Pedro Sánchez has announced, with the usual high-voltage media approach which the Spanish prime minister employs, that next Monday he will be in Barcelona to explain the Catalan prisoner pardons in a large event at the Teatre del Liceu. It will be his third visit in two weeks, as he attended the awarding of the Foment medal to Javier Godó on June 7th and this Friday he is at the closing of the Cercle d'Economia conference and with the Italian prime minister Mario Draghi, again, at Foment. And, since things never happen by chance in politics, it is clear that he is wanting to make the most of the pardons and present his broader proposal, which at present is completely devoid of any content, for a "re-encounter" between Catalonia and Spain.
It's terrific that he should come to Barcelona as many times as he wants and explain his plan. But also, it will be good to know if the pardons are an end point or, on the contrary, just the beginning of a change of attitude of the Spanish government towards Catalonia. Or, perhaps, it will be the recognition of his error, since he gave his support to applying article 155 suspending Catalonia's autonomy, backed the police violence of October 1st, the speech of the king on the 3rd, the imprisonment and exile of the pro-independence leaders, and all the repression that has rained down since that October of 2017. He could even - why not? - could go to Lledoners prison and visit them, the political prisoners. Since none of this will happen, Monday's event will be limited to trying to take advantage of the pardons that the Spanish state will approve very soon and which are supported by 87% of Catalan society.
It is not a question of convincing them but of joining the wave, practically unanimous, from a society that has seen imprisonment as an act of great injustice, lacking in humanity. If Sánchez wants to convince people, he shouldn’t leave Madrid. Calling a similar event at the Teatro Real or the Madrid Casino would be enough and would fulfil the function of educating people and dismantling all the lies that much of the Spanish political class and the media have devoted themselves eagerly to propagating. And that, now, some are in a hurry to disclaim - in the face of the force with which reports from European justice are arriving, making corrections to the entire legal scaffolding constructed by the Supreme Court.
Spain's deep state wanted to build Felipe VI a 23-F of his own on October 3rd, 2017, and some of the blurred minds who inhabit that world confuse the attempted military coup of 23rd February, 1981 with an action that was parliamentary and deeply anchored in democracy in 2017, in defence of the independence of Catalonia. Now it is necessary to withdraw, as beyond the Pyrenees no-one believes them and the pro-independence parties continue to have a majority in seats and votes. However, with the pardons, the intention is to pour water into the wine of the amnesty law, the referendum and the right to self-determination. And to talk again about the third, fourth or fifth Transition without having finished the first one yet.