Pere Aragonès pulled a surprise rabbit out of the top hat yesterday in his speech at the Economic Circle which was a bucket of cold water for an audience made up mostly of businessmen and executives. The president of the Generalitat greatly questioned the explicit economic ideas of the Circle. And also the implicit ones in the field of politics.
The president of the forum, Jaume Guardiola, made a succinct introductory summary of his vision of the state of the Catalan economy: critical, without catastrophism; emphasizing the problems of some basic services, such as primary care; highlighting the low productivity growth and, in conclusion, demanding that the Government focus on management and reforms. He tactfully avoided talking about taxes.
And when answering, the president pulled out the rabbit, dialectical, since he wasn't wearing a top hat. He advanced that in the general elections, which Pedro Sánchez has called for July 23, the result will almost certainly be that of a PP government in coalition with the ultra-right.
A government that would have an economic model opposed to the one that in theory now governs Catalonia. Specifically, he advanced, the proposal of the alliance of PP and Vox would be the return to the world of the old financial bubble which, as he explained to an audience already well into adulthood, has ruined the lives of generations young people, like the one he himself said he was part of.
For this reason, according to Aragonès, it will now be time to prepare for the clash with this new reality and he summarized his analysis with a political proposal, a democratic front. A real turn, from the relief and overtaking of Pujolista nationalism in its various mutations, to the pact between the two poles of pro-independence sensibility.
Look closely, Aragonès was explaining his balance sheet, and it is assumed that that of the president of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, of last Sunday's elections and depending on them, how he will face the new campaign.
After listening to the words of the president, the conclusion is that the bad result of 28-M will translate into a retreat on the sovereignist axis and a greater distance in terms of policies of commitment to the State. To a good extent, because if Aragonès' fears about the result of July 23 are confirmed, this will not have room for development.
And this vision contrasted with the warmth that the members of the Circle have been enjoying these two days of meeting, celebrating the victory of Xavier Trias in Barcelona. The politician best positioned to be the next mayor of the capital of Catalonia addressed Barceloneta yesterday, where the meeting of the economic forum is held, and was acclaimed by the crowd, with messages of encouragement for him to assert his eleven councilors to be mayor and radically change municipal policy. He had to cross a long human corridor before sitting in the room.
And fueling the idea that, after the results in Barcelona, a sector of Junts has opened a way to rebuild the centre-right longed for by the Catalan bourgeoisie for a decade.
