Pedro Sánchez, the Prime Minister, made a huge gift to his rival Alberto Núñez Feijóo by canceling his planned participation in the closing of the Cercle d’Economia meeting. The leader of the PP became the lone headliner before a very influential public. With that and the momentum of his good results in the elections last Sunday, he seduced an audience predisposed to buy his message.
Feijóo triumphed with a simple but well thought out recipe. First, give him his ears: you are “great because you pay” more taxes than anyone else. Tax comprehension received with such applause that it was no longer a problem for him to leave the long-awaited abolition of the estate tax on hold. He conditioned her to balance the public accounts. Bad sign for those present. Of course, he promised to reduce public spending.
Second, do not scold them: behind us are the reprimands of Mariano Rajoy or Pablo Casado, when they accused the Catalan bourgeoisie of being equidistant or of complicity with the independentistas, when they asked for a pardon for them; yesterday everything was good words and recognition. The criticisms of the grace measures were indirect and were directed exclusively at the absent Sánchez in his capacity as President of the Government. The audience limited itself to showing that he did not know what they were talking about, after all, it is water that no longer moves a mill.
Third, admit mistakes. A gesture always grateful. In this case, the decision was made by his predecessors, who did not address the “Catalan problem” because they considered it “chronic”, unsolvable.
And fourth and last, avoid being too specific with possible future problems. For example, he did not clarify what he would do with Vox if he needed pacts to reach the government after 23-J: “I want an absolute majority.”
Nor did it respond to the three demands of Jaume Guardiola, the president of the Cercle: a new regional financing system, overcoming the state investment deficit in Catalonia and improving self-government. Certain headaches in the near future, but difficult to face at the gates of a dog-faced campaign.
Feijóo triumphed yesterday as the winner of the Champions League final. The Catalan economic elites have not heard an economic speech to their liking for so long that yesterday they levitated with the promises of the Galician leader whom they already saw invested with the presidential aura. Without a doubt, he garnered a good handful of votes. Sometimes this is how elections are won.
