After weeks of waiting, Together for Catalonia (Junts) has this Monday presented its audit on the first 15 months of the party's coalition accord to join with the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) in a pro-independence government led by the latter. The Junts conclusion: the results are uneven. The party's secretary general, Jordi Turull, explained in a press conference this Monday that, in terms of a sector-by-sector analysis, the progress is good, with the different ministries of the Generalitat government directed towards doing "positive things" for the public. However, the Junts assessment of the line that the executive has followed with regard to the national axis - that is, the policies which bring Catalonia closer to independence - receive a much poorer grade. In fact, Turull's message was severe: "We can't go on like this."
"We can't go on like this because we want a government accord that brings us closer to the conditions necessary for the purpose for which Junts came into being," he said, in reference to the independence of Catalonia. By contrast, Turull argued that the government's current line of work only moves away from this goal. Among other aspects, he highlighted three that are not working: the dialogue table with the Spanish government, the space that must be used to devise a strategic direction in the event that no agreements are reached at the dialogue table, and the supposed strategic unity of the pro-independence parties in the Congress of Deputies. According to the Junts general secretary, the work in Madrid has focused on trying to strengthen the current structure, that of autonomous government and, meanwhile, the path to a new relationship - independence - has been abandoned.
For Turull, the moment is thus "transcendental, very important". But despite the shortcomings in the national axis, Junts has not yet opted to place the decision on whether to reconsider or leave the coalition government with ERC in the hands of its members. Thus, the party's intention is to "offer an opportunity" for the government to reverse the situation and "concentrate the efforts" of both parties so that the pact is applied. "We don't want a new government accord, what we want is for [this one] to be fulfilled because what is a crucial issue for Junts is not being fulfilled," said Turull, in reference to the national issue.
Thus, during this month of September, and until the general policy debate in Parliament, the party led by Jordi Turull and Laura Borràs will continue to give latitude for an "improvement in attitude" so that they can say say "that now, yes, it is indeed worth continuing". An appeal that is not only made to ERC to comply with the Catalan government's formative accord, but also to all pro-independence political forces and social agents to see how things can be done along the lines of "more and better". The intention, then, is that before the end of September, Junts expects the current situation to be rectified and the necessary conditions will begin to be prepared. After the general policy debate, scheduled for September 27th and 30th, Junts' management will meet again to assess the work achieved during these four weeks. That's when the party will make a decision based on the results, seeing if there has been any change in trend, and always giving its affiliates "the final say" on how to proceed.
Laura Borràs, not giving in to the pressure
During the press conference, the president of Junts, Laura Borràs, also spoke, reaffirming Turull's words, and asserting that the party has made a "rigorous analysis" of the work carried out so far by the government, "with the data before us". She also defended the need to "redirect" the path taken by the executive and move closer to independence. "It is unfair that people feel sad and disillusioned. The politicians must be at the service of the public and we are here to do it with data, effort, work and rigour." Thus, she explained that this month of margin that Junts is decreeing seeks to "offer the possibility of working to reverse the elements that aren't working", including all the self-criticism that might be necessary.
In fact, the issue of which Borràs is at the centre, that is, her suspension as speaker of parliament, was commented on by Turull, who recalled that the party had remained firm throughout August in its position of not relieving or replacing her with another name. He recalled that Junts had already presented the Catalan chamber's procedural Bureau with a request to reconsider the decision to suspend Borràs, and that could allow her restitution, and will be voted on this Thursday. "Now there is the opportunity to reconsider the decision and reverse a situation that we did not create", he defended.