I demand that the PP take its hands off Catalonia". Pere Aragonès was caught by the Andalusian opa in search of great Catalan fortunes in New York, and in the Executive Council, which met without mobile phones; but the rejection reaction required no coordination. It must have been the first time in the legislature despite the sword of Damocles that Junts maintains over the Government pact. The Andalusian president will hardly capture assets from Catalonia, but he has done independence a favor. In low hours, "Spain always helps", they certify with a smile.
ERC and Junts differ in fiscal policy. Carles Puigdemont and Oriol Junqueras differed on the IRPF and now Aragonès and Jaume Giró are keeping the debate open, but there is no better way to "broaden the pro-independence base" than to talk about taxes, fiscal balances and investments. Giró knows that only an unexpected absolute majority of Junts would allow the inheritance tax to be eliminated and Aragonès is not prepared to grant even a gesture with patrimony, even if the signing of Lewandowski was at stake. In the budget project for 2023, the resources increase, but the Generalitat "cannot afford" to give up the 649 million that it expects to enter for heritage. There is an Aragonese-Giró debate. "Everything is open, there is time", they point out.
The consensus around the wealth tax requires the councilor to tie in public any adjustment to the financing reform and place the ball on the roof of Minister Montero, who returns to the impasse of PSOE-PP incompatibility. The latest financing system was agreed upon by a PSOE government and the tripartite Generalitat - with a socialist economy minister - in the middle of August over the horn set by the Statute in the transitional provisions. Then the rest of the communities joined. The eight years since the system expired show that Catalonia's involvement in the negotiation was decisive. Also wear and tear.
In 2007, when José Montilla warned against Catalan disaffection, Madrid responded that "this can be fixed with money". The funding system ended up being the closest thing to a “lottery,” according to guru Ángel de la Fuente, but partisanship continues to impose itself on the solutions. First the elections. Turn up the noise. As much as to relegate to Catalonia a crisis of the declared pro-independence Government and make a fuss with a speech in defense of autonomy.
ERC and Junts have taken advantage of the fiscal tsunami to take a breather. With Aragonès on a trip to the United States until Thursday, Junts councilors have executed Turull's orders. Make a profile with the Government's own initiatives. After the presence at the Diada demonstration, this strategy includes the announcement of an anti-smoking law on terraces, a possible delegation of the Generalitat to Israel and the legislative changes against home occupations, although generate tensions with Interior.
Turull has achieved control of the territorial structure of the party, also the ideological one, including the "leftist" current; Laura Borràs has aligned her interventions; he has terminated his collaborators in Parliament without excessive fuss, and is negotiating with ERC. They cling to the idea that the general policy debate should be a "turning point" for Junts, it is not synonymous with an "ultimatum", and Parliament works on joint resolution proposals. The sectoral policy front is almost closed and the discrepancies under control. "The problem is not the Government's management, it is independence", they remind Junts. The negotiation will be exhausted until Thursday.
The president has prepared the speech with the support of all the ministries, applying the logic of a coalition government, although he reserves his "broad" proposal on self-determination. A Junts hopes to learn about the initiative before the start of the debate and, with less drama in the atmosphere, will analyze "if we advance or retreat" before rethinking the future in the Government. ERC is not willing to "help" Turull, so the image of "winners and losers" can be another burden if there is no agreement beforehand and the members submit their discrepancies to the consideration of the opposition in the votes. The fiscal battle and the PP help, but they do not provide stability...
