Read in Catalan

The Spanish government, the main political parties of the state and their media outlets want us to believe that the massive espionage suffered by Catalan pro-independence activists through Pegasus software is an irrelevant fact of unknown origin. There is, in addition, the paradox that the international media and the European Parliament are treating it, the most serious case of this kind seen in Europe, with an interest that has not been shown by either the established newspapers published in Madrid or the Congress of Deputies. Spain has banded together and I very much fear that the legislative initiative, presented this Wednesday by around ten political parties who stand with the independentists hacked by the espionage program and aim to set up a commission of inquiry in the Congress of Deputies, will fall through. The state is oozing with gangsterish espionage practices, the corruption of the monarchy, the head of state between 1975 and 2014 exiled in Abu Dhabi living like a king from a fortune of dubious origin, the institutions of justice unjustly convicting pro-independence leaders, and a completely overwhelmed government in the hands of Spain's deep state, which sets the rhythm and defines the limits of what must and must not be done.

The Spanish state is putting in place the necessary firewalls so it can get through this with as little mess as possible. All this, after denying it all, as if anyone could come to imagine that the espionage could have been carried out by someone other than the Spanish state. The minister of defence, Margarita Robles, has come out to defend the role of the CNI, assuring ex officio that the security services always act in accordance with the law and reproaching Catalan president Pere Aragonès for accusing the secret services, according to her, without evidence. And the former director of the CNI, Félix Sanz Roldán, poured cold water on the matter and pointed out to Spanish television that he could not confirm or deny anything, since, in fact, he could not even talk about the issue. When that is not enough, they refer to the official secrets act, which always goes a long way, as do the unlimited reserved funds and the agreements with third countries to pay for favours that was so well explained by former foreign minister José Manuel García-Margallo in his day.

There is no out of control group from the police force sewers which is operating outside the reach of the state, as we have repeatedly been led to believe, to prevent the smoking gun from ever entering the Spanish government's cabinet room. The operation now known as CatalanGate was the result of an agreement between PP and PSOE, in those years represented by Mariano Rajoy - who immediately delegated Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría - and Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba. Pedro Sánchez took up the inheritance without doing anything to change it when he arrived at the PSOE general secretariat and later at the Moncloa government palace, either out of incompetence or impotence. In any case, he cannot evade a responsibility that belongs to him as prime minister of Spain, since we do not know how many of these illegal reports prepared using mafia methods have been used against the executive's pro-independence political opponents.

Therefore, a commission of inquiry is required and the Catalan government and the pro-independence parties must freeze any relationship with the Spanish government until they have won this position and thus have a way to clarify the truth. It can’t be a halfway suspension of contacts that ends up looking like minor story under a huge headline, as has happened on so many previous occasions. To the extent that that response is strong and enduring, there may emerge a situation that forces the PSOE out of its comfort zone, when, at the same time, the party already has many fronts open. It is to be hoped that, even if just this once, ERC and Junts will play on the same side and encourage the CUP to be part of the same team. Because this is not about the right or the left, but about liberties and Catalonia. And also, about not making idiots of themselves.