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    <title><![CDATA[Ara in English - Ruffian]]></title>
    <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/etiquetes/ruffian/]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[Ara in English - Ruffian]]></description>
    <language><![CDATA[es]]></language>
    <ttl>10</ttl>
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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>
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      <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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    <item>
      <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>
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      <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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    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas's analysis: 'On cynics, hypocrites and patriots']]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/antoni-bassas-s-analysis-cynics-hypocrites-and-patriots_8_5560250.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/a1511c53-bcdc-42b9-87f6-cc0ddef173e5_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p><a href="https://en.ara.cat/editorial/the-trial-of-the-attorney-general-ends-as-it-began-without-evidence_129_5559911.html" >The trial against the Attorney General has now ended</a>Now all that remains is to await the verdict, which they say we'll know before the end of the year. The last session ended on a high note, with the Civil Guard's Central Operative Unit (UCO) accusing the prosecutor of being the leaker, which he denied. Judging by what was seen and heard, the prosecution has failed to prove that Álvaro García Ortiz was the leaker. Rather, the defense has presented witnesses who demonstrate that news of the agreement between Ayuso's partner and the Tax Agency was already circulating before the infamous email was in the Attorney General's possession.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/antoni-bassas-s-analysis-cynics-hypocrites-and-patriots_8_5560250.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 13 Nov 2025 09:59:48 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/a1511c53-bcdc-42b9-87f6-cc0ddef173e5_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas's analysis: 'On cynics, hypocrites and patriots']]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/a1511c53-bcdc-42b9-87f6-cc0ddef173e5_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Junts has decided to treat Sánchez like a dirty rag, emphasizing that it has nothing to do with him, except for having made him president, but that was just a one-off and doesn't commit them to anything. By telling him to his face that he's a cynic and a hypocrite, Junts wanted to make it clear, for the umpteenth time, that its break with the PSOE is irreversible. It's a risky move, considering that, when new elections come around, voters will be heavily influenced by whether the election is about democracy or fascism, however much the PSOE, in so many respects, especially regarding Catalonia, is as much a party of the state as the PP.]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas' analysis: 'Immigration and the Survival of Catalan Identity']]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/antoni-bassas-analysis-immigration-and-the-survival-of-catalan-identity_8_5507319.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/02c81def-c08f-4d89-b716-147e00ce658a_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Yesterday in Congress, Miriam Nogueras used an expression that we will hear about, when she said that <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/together-isla-blames-for-the-immigration-veto-what-educational-measures-have-you-taken-to-prevent-it_1_5506064.html" >"The survival of the Catalan identity is not guaranteed."</a>It was during the plenary session of Congress that, as we have been explaining, the delegation of immigration powers to the Generalitat was defeated, as agreed by the PSOE and Junts, with the combined votes of the PP, Vox, and Podemos.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/antoni-bassas-analysis/antoni-bassas-analysis-immigration-and-the-survival-of-catalan-identity_8_5507319.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 24 Sep 2025 09:22:13 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/02c81def-c08f-4d89-b716-147e00ce658a_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Antoni Bassas' analysis: 'Immigration and the Survival of Catalan Identity']]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/02c81def-c08f-4d89-b716-147e00ce658a_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Since immigration is a fundamental element of the situation, Catalan identity is affected by the fact that Catalan is not compulsory, that Spanish has a multi-million dollar market, that young Catalans cannot afford an apartment, and if there is no apartment, if there is no nest egg, there are no children. And if public services are severely strained, it is because Catalonia is poorly funded. It would be unfair to reduce the problems of the survival of Catalan identity to immigration.]]></subtitle>
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      <title><![CDATA[Rufián's controversial statement on the independence movement: "Handing out purity cards. I have participated. I am ashamed"]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/rufian-s-controversial-confession-about-the-independence-movement-purity-cards-were-handed-out-and-m-ashamed_1_5297495.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/44d69db5-a25d-4eb8-b5e0-bee6f2262924_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0_x2981y228.jpg" /></p><p>Gabriel Rufián has once again generated controversy. This time, for an interview that Jordi Évole did with him on the La Sexta programme<em> The thing about Évole</em>, which will be broadcast on Sunday. The ERC deputy has attacked the independence movement, stating that during the years of the Process "purity cards were handed out", something that he says he participated in and which he is now ashamed of, he says. After the La Sexta journalist asked him about the mistakes that the independence movement has made in the last decade, the Republican deputy responded: "Handing out purity cards. I have participated. I am ashamed."</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[ARA]]></dc:creator>
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      <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 26 Feb 2025 13:23:43 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/44d69db5-a25d-4eb8-b5e0-bee6f2262924_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0_x2981y228.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[ERC spokesperson in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, at the plenary session on 26 May.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/44d69db5-a25d-4eb8-b5e0-bee6f2262924_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0_x2981y228.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The words of the ERC deputy in an interview with Jordi Évole have been poorly received by many sectors of the independence movement]]></subtitle>
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