I write from the other side of the “wall”, the side of the “bad guys”, those of us who lack “the superior moral principles” that adorn the left, according to academic opinion. And I add that I have seen the possibility that I pointed out in my previous article confirmed by the facts: President Sánchez is still (and will continue) in the Moncloa, so we already have all the necessary data to compose an account of the events. This one that follows is mine.
In a difficult situation (without budgets, with a dysfunctional coalition and an extreme left in agonizing trance), the president designed this process:
1) I announce that “I need to stop and reflect” to decide “if I should continue leading the Government.”
2) The people and the party fervently ask me to continue.
3) Given this plebiscitary support, I announce that I continue with the “will to reverse this situation”, which will only be possible when “the social majority mobilizes in a determined commitment.”
4) I warn that the cleanliness of some “rules of the game” that have only been violated until now by the right and the extreme right must be recovered.
The exegetes of the presidential texts (letter and declaration) have already specified what this cleansing will consist of, focusing it on justice and the media. Regarding justice, and after unreservedly admitting the existence of lawfare, they say that the unblocking of the General Council of the Judiciary and the review of the system of selection of judges is a priority. And, as far as the media is concerned, the scholiasts highlight the urgency of creating councils that put a stop to journalistic impunity.
In short, it is about giving current form to a permanent endeavor: conforming freedom of the press to the taste and convenience of the one in charge, especially if he is anointed by a social majority that gives him, in fact, a patent of marque above the institutions. Populism.
At this point, we must rethink the terms of the debate with two simple observations. Regarding government interference in the media, it is enough to remember that – as someone said – if it were governments that had to guarantee freedom of the press, Nixon would still be president. And regarding the undeniable and vulgar tension that exists today in Spain, it is the work of all parties equally and the result of their moral relativism, their intellectual atony and their political inability. Since Adolfo Suárez was called “Missisipi player” until today, all the parties have wallowed in the mud.
And I would add something that is also applicable to all parties: whoever has power in their hands, whoever they are, is always more responsible than the others. Therefore, to reduce the current tension, it would not hurt for all politicians, starting with the president, to examine their conscience on this point, whether they are believers, atheists, agnostics or half-pensioners.
Julio Caro Baroja says that the day Germany invaded Russia, in 1941, there was a large and violent demonstration demanding Gibraltar in front of the British embassy in Madrid. Minister Serrano Suñer telephoned Ambassador Hoare and asked him if he wanted him to send more police to protect his diplomatic headquarters. Hoare responded: “I prefer that you send fewer protesters to me.” It is true that Serrano, who confirmed the call, denied the response, but the anecdote serves to implore President Sánchez that, before seeking drastic solutions to a real problem, he considers and values how much he has contributed to creating it.
Can the president imagine what would happen if, in a Wednesday parliamentary session, he responded to the opposition's questions, no matter how inconsiderate, with words of concord? The opposition would not be able to persevere in its folly, and tension and polarization would diminish. Because polarization is above all the work of politicians. It has not yet reached serious levels in society. So calm. Luckily, the country is not “ripe” for a certain test. You already know which one.
