“Finally we are back to doing politics!” was one of the formulas of the most pragmatic wing of Junts per Catalunya to express their joy on November 9, the day the agreement with the PSOE for Pedro's investiture was signed. Sanchez. In that sector of the party they celebrate the new scenario – negotiation with the socialists and coordination with the PNV in the Cortes Generales – and hope that it will be consolidated in the coming months with new milestones.
The official position of the party is that there has been no change in level and that, in any case, the other political actors have moved. “We are where we were; "Those who have changed their position are the others," say management sources, who recall that former president Carles Puigdemont "in all his interviews, speeches and conferences around the world, since 2016, asked for a negotiation with the State." “The word negotiation appears nearly 300 times in his interventions,” they add.
However, before the general elections of July 23, in the two interviews that Puigdemont gave, he closed the door to investing the candidate of the PP or the PSOE. On the other hand, after the elections, from which Junts emerged with a decisive role, the party expressed its willingness to negotiate with each other under the same premises and conditions, including the amnesty law.
In the last congress of the party, the most pragmatic and pragmatic wing, which had long claimed to try to occupy a central role on the political board and do politics, believed that it was strengthened. However, for their interests there were several setbacks such as the departure of the Government of the Generalitat in October of last year, the fact that Xavier Trias was not mayor – in this case due to the maneuvers of third parties – or the agreements after the municipal elections of this year, with a notable loss of institutional power in supra-municipal entities by dismissing the PSC as an ally. However, with the new situation, those wounds have closed, sources from the training point out.
In the consultation to leave the Executive of Pere Aragonès, Puigdemont's position coincided with that of the most activist sector of the party. This time it has not been like that, his thesis and those of the pragmatists have aligned and the latter hope that the strategic turn that they appreciate will not be reversed.
“I hope and trust that this turn is definitive. We have to be able to make agreements with whoever is necessary to achieve our objectives,” says a party leader, who warns that “even if it is bad” the State has the upper hand. “And this pact strategy should not only be for Congress. It also has to be useful for the councils and other administrations,” he continues.
The set of administrations includes the Generalitat and the possibility of reaching an agreement with the PSC, if necessary, although other leaders when asked point out that “it is still early” for this. “We have to be smart and agree, with the current panorama the socialists could ally with Esquerra or with us,” reasons this leader, who believes that “politics cannot be done from the extremes or in isolation.”
Another member of the party leadership who moves along similar parameters believes that there needs to be a rethink. “Do we want to govern or not? Who do we join? “Which candidate [for the presidency of the Generalitat] can agree? ”He questions as a reflection.
“There is one year left and we still do not have a candidate,” laments this leader, who already in April was betting on addressing this issue just after the municipal elections, although the general elections were unexpectedly anticipated and the possibility of the approval of the amnesty modified the previous scenario, in which former councilor Josep Rull, now president of the national council, was the favorite to lead Junts in the next parliamentary elections.
The fact that there are coordination mechanisms with the PNV and good harmony after a few years of cooling of relations is also a reason for rejoicing in these cadres of the post-convergent formation. “The alliance with the PNV is good and we will be able to give nuance to the left,” says this member of the leadership, who believes that it will also “help reposition the party.” “If the PNV lends itself to this coordination it is because it knows that we will not act crazy, it has surely seen guarantees,” he concludes.
On this last issue, another person from the post-convergent orbit, close to JxCat and familiar with the internal dynamics, highlights that the image last week in Bilbao with the leadership of both parties is only “the tip of the iceberg” of what has happened. been the coordination these last few months. Likewise, this person believes that “it is good for Junts to soak up the culture” of the Basque nationalists, just as it is “positive for them” in a competition scenario with EH Bildu to have bridges with JxCat, which already knows what it is to have a competitor on the national axis –ERC–.
Likewise, this person, who celebrates the return of Junts to the political arena, believes that in the negotiation with the PSOE, with an eye on the next European elections, “tangible results” will be sought, and warns that with the post-convergents the threat from which the right comes will not work as it did not work in its day with Convergència i Unió during the negotiations with the socialists for the Statute.
In the environment of the president of JxCat, Laura Borràs, who embodies the most activist soul, they admit that there is a shift, but they do not raise objections as long as it is “compatible with moving towards independence.” “We must take advantage of the opportunity although it is risky,” say sources close to the leader. “In the agreement there are no renunciations, neither to independence nor to the unilateral route,” emphasize these sources, who see the amnesty as “an unappealable triumph” although it does not bring independence closer.
In any case, Jordi Turull, general secretary, has made it clear that if there is a negotiation in progress there is no unilaterality.
