MÀRIUS CAROL 09/07/2020
Editorial advisor
President Quim Torra and Minister Meritxell Budó Tuesday 26/06 upon arrival at the Palau de la Generalitat (Jordi Bedmar / Govern)
The feeling of many Catalans is that the last ten years has been a lost decade. The latest economic crisis, the costs of the process (with the change of headquarters of more than 4,000 companies) and the paralysis of the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic have weakened Catalonia. In fact, the Community of Madrid exceeds it in contribution to Spanish GDP since 2018. At this point it must be clarified that Madrid’s autonomy – Madrid DF – has used taxation to attract talent and capital to get the installation of new companies . Tax dumping and centralization of infrastructure have been two factors that have hurt the rest of the communities, but especially Catalonia, where the opposite recipe has been followed: cuts and tax increases.
The President of the Generalitat has demanded by letter to the President of the Government and to the European Stabilization Mechanism (ESM) 5,000 million to face the health and economic crisis. In addition, in both letters he celebrates the activation of the European Fund, but he expects 30,000 million to go to Catalonia. At the same time, the Government spokeswoman, Meritxell Budó, has asked Pedro Sánchez in his last appearance to say day and time to continue the dialogue started five months ago to advance the right to self-determination and amnesty for the imprisoned politicians. And one wonders if one should not go to the dialogue table to talk about the fragility of the economy, which affects all Catalans, than about the problems of independence, which are of less than half concern. Now the members of the Govern can not say that talking about skills and financing are past screens. On the contrary, they are the only screen on which we all find ourselves.
Quim Torra’s Executive will go down in history for its inanity. Two years wasted. Never have two partners understood each other so little and criticized each other so much. Lately, even in public. Bringing reconstruction issues to the dialogue table and laying the foundations of the economic distribution would be a way to raise the note of a government that suspends the polls somewhat. But above all reality.
This is not the time to lament, but Catalonia cannot lose more opportunities, nor delve into the political fracture. The current Government of Spain is surely the most sensitive to Catalan issues that will never be found in the Generalitat. And, in addition, the independentists have a handful of votes that, if there were intelligent life in Catalan politics, they could be used wisely in Madrid. Especially when after the summer the budgets must be approved.
Without giving up anything, the independence movement should carry out an exercise in pragmatism, because the quality of life of Catalans is at stake. The country is not to trust the outcome of the elections in half a year. It is about rebuilding Catalonia now, not waiting to collect the rubble in a few months.
https://www.lavanguardia.com/opinion/20200709/482195867708/la-decada-perdida.html
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