Although it may seem contradictory, the politicians of Ciudadanos (Cs) don't do politics, but rather, they do performances. They do what actors do, always playing angry and irritated roles, without any positive political idea. They have come into public life to play a negative game. To destroy. In Catalonia, the language and the social harmony. Spanish politics is only now starting to get to know them; in Catalonia, they are old acquaintances. It was only the agreement by Spain's unionist parties to overthrow the independence movement at any price that gave Ines Arrimadas her win in the 2017 Catalan elections, when Cs was the most voted party. In the Catalan Parliament, her political career is going sour and she knows that the 2017 result would be difficult to repeat. So much so that she has already packed her bags for Madrid - standing for Congress in the Spanish general election on April 28th, as the head of the list for Barcelona province.
Already campaigning, and intent on recovering the high profile she has lost, Arrimadas has had the idea of going to Waterloo, in Belgium, to the residence of exiled Catalan president Puigdemont. But not to meet him, which would be a noble thing, since they are both politicians. Or to greet him, which would be a gesture of courtesy and humanity. She is going to Waterloo to protest outside his residence, along with other leaders of the Ciudadanos party. To mock him and create a media opportunity. To do a number in front of the 'House of the Republic'! It sounds too vulgar to be true, but true it is.
She can count on coverage from the Spanish media, but this is scarcely a credible undertaking for a party that takes itself seriously. I can't imagine Manuel Valls making an idiot of himself in this way, as if he were Albert Boadella. For Ciudadanos, everything in politics is treated as a huge TV shoot as much as possible. Arrimadas is at the point of announcing that Madrid is her next political destination, accompanying Albert Rivera in the general election of 28th April. And clearly entering the race to lead the party. Even if, for that, what she might have to do would be her greatest performance since entering politics.
"In politics you can do anything except make a fool of yourself," said Josep Tarradellas, historical Catalan president. Arrimadas seems to be more a fan of comedian Paco Martínez Soria in the 1960s Spanish movie La ciudad no es para mí (The city is not for me): “Do you know how great it feels to collapse into bed every night, stretch out as much as you want, and sleep like a log without your conscience eating at you?”