The former mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, does not understand why Junts is sounding out businessman and president of Femcat, Tatxo Benet, to be a candidate in the municipal elections in the Catalan capital. If he accepted the offer, Benet would precisely be Trias's successor, who won the last local elections, even though the votes of the PSC, Comuns, and PP blocked his path to the mayor's office. In statements to Cafè d'Idees on 2Cat, he stressed that he has "personal affection" for Benet, whom he described as "an extraordinary person," although he does not share this electoral path. "I don't understand it," he snapped. Immediately after, Trias speculated about the veracity of the poll, which party sources confirm: "I don't see it, someone has invented something, someone has lost their mind," he concluded.

A new foundation against antisemitism in Catalonia, rife with pro-Israel rhetoric and featuring political figures, has been launched: former French Prime Minister and short-lived city councilor Manuel Valls, who has reappeared as president of the new platform Emet-Verdad (Truth); but also former Barcelona mayor Xavier Trias and Socialist senator Gabriel Colomé, both members of the organization. Emet was presented this Monday in the Saló del Tinell of the Royal Palace of Barcelona, ​​the site of the 1263 Barcelona Disputation on religion between Jewish and Christian scholars, presided over by King James I. Its first act was to pay tribute to journalist and writer Pilar Rahola, whom they described as the person who "milled" (a reference to a specific person who is often criticized for her antisemitism). "My role shouldn't be exceptional," the journalist responded. Valls's impassioned speech, delivered mostly in Spanish, was a highlight of the event, contrasting sharply with the more moderate approach of Trias and Colomé. With a fervent defense of Israel, the Franco-Catalan politician has lashed out against the "massacre" of homosexuals in Gaza and praised the Jewish state as the epitome of "progress," completely ignoring Benjamin Netanyahu. He has also launched a rhetorical war, blaming the left for current antisemitism and stating that "anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism."

Today, the financing model presented by Vice President Montero, which stems from an agreement with the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), will be approved by the Council for Fiscal and Financial Policy (comprised of the Minister of Finance and the regional ministers of Economy). However, its approval does not mean it will be implemented immediately, as it will now have to be negotiated in Congress with all parties, and, as you know, the proposal currently lacks the necessary votes. The People's Party (PP) and Vox are fundamentally opposed to the system, while Together for Catalonia (Junts) believes it falls short.

The Junts leadership hasn't budged an inch from its resounding "no" to the proposed new financing model since it was presented last Friday. Without a special economic agreement, Junts members have repeatedly stated, they cannot be counted on. But can Catalonia afford to forgo another 4.7 billion euros? The president of the Junts mayors' council, Xavier Trias, believes it's "almost impossible," even though that amount is insufficient to resolve the structural fiscal deficit the country has suffered for decades. In statements to Coffee of Ideas Speaking on La 2 Cat, Trias warned that the State has always ended up "entangled" the Generalitat - he explained that he had been a victim in other financing negotiations - and that the pact between ERC and PSOE is "a bad agreement", but acknowledged that "perhaps it is the only possible thing".

While Xavier Trias's famous "Que os bombin a todos" still echoes at the moment when Jaume Collboni prevented him from being re-elected as mayor of BarcelonaThanks to the support of Comuns and the PP, Junts has chosen to reward the only mayor from its ranks to have won the Catalan capital. At an event this Saturday, Trias set tasks for the party of former president Carles Puigdemont, with the mission of "generating enthusiasm" and some points that resonate within the current national context, such as the need to work towards making Catalonia "less dependent every day." From the rooftop of the Hotel Pulitzer, Trias, who was installed as president of the newly created advisory council of former mayors, made the following request: "If we ask for the impossible, we won't achieve it."

For years, electoral strategists believed that electoral battles were won in the center. That is, the party that managed to convince the most moderate voters, who were the ones who tipped the balance, won. And that's why they worked hard to find candidates who were flexible enough to please the centrists and not create hostility on both sides. This is what Xavier Trias would call the formula, since the former mayor of Barcelona perfectly represents this type of politician.

Today, Oriol Junqueras and Xavier Trias will testify before the congressional commission on Operation Catalunya. Good luck. You already know that Operation Catalunya is a series of illegal activities organized or protected, tolerated, and ignored by Mariano Rajoy's government, including the fabrication of false evidence, espionage, and the misuse of public funds. And yet, the Spanish justice system hasn't lifted a finger to investigate it, because justice is Spanish before justice.

The last time Oriol Junqueras attended a formal session in Congress was on May 21, 2019, almost six years ago, when he was able to attend the chamber while in pretrial detention to be sworn in as a deputy. It didn't last long, because the Spanish elections were repeated that year and he had already been elected as a MEP. This Monday, he was able to express himself at length in the lower house during his appearance before the commission of inquiry into Operation Catalunya, where he wanted to send a message to the PSOE: "They have the political and moral duty to present to the Prosecutor's Office the conclusions of the evidence provided here and the lies that will be made just [of this, I am convinced."