Pere Aragonès spent Sant Jordi's day with a coat of arms of the Generalitat and a yellow rose on the lapel of his jacket. Years ago, this color for this flower was a symbol of infidelity. Quim Monzó recorded it in the story Two bouquets of roses. But at some indeterminate moment it changed its meaning to end up being proof of friendship and joy, even reconciliation. In Catalonia, however, there was a parenthesis: from 2018, the yellow rose became a sign of support for imprisoned pro-independence leaders and those who left to avoid the action of Spanish justice. Yesterday, the president of the Generalitat, for one reason or another, also brought it to refer to the clarity agreement and defend it. From the Palau de la Generalitat and on Instagram.
This bet by the president of the Generalitat to set the foundations for a Catalan referendum proposal is now at the center of the controversy. It is the way that Esquerra presents to end the political conflict. He is not supported by the rest of independence. Nor, not by a long shot, Moncloa. Fèlix Bolaños, Minister of the Presidency, described it on Friday as "electoralist" and a "cheat".
Aragones answered him yesterday. He was one of the few who stepped over the line drawn intrinsically to mark a truce between politicians. "Democracy and voting is never a trap." And like the minister, he saw electoralism, but in the disembarkation of six ministers in Barcelona for Sant Jordi. "To the members of other institutions, governments and politicians who are visiting us today, I recommend that they listen to the public and that they listen to them always, not just on St George's Day. This is what the clarity agreement talks about", the president emphasized in a message also addressed to Alberto Nuñez Feijóo, who also enjoyed the day in the Catalan capital.
The proximity of the municipal elections has favored this landing. Also the fact that it has gone from a deeply rarefied and uncomfortable climate last year due to the spying revelations with Pegasus to about sixty people related to independence, to a slightly more relaxed atmosphere yesterday. In 2022 only Miquel Iceta was in Barcelona on the part of the socialist ministers. José Manuel Albares and Félix Bolaños have been added this weekend.
There was a truce, even within the pro-independence sphere. Pere Aragonès spent some time in the street chatting with Dolors Feliu, president of the ANC. Or break within the same space, like Junts. Xavier Trias was in the tent of his candidacy "with the good part of JxCat, as we say" - according to two boys with roses -, that is, Jaume Giró, Damià Calvet and Victòria Alsina, living with the books exhibited at the sale of Carles Puigdemont, Quim Torra and Laura Borràs.
The independence demands continue, but to emphasize the contrast, it must be remembered that Bolaños had to travel the day after, a Sunday, of the previous Sant Jordi day to meet with the Councilor of the Presidency, Laura Vilagrà, worried about looking to rebuild trust with the Generalitat.
In any case, the mere presence on the streets yesterday is already an electoral campaign. It was not noticed so much in the interventions before the press. Feijóo aims to consolidate "the great consensuses that Catalanist constitutionalism supposes". That is why he believes that a "comeback spirit" of the PP in Catalonia is key, very much in line with the spirit of Juanito to which Real Madrid fans turn. On Saturday, he shot in another direction and dug into the wound of the division in the Central Government due to the law of only yes is yes.
The answer came to him yesterday from Iceta: "I would recommend Mr. Feijóo to work a little harder and to make an effort if he wants to have a good result in the elections."
A few meters from Feijóo, Bolaños could be seen walking accompanied by Salvador Illa. For the minister, Sant Jordi was not the day to throw dishes at someone's head either. "It fills us with satisfaction at the Government of Spain to see how Barcelona is enjoying this great party (...), today you breathe joy, you breathe a desire to live, for culture and to enjoy life".
Ada Colau and Yolanda Díaz took this desire to escape reproaches to the extreme. The minister exclaimed "long live Sant Jordi, long live letters, long live books" to refuse to answer questions of a political nature. "We won't talk about anything but Sant Jordi", the mayoress helped her.
Yesterday there was a political truce. Tomorrow, everyone in the mud. On the day of April 23, Ciutadans' orange balloons no longer dominate. Yes, many blue ones were seen. From Democrats of Catalonia, not from the PP. And yellow for infidelity is no longer fashionable. In its place, near the College of Journalists, the self-published book Shicret was sold. How to be unfaithful without being caught, and at Portal de l'Ángel some students were selling roses to the rhythm of Devuélveme a mi chica, by Hombres G.
