Jordi Juan, Director of La Vanguardia
5/22/2021
Today a new stage is born in Catalonia with the arrival of Pere Aragonès at the head of the Generalitat. At the risk of being wrong, I believe that the new Government that will begin to work as of next week will have little to do with that of the previous legislature. Both the new president and Jordi Sànchez, the one who has emerged as a strong man of Junts, are aware that now what they have to do is roll up their sleeves and be more aware of managing the government action well than pleading for independence, an objective that, on the other hand side, they consider inalienable. The two have conspired not to repeat the mistakes of the previous legislature, which was marked by the continuous confrontations between the two parties. In these three months of negotiation, both parties have hit rock bottom. Things could not be done worse. But in the end, a minimum agreement has been reached that avoids new and useless elections. The composition of the future Government will follow this line, with women and men more focused on day-to-day pragmatism than on confrontation with the State.
Along these lines, I think it is a mistake to analyze who has benefited the most in the distribution of power between the different departments. While it is true that Junts seems to have taken more power, we must not forget that Esquerra will have a president who will serve as such, unlike Quim Torra. The figure of Aragonès will grow as the Government works. If things go perfectly well, the one who will take the triumphs and the merits of the management will be the party that holds power, as always happens in coalition governments. On the other hand, if ERC and Junts once again engage in an all-out war and fail, the great beneficiary in the next elections will be the PSC.
The dependence of the CUP, the influence of the ANC and the constant noise of social networks, the last stronghold of the most radical pro-independence gangs, will force Aragonès and his government to make gestures just for show. But don’t be fooled: we are not in 2017. And the Pedro Sánchez government should understand it that way and go from gestures and good words to deeds: pardons are better today than tomorrow.
https://www.lavanguardia.com/opinion/20210522/7473573/empieza-nuevo-ciclo.html
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