The socialist candidate for mayor of Barcelona understands that comunes and republicans are prey to a kind of epistemological contradiction, that they are agreed that degrowth marks the path of development. “Not us, on the other hand,” said the first deputy mayor of Mayor Ada Colau's government until recently. At the PSC we understand that economic growth is the only way to combat social inequalities”.
Jaume Collboni participated this Wednesday in the sixth of the colloquia with the main mayors of Barcelona that these weeks are mounting the Gremi de Restauració de Barcelona, the Barcelona Oberta merchants association and La Vanguardia. For the first time, the library of the Cotton House Hotel was full (they had to bring more chairs). And the one from the PSC was also the first to arrive late and the one who stayed the longest afterwards, chatting with the people. Next week the last of these meetings will take place, it will be the turn of Mayor Colau. Let's see with what terms the mayor of BComú refers to her former first deputy mayor.
Twice the socialist said about "my ex-partners", the second time with a certain tinnitus, underlining it, despite the fact that the socio-common executive still governs this city -that the work entrusted to it by the citizens has not yet finished-, with the manifest objective of marking even more a few distances and also that of the own profile.
And, well, the truth is that, thanks to these needs typical of every minority partner in a coalition, the PSC was of all the candidates who have already gone through this appointment the one who expressed himself with the most specificity and least ambiguity. And behind the scenes he was also the most optimistic.
"My conditions are three," he said. Promote economic growth to combat social inequalities. We have to take back the pride of this city. Actually the fight for social justice is the second of my conditions. And this involves expanding the airport, and how? over the sea, on land...? I don't know. This decision corresponds to the technicians. And, in addition, the PSC candidate continued when listing his red lines, "to govern while keeping loyalty to the State and to the European institutions."
And, from these premises, he asserted, everything is conceivable and revisable. The hours of the terraces? because they can also be reviewed, in a timely manner, depending on the circumstances. "I would make an ode to the terraces, because they are a reflection of the Mediterranean way of life." Their rates are also reviewable, but not so much. "And we have to send the best to Ciutat Vella," he added, "to recover that great pact of the 1980s that made that transformation of the district possible." And the Rambla, he added, cannot be more than seven years under construction. "We have to reform it in a mandate." And anticipating the thoughts that surely came to more than one of the businessmen present, Collboni hastened to say that of course the City Council can speed up the work, but for this it needs the corresponding budgetary support.
In reality, this was the last challenge to BComú and ERC, to their successive budget pacts.
