The leader of the PSC, Salvador Illa, has entered fully into the fight with Junts in Catalonia. After the agreements that the post-convergents obtained from the PSOE to validate the anti-crisis decrees, both parties will compete, in an electoral year, for the title of “useful party” for Catalonia, but the agreement for the transfer of powers over immigration serves to demonstrate this quarrel. Although Illa blesses the agreement and the transfer of more powers, he calls into question the motivations of Puigdemont’s party, which he accuses of “letting its agenda be set by the Catalan extreme right, by Aliança Catalana.”
After this Saturday’s visit to the Tordera desalination plant, the opposition leader has positively valued the transfer of more powers to Catalonia, in this case over immigration, but has questioned whether this means greater efficiency. “All powers are welcome, but to do what, because many of the powers we have, for example in education, in Junts mandates in the Government, we already see where it has taken us, to the bottom of Spain,” he recalled in reference to the results of Catalonia in the Pisa report.
That is why, despite the agreement with the PSOE, “the Catalan right”, he has referred to in reference to Junts, “commits the same mistake as the Spanish right – in reference to the PP -, allowing itself to be marked by the extreme right.” “. Thus, if “the PP’s agenda is set by Vox in a very obvious way, the Catalan right’s agenda is beginning to be set by the Catalan far-right, Aliança Catalana,” Illa stated.
This is the first time that the leader of the PSC has launched a criticism of such caliber at Junts in the last legislature, evidencing the restlessness that, in his opinion, dominates Junts as a result of the rise of Sílvia Orriols’ party after her victory in the past municipal elections of May 28 in Ripoll (Girona), and the representation obtained in Manlleu (Osona) and Ribera d’Ondara (Segarra), demonstrating the strong impact that the discourse of xenophobic tendencies has had in the interior counties of Catalonia.
Illa has criticized “the tone” that Junts is exhibiting in the field of immigration, in reference to the demand of a group of post-convergent mayors of Maresme to expel immigrants who repeat the commission of crimes, and the “threats” that has exhibited in another of the issues that have monopolized the negotiations on the decrees, the return to Catalonia of the companies that left during the process. In this case, the PSC leader has reproached Junts for proposing sanctions for companies that left and refused to return. On the other hand, Illa has pointed out that “Catalonia has to once again lead Spain economically and this is not done by threatening” but with “seriousness” in economic policies and “guaranteeing a framework of certainty.”
The socialist leader has also revealed that this Friday he had a working meeting with President Pere Aragonès to talk about the budgets, both the fulfillment of last year’s budget and this year’s budget, pending approval. At the meeting this Friday afternoon at the Palau de la Generalitat, they agreed to “intensify conversations” on both issues, so that one or two more meetings are scheduled to be held this coming week.
In any case, Illa has been very careful to warn that they are conversations “not negotiations” until compliance with the agreement in 2023 is satisfied.
