Former mayor Xavier Trias yesterday distanced himself from mayor Jaume Collboni and announced that his people will carry out a very tough opposition even after he leaves. The winner of the last municipal elections in Barcelona gave a conference yesterday afternoon at the cultural center on the current state and future of the city, and he did not want the headlines around the date of his announcement and more or less likely to overshadow an eminently political message.
When the time comes, he will say when he leaves politics. In the meantime, those from Junts will reject the municipal budget proposal of the socialists, they will have no objections to refer them to a question of confidence, and everything points to the fact that in this way they are giving a more or less definitive end to any possibility of entering the government of the ‘Town hall. Eventually even Trias ran out of patience. Because it is one thing to talk, he said, and another to negotiate; negotiate seriously
So the head of the Barcelona opposition focused most of his speech yesterday on attacking Collboni, in a much more pointed way than usual. This time he didn’t have a look. He said once, twice and a lot of times that he doesn’t trust the socialist, that he can’t do it, that he can’t find a way. “The priority must always be Barcelona. I have zero confidence in Collboni, but I have it all in Barcelona.”
And he bluntly accused him once again of winning at the offices what he did not win at the polls, of subordinating the interests of Barcelona to his own and those of his, of condemning the city to a minority government that in truth has none other goal than to survive, even if it is dragging on, even if it is wasting the opportunities of the citizens. “We have acted with a single priority: Barcelona. But I think the current mayor has other priorities than Barcelona.” Apparently, the only good news in recent months is that former mayor Ada Colau does not hold government responsibilities. But this consolation is completely insufficient. Trias also said that Collboni does nothing but follow in Colau’s footsteps. It is a continuationist government, he said. In some circles, these words constitute a very serious accusation, one of the worst that can be formulated.
“The elections of May 28 were not left-wing or right-wing, not even independentists or unionists. They were about change or continuity. To do new things, or to continue with the same”. And Trias also emphasized that the situation in Barcelona is getting worse every day, much worse than just a year ago, in terms of security, housing, inequalities… “The fact that Colau is not mayor took pressure off the city and the debate public With that, Collboni thinks that’s enough. But it is not enough to be the lesser evil… The mayor of Barcelona cannot be the lesser evil”.
And this time Trias was neither elegant nor angry. He didn’t show any gentlemanly airs or tell anyone to screw up. This time he was hurt, deeply hurt and disappointed. The ex-mayor already swallowed saliva a few times, he already assumed how the mayorship was taken from him at the last moment this summer. But in the end he got tired of being dizzy.
The good harmony between Trias and Collboni is one of the characteristic notes of the current term, a good deal aired above all by the socialist, who always likes to highlight his points of understanding, recognize his status as ex-mayor and underline his disposition in the dialogue But in the end the post-convergents got used to the displays of courtesy of the socialists, they really seemed to them the occurrences of a boyfriend who dares neither to take the definitive step nor to acknowledge it.
Because the main objective of Trias and his team for this mandate was always to mark a turning point, to usher in a new era that would leave behind the collusion, to make possible the change that the people of Barcelona asked for. And that’s why they had to enter the executive. But Collboni has long been more in favor of negotiating point by point than sharing the government. And so Trias concludes that the change that the people of Barcelona are asking for cannot be achieved.
