From the Spain news pepper
According to the news from Spain
Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias met Catalan regional premier
Quim Torra Monday in an attempt to work out a deal between
the regional Catalan authorities in Barcelona and the new
minority Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) government in Madrid.
The meeting showed that a key purpose of the installation of
the PSOE, in which Podemos played a leading role, was to try
to put a more “democratic” face on the brutal police
repression last October of the Catalan independence
referendum. Iglesias acted throughout as an emissary of
PSOE Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
After nearly a decade of escalating conflict between Madrid
and Barcelona over how to impose European Union (EU)
austerity, violent conflict erupted last year in Catalonia.
Madrid declared the independence referendum illegal. The
right-wing Popular Party (PP) government tried and failed to
crush the referendum, mounting a massive police crackdown
on peaceful voters that left nearly 1,000 people injured. With
declarations of support from the PSOE, the PP arrested
Catalan nationalist leaders and imposed an unelected
government.
After January elections held under this police jackboot led to
Torra’s installation, and after Podemos helped install the
PSOE in power, Iglesias is now trying to smooth over the
conflicts on the basis of accepting Madrid’s anti-democratic
policies in Catalonia. He said, “My will is to help ensure that
there is a climate of understanding between the Spanish
Government and the Catalan political forces.”
Details of the hour and a half discussion in the Catalan
government headquarters emerged after the meeting during
the press conference. A key issue discussed was the jailing of
Catalan nationalist politicians such as Omnium Cultural
president Jordi Cuixart, former Catalan National Assembly
head Jordi Sànchez, former Catalan Vice Premier Oriol
Junqueras and other Catalan regional government ministers.
Iglesias told Torra that Sánchez is willing to transfer them to
Catalan jails. “I know that because Sanchez has said this to
me,” he assured, adding that this would “de-stress” relations
between Catalonia and Spain.
Catalan government spokeswoman Elsa Artadi replied that
“the position of the [Catalan] government is not to negotiate
the transfer of the prisoners nor to improve their situation, but
to free them.”
Podemos did not support freeing the political prisoners,
however. Iglesias only proposed a transfer that would “be a
first step and an improvement of the current situation”, that is,
that they would rot in jail in Catalonia rather than in Spain.
Iglesias added that he would visit the imprisoned leaders,
demagogically claiming that Podemos supports a referendum
on self-determination in Catalonia. Iglesias proceeded to
downplay the significance of the jailings. He claimed that the
conflict between the Catalan and Spanish governments over
self-determination should “in no way prevent dialogue and
exploring democratic means to manage the conflict in
Catalonia.”
Also present in the meeting was the leader of Podemos-
backed Catalonia in Common party, Xavier Domènech. Earlier
this month, Domènech offered to support the Catalan regional
government as it passes an austerity budget. The Catalan
government has already said it would reduce the deficit set at
0.4 percent of the GDP for 2018, at 0.1 percent for 2019, and
at zero for 2020, to comply with Madrid’s commitments to the
EU. This will mean around 688 million euros in social cuts or
tax hikes in the region this year.
During the meeting, the Catalan nationalists hailed Iglesias.
Artadi said, “the role of Podemos in Spanish politics is
important,” as a “much of its [the Spanish government’s]
strength comes from Podemos.” She added that even though
they are not in government, “we should not underestimate the
importance that this party can have for the future”, calling
Podemos a party that “recognizes the situation” in Catalonia.
Iglesias also promised to develop Torra’s ties with Sanchez: “I
have found the regional premier with an absolute disposition
for dialogue, so I will convey this to the President of the
Government.”
Iglesias said they both shared “republican values,” though
Torra is infamous for his anti-worker and anti-Spanish vitriol
when he worked as a journalist, when he praised Miquel and
Josep Badia as the “best examples” of Catalan nationalism.
Both founded fascist para-military squads in the region during
the 1930s to terrorise the working class and gun down
anarchist leaders.
Iglesias is working to prepare talks between Torra and
Sánchez scheduled for July, acting on behalf of Sánchez and
Spanish finance capital. Podemos and the PSOE speak for
factions of the ruling class, in Spain and internationally, who
fear that amid growing strike action by workers in Spain, anger
over the Catalan crisis could prove politically explosive and
needs more careful handling.
In this, they speak for powerful sections of the ruling class.
The president of Santander Bank, one of Spain’s largest
banks, recently called for “rebuilding bridges” between
Barcelona and Madrid who, he said, need to “work together”.
He said Spain should “make all Catalans attracted to Spain
again.”
The anti-secessionist Barcelona business lobby Círculo de
Economía also released a statement calling for the end of
Spain’s “worst crisis since the Constitution was approved in
1978.” In line with the traditional Catalan-nationalist demands,
it called for “greater powers to legislate, manage, collect and
inspect” tax revenues by regional governments, which would
share their “tax bases” with Madrid.
Iglesias’ alignment with the banks and business lobbies
exposes the role of Podemos. At the height of the crisis last
October, it sought to defuse deep-seated opposition among
workers and youth to police-state measures, issuing bankrupt
appeals to Madrid and Barcelona to negotiate with the
Catalan separatists while the PP escalated repression.
At the time, the PSOE backed the PP. In a letter to PSOE
members just after the crackdown, Pedro Sánchez defended
PP repression as “a response comparable to that of any
country” and “the inevitable response to an unprecedented
attempt to break the integrity of the state.”
Now, Podemos is championing a PSOE-Catalan nationalist
settlement that would be a reactionary deal made at the
expense of the workers.
The Catalan nationalist parties, Torra’s Catalan Democratic
Party (PdeCat) and the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC),
have already signaled that they are open to such a deal. They
accepted the legitimacy of this year’s elections held at
gunpoint by Madrid’s unelected regime in Catalonia. They are
seeking a deal, that could perhaps be passed off as a victory
based on the improvement in the conditions of the political
prisoners, but based on militarism and stepped-up austerity.
The Sánchez government, barely a month old, has signaled
that it will keep the previous PP government’s budget, which
imposes deep cuts to social spending and massive hikes in
military spending. A new austerity budget is in preparation for
the end of this year.
On Sunday, in an interview to daily El País, Sánchez said, “The
days when the Spanish government made the problems with
Catalonia even worse are over. We have to take this one step
at a time and rebuild the trust and loyalty that were broken
during these years of conflict between the governments of
Catalonia and Spain. That is the message I am going to
deliver to Torra when I meet him on July 9. There are many
things that can be done.”
The policy Sánchez is laying out would be a right-wing and
militarist policy, sealed on the basis of police-state repression,
and in which Podemos is fully implicated.
According to the news from Spain
Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias met Catalan regional premier
Quim Torra Monday in an attempt to work out a deal between
the regional Catalan authorities in Barcelona and the new
minority Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) government in Madrid.
The meeting showed that a key purpose of the installation of
the PSOE, in which Podemos played a leading role, was to try
to put a more “democratic” face on the brutal police
repression last October of the Catalan independence
referendum. Iglesias acted throughout as an emissary of
PSOE Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
After nearly a decade of escalating conflict between Madrid
and Barcelona over how to impose European Union (EU)
austerity, violent conflict erupted last year in Catalonia.
Madrid declared the independence referendum illegal. The
right-wing Popular Party (PP) government tried and failed to
crush the referendum, mounting a massive police crackdown
on peaceful voters that left nearly 1,000 people injured. With
declarations of support from the PSOE, the PP arrested
Catalan nationalist leaders and imposed an unelected
government.
After January elections held under this police jackboot led to
Torra’s installation, and after Podemos helped install the
PSOE in power, Iglesias is now trying to smooth over the
conflicts on the basis of accepting Madrid’s anti-democratic
policies in Catalonia. He said, “My will is to help ensure that
there is a climate of understanding between the Spanish
Government and the Catalan political forces.”
Details of the hour and a half discussion in the Catalan
government headquarters emerged after the meeting during
the press conference. A key issue discussed was the jailing of
Catalan nationalist politicians such as Omnium Cultural
president Jordi Cuixart, former Catalan National Assembly
head Jordi Sànchez, former Catalan Vice Premier Oriol
Junqueras and other Catalan regional government ministers.
Iglesias told Torra that Sánchez is willing to transfer them to
Catalan jails. “I know that because Sanchez has said this to
me,” he assured, adding that this would “de-stress” relations
between Catalonia and Spain.
Catalan government spokeswoman Elsa Artadi replied that
“the position of the [Catalan] government is not to negotiate
the transfer of the prisoners nor to improve their situation, but
to free them.”
Podemos did not support freeing the political prisoners,
however. Iglesias only proposed a transfer that would “be a
first step and an improvement of the current situation”, that is,
that they would rot in jail in Catalonia rather than in Spain.
Iglesias added that he would visit the imprisoned leaders,
demagogically claiming that Podemos supports a referendum
on self-determination in Catalonia. Iglesias proceeded to
downplay the significance of the jailings. He claimed that the
conflict between the Catalan and Spanish governments over
self-determination should “in no way prevent dialogue and
exploring democratic means to manage the conflict in
Catalonia.”
Also present in the meeting was the leader of Podemos-
backed Catalonia in Common party, Xavier Domènech. Earlier
this month, Domènech offered to support the Catalan regional
government as it passes an austerity budget. The Catalan
government has already said it would reduce the deficit set at
0.4 percent of the GDP for 2018, at 0.1 percent for 2019, and
at zero for 2020, to comply with Madrid’s commitments to the
EU. This will mean around 688 million euros in social cuts or
tax hikes in the region this year.
During the meeting, the Catalan nationalists hailed Iglesias.
Artadi said, “the role of Podemos in Spanish politics is
important,” as a “much of its [the Spanish government’s]
strength comes from Podemos.” She added that even though
they are not in government, “we should not underestimate the
importance that this party can have for the future”, calling
Podemos a party that “recognizes the situation” in Catalonia.
Iglesias also promised to develop Torra’s ties with Sanchez: “I
have found the regional premier with an absolute disposition
for dialogue, so I will convey this to the President of the
Government.”
Iglesias said they both shared “republican values,” though
Torra is infamous for his anti-worker and anti-Spanish vitriol
when he worked as a journalist, when he praised Miquel and
Josep Badia as the “best examples” of Catalan nationalism.
Both founded fascist para-military squads in the region during
the 1930s to terrorise the working class and gun down
anarchist leaders.
Iglesias is working to prepare talks between Torra and
Sánchez scheduled for July, acting on behalf of Sánchez and
Spanish finance capital. Podemos and the PSOE speak for
factions of the ruling class, in Spain and internationally, who
fear that amid growing strike action by workers in Spain, anger
over the Catalan crisis could prove politically explosive and
needs more careful handling.
In this, they speak for powerful sections of the ruling class.
The president of Santander Bank, one of Spain’s largest
banks, recently called for “rebuilding bridges” between
Barcelona and Madrid who, he said, need to “work together”.
He said Spain should “make all Catalans attracted to Spain
again.”
The anti-secessionist Barcelona business lobby Círculo de
Economía also released a statement calling for the end of
Spain’s “worst crisis since the Constitution was approved in
1978.” In line with the traditional Catalan-nationalist demands,
it called for “greater powers to legislate, manage, collect and
inspect” tax revenues by regional governments, which would
share their “tax bases” with Madrid.
Iglesias’ alignment with the banks and business lobbies
exposes the role of Podemos. At the height of the crisis last
October, it sought to defuse deep-seated opposition among
workers and youth to police-state measures, issuing bankrupt
appeals to Madrid and Barcelona to negotiate with the
Catalan separatists while the PP escalated repression.
At the time, the PSOE backed the PP. In a letter to PSOE
members just after the crackdown, Pedro Sánchez defended
PP repression as “a response comparable to that of any
country” and “the inevitable response to an unprecedented
attempt to break the integrity of the state.”
Now, Podemos is championing a PSOE-Catalan nationalist
settlement that would be a reactionary deal made at the
expense of the workers.
The Catalan nationalist parties, Torra’s Catalan Democratic
Party (PdeCat) and the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC),
have already signaled that they are open to such a deal. They
accepted the legitimacy of this year’s elections held at
gunpoint by Madrid’s unelected regime in Catalonia. They are
seeking a deal, that could perhaps be passed off as a victory
based on the improvement in the conditions of the political
prisoners, but based on militarism and stepped-up austerity.
The Sánchez government, barely a month old, has signaled
that it will keep the previous PP government’s budget, which
imposes deep cuts to social spending and massive hikes in
military spending. A new austerity budget is in preparation for
the end of this year.
On Sunday, in an interview to daily El País, Sánchez said, “The
days when the Spanish government made the problems with
Catalonia even worse are over. We have to take this one step
at a time and rebuild the trust and loyalty that were broken
during these years of conflict between the governments of
Catalonia and Spain. That is the message I am going to
deliver to Torra when I meet him on July 9. There are many
things that can be done.”
The policy Sánchez is laying out would be a right-wing and
militarist policy, sealed on the basis of police-state repression,
and in which Podemos is fully implicated.
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