The former mayor, once again mayor, assures that he will put an end to the policy based on confrontation that, in his opinion, characterized the strategy of Mayor Ada Colau during these two terms. Xavier Trias participated this Thursday in the fourth of the colloquia that are taking place these weeks with the main candidates for mayor of the Catalan capital, organized by Barcelona Oberta, the Gremi de Restauració and La Vanguardia.
And the number one on the Junts list did not want to show off his achievements years ago as head of the City Council, but rather look forward and propose new ways of managing, administering, governing… “We have to put an end to this policy based in the confrontation –he insisted–. Problems are fixed by talking to everyone, applying common sense. We have to seek collaboration.”
And this is the recipe for the ex-convergent when it comes to tackling thorny issues such as restaurant fees, terrace hours, the opening of shops on holidays… Trias understands that at this time most of the people of Barcelona are disenchanted, disappointed with the future of their city, and that the best way to recover self-esteem and that collective state of mind that led to the Olympic transformation of this city, the City Council has to stop harassing the private sector, it has to promote economic activity , and not criminalize it.
“I will sit down to talk to all of you,” he told a large group of merchants and restaurateurs, “to find solutions. Look, a terrace that closes at eleven at night is a terrace where you can’t dine. But we also have to take our neighbors into account”. In reality, this is the main promise of the candidate Trias, the search for dialogue and consensus in order to recover Barcelona as a shared, common project for all. “If you want to fight for social welfare, there is only one solution, which is to create economic activity, a sustainable economic activity. For example, in Barcelona we want quality tourism, family, culture, congresses… I will never govern with people who are against private activity”.
In any case, despite the somewhat fluid point of his proposal, Mayor Trias had no problem going down to the asphalt and making a few issues clear. “Actually, the tram is nothing more than the business of a company that wants to dress as a liberal.” “The works of Consell de Cent are irreversible. We will have to be very attentive so that it does not become another Enric Granados, and above all to see what happens in the surrounding streets”. “Now mobility is becoming difficult. It is necessary to reform it, but we cannot completely block mobility either. Making war on the car is a mistake.
