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When a government has no clear absolute majority, the passing of a budget is usually a battle of comings and goings in which everyone tries to get the largest slice of the pie and, for a while, also tries to win the battle for the public narrative. This Friday is the deadline for parties planning to fully reject the budget bill to announce it and for Pedro Sánchez, at the moment, the numbers don't add up. It's true that, in spite of everything, the Socialists (PSOE) have not yet become concerned, let alone entered a state of panic. Moreover, the executive is nearing the end of the budget race convinced that the negotiations open with the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), its preferred partner, and, to a lesser extent, also with Together for Catalonia (Junts), have the potential to reach a successful conclusion despite the ultimatums that are on the table.

The fact that Oriol Junqueras has pointed out that not so long ago his ERC party opposed a budget presented by Pedro Sánchez and this led to an early Spanish election, and the Socialists have countered that the result of that snap vote did not work out so badly, adds the correct injection of melodrama, while in the backrooms behind the opportunistically-created intrigue, the negotiators duly attempt to surprise public opinion and reach an agreement.

At the moment the situation is as follows: ERC demands that Catalan must be protected in the Audiovisual bill before Friday to facilitate the passing of the budget. Junts takes the same line on this matter, although, having fewer deputies, its votes are not as decisive as those of Junqueras's party. The Spanish executive counterattacks that there is no time before Friday, that they are very sensitive to co-official languages ​​but one thing cannot be mixed with another. Interestingly, this issue of the percentages of Catalan on television streaming platforms is an issue that did not exist a few months ago as no one could have imagined that "the most progressive government in history" would take an attitude more typical of the PP, Vox or Cs than of a government that tries to avoid crushing the co-official languages ​​with its parliamentary steamroller.

The debate has appeared so far from resolution that issues that were on the table in connection with the passing of the budget such as the transfer to Catalan control of suburban rail have magically disappeared. Also, any possibility of linking the budgets to a new model of autonomous community financing, to reverse the fiscal plunder suffered by Catalonia; means of compliance to ensure that investment is in line with Catalonia's share of Spanish GDP; or that, for example, the execution of the infrastructure investment figures listed in the budgets would be required by law and the scam that occurs every year would be brought to an end, whereby the investment finally executed remains under 70% of the approved figure while in Madrid it exceeds 100%.

In other words, the Socialists have started a fire - the proposed Audiovisual law - and they may yet run to put it out in a matter of hours and this could end up being the only thing gained from the pro-independence parties' support for the budget. It is clear that it is worth protecting the quota of Catalan on streaming platforms such as Netflix, as it is essential for the future of the language. But what about everything else?