For some time now, the economy has been playing an increasingly decisive role in our lives, as Bill Clinton warned in his day in times of growth and lascivious joy, as Irene Montero would say, in the oral, sorry, oval office. But after spending years with one eye on the happy risk premium, what is now plaguing us -and how!- is inflation, which, no matter how much they say, does not stop rising.
This does not mean that all the terraces and beach bars are full to bursting at all hours. Even so, a cloud of doubt casts a shadow over the faces of the pagan diners, even the loquacious invited brothers-in-law, because in the meantime they know that their permanence in the so-called middle class is in danger. Getting to the end of the month has become a chimera.
All the candidates in these general elections will tell us that they know how to get us out of this quagmire that is on the way to leaving us numb. Of course, each one in his own way, which is what makes it extremely difficult when it comes to giving our vote to one or the other, or to none.
Now, politicians are one thing, and economists are another, who are supposed to be the ones who know what this inflation thing is about and other hardships that push many of us towards who-knows-permanent poverty.
If the surveys are only indicative, the cold statistics are true as fists that should be taken into account when depositing the ballot in the ballot box, if possible in a school with air conditioning or in the shade of an ancient elm, in the case of any remaining.
As the shots are going, the public debt that Spain is dragging could soon exceed the astronomical figure of 120% of GDP. Whoever wins on 23-J, no candidate is right, for now, to clarify who is going to reverse this trend that only condemns future generations to destitution. The Greeks know them well. Nor is anyone explaining to us what will happen the day our generous NextGen funds are cut off.
That politicians are not to be trusted, we have known for a long time. But what we are not so clear about is the reliability of economists and bankers, who rather than dedicate themselves to pulling chestnuts out of the fire, seem to be immersed in a little game of Monopoly, with catastrophic consequences for everyone, although not for them, since they know very well that, except in their private bank deposits, the bills they play with are toys.
The greatest obsession of economists is to tame inflation; that of politicians, spending as if tomorrow did not exist, in exchange for votes; that of the banks, cover themselves by giving credits with exorbitant rates. And to the voter that li bombin, in the happy expression of Xavier Trias.
But let's see, do economic politicians understand? Two afternoons were enough for Jordi Sevilla to explain to ZP the secrets of this discipline. As much as Pedros Sánchez is trained as an economist, it remains true that it is not governments that create money, but banks through the granting of credit.
A 2019 UK survey by Positive Money revealed that as many as 85% of MPs had no clue where the money came from, though most of whom said they understood it came from the House of the coin. Said survey did not collect whether these ignorant representatives of the people believed that babies come from Paris.
In view of so much coarseness, perhaps artificial intelligence is our only salvation, be it when voting or when requesting or granting a loan. What is not so clear, however, is whether the diabolical invention will know how to magically make an absurd public debt disappear or even what major role this ballast will play in our future, not to mention that of our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren... The blind helping the lame.
