainty surrounding whether the Catalan government will have to survive another year without a budget as the midpoint of the term approaches, Salvador Illa faces his second general policy debate as president of the Generalitat. The plenary session, which begins this Tuesday, will serve to gauge the level of pressure from the partners, ERC and Comuns, and determine how far they are willing to go to give the legislature a boost. So far, both parties have warned that they will not sit down to negotiate next year's budget until they see "progress" on the one-off financing, in the case of the Republicans, and the government complies with the housing agreements, in the case of Comuns. The Catalan government maintains that it will comply with the investiture agreements and that the president of the Generalitat will be "ambitious." The question is whether this ambition will be enough for the partners to continue to sustain governability.

"If you're seeing this, it means Israel has detained us illegally." This is the message that former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau launched in a video on social media published minutes after the the assault of Israeli military boats on the Global Sumud Flotilla. The same has been done by CUP (Collective Action Party) MP in Parliament, Pilar Castillejo, who is also traveling aboard the fleet with 500 activists, transporting humanitarian aid with the aim of breaking the blockade of Gaza. Both the Comuns (Communists) and the CUP (Cup) have echoed the videos that both politicians have recorded in case the assault actually occurs. Colau and Castillejo call on all citizens to mobilize to denounce the genocide in the Strip.