Contrary to what the right has been monotonously repeating, that Pedro Sánchez is a "squatter prime minister", the true squatters in the Moncloa government palace for almost seven years were Mariano Rajoy and Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría (SSS). The first lived there and had an official office; the second only went there to work. But nobody found out about anything that was happening, at least in respect to the greatest crisis Spain has faced in many decades, which is none other than the Catalan conflict. Their appearances this Wednesday in the Supreme Court in the independence trial have left more questions hanging than answers: Rajoy doesn't remember anything specific, he doesn't know if he met with lehendakari Urkullu (Basque president) to talk about mediation between the Spanish and Catalan governments, he didn't read the intelligence reports... And SSS? Well, more of the same. She was unaware whether the declaration of independence had been published in the Catalan government's official gazette, didn't read documents, learnt about things from the TV... like any mortal. They found everything out through the online media or the TV. What a great moment for channels Antena 3 and Telecinco and their morning stars Susanna Griso and Ana Rosa Quintana!
The decisions took themselves, they said at another point. They remembered the 93 police injured during the 1st October referendum. That's something: in their day they said 400... And the people who wanted to go to vote? Nothing came to mind. Well, yes: they were human walls which prevented the state's security forces from fulfilling the tasks they had been set. Another hilarious moment was when SSS was asked about the arrival of the Tweety Pie police in Barcelona (the 6000 officers sent by Spain's interior ministry) and the fact that the space was contracted even before the gathering outside the Catalan economy ministry on 20th September 2017. Disconcerted, she indicated that it was based on predictions and having all scenarios on the tables. There were more examples, but they all end in the same place: a vague memory of the specific things. A final one, acting like a state lawyer: things which aren't published (in the Spanish or Catalan official gazettes) don't enter into effect, said Soraya. So what then was the reason for the application of article 155 of the Constitution, given that nothing was published? An anthology of nonsense. When this answer came, lawyers Xavier Melero and Jordi Pina had already landed their hit and the arrogant Soraya with an almost mechanical laugh was shaken and nervous. Eager to leave the witness stand.
It's not strange they didn't find even a single ballot box before the 1st October referendum. We've needed seventeen months to find out how it was possible that the Spanish government was completely in the dark about how they reached polling stations around all Catalonia. But, in the end, now we know. For the Moncloa, nothing was real: they were aware of nothing, they saw nothing, they knew nothing. A shame that the string of decisions they took, especially with their enemies, should say exactly the opposite. Many of their victims would step forward to explain how Operation Catalonia was put together or how they turned from friends to enemies. For that, former minister José Manuel García-Margallo is always prepared to take the floor.