Pablo Iglesias isn't a member of Pedro Sánchez's Spanish government but is negotiating in its name. And not any old law, but the budget. Engrossed as he is in getting it off the ground by any means possible, on Friday he headed into Lledoners prison and offered Oriol Junqueras official recognition as a political prisoner and unarguable leader of ERC for any political negotiation. A storm has broken out in the Spanish right for taking the discussion for the budget to a correctional facility. That same day, I expressed my impression that Iglesias crossing a prison's walls to negotiate a law for the Spanish state made two things clear: that the Spanish state has lost the underlying battle and that Sánchez is obliged to make a move if he wants to get the budget off the ground.
This Sunday afternoon saw the second part of Friday's session. A forty-five minute phone conversation between Iglesias and president Carles Puigdemont. Podemos' leader didn't travel to Waterloo (he'll only do that if there's a chance for the budget to move forwards), but did have to dial Puigdemont's phone number and admit two things: that he's an important political interlocutor, independent of his legal situation, and that he's not a fugitive from justice, as they say so often within pro-union circles, but an exile. An important interlocutor and an exile. Sufficient on the part of Podemos' leader within a first contact.
Puigdemont's circle was satisfied with the conversation, aware that it's the PSOE government and prime minister Sánchez who have to act, and their moves have to affect the political prisoners and broach the topic of agreeing up on a referendum. These are two questions that the Spanish government, at least in public, doesn't want to even suggest are subject to negotiation. In the first case, because it's linked to judicial independence, voluntarily forgetting both their capacity to influence the public prosecution service and their full competence in the case of decisions by the state's legal service. And, secondly, because the state has actively and passively refused to agree on a referendum.
Junqueras on Friday and Puigdemont this Sunday have sent identical messages to the leader of Podemos, who already knows he doesn't have the votes to pass the budget. The ball is back in Sánchez's court, who knows he'll have to take a risk if he wants to get it off the ground.