Second and penultimate foray of the second vice president of the Government, Yolanda Díaz, in the 12-M campaign with two messages: one in Catalan code and another in Spanish code. On the one hand, she demanded “coherence” from the PSC to discard the controversial Hard Rock casino project in Tarragona; and on the other hand, she demanded that President Pedro Sánchez take action after his period of reflection. The first step? “Recognize in Spain the state of Palestine on Tuesday, May 7”, that is, the day after tomorrow. Then, address the problem of access to housing and reduce working hours, among other issues.
The leader of Sumar, a party that competes with the Commons in the Catalan elections, recalled that the PSOE rejected Eurovegas in Madrid. “Even Felipe González spoke out against that barbarity,” she said. “Telling Tarragona that to solve its employment problems it needs a macrocasino is a failed model,” he argued to request a vote for Jéssica Albiach, who as a parliamentarian refused to approve the budgets precisely because of the Hard Rock, a situation that ended up leading to the advance. electoral in Catalonia.
The rally was held at the Tarragona Congress Palace, in a room prepared to accommodate a hundred people, which was too small. And the same equipment has other spaces where more attendees can be accommodated. Perhaps in a campaign it is more important to give the image of being full than to bring together more people.
The candidate for the presidency of the Generalitat de Comunes Sumar also referred to housing. Albiach already stated a few days ago that this issue would be his priority. But this Sunday he went further and he made it a sine qua non condition to have her support to form the Government.
“There will only be a government with the vote of the common people if housing is the priority,” he stressed, demanding three specific measures: regulating seasonal rentals, a tax against speculation and massive construction of public rental housing.
The event also served to vindicate Díaz’s policies at the head of the Ministry of Labor and the union struggles. “My hands, my capital,” said Aurora Huerga, with extensive experience in CC.OO. in Baix Llobregat, evoking one of the most remembered posters of the PSUC. She urged that “working conditions be dignified” and that companies cannot decide their future “without workers.”
For his part, former deputy Joan Carles Gallego considered that “advances have never been concessions from the dominant classes, they have been the result of our struggle.” The representative in Congress Aina Vidal demanded the reduction of the working day because “time is the great revolution of our time.”
And time is what workers lose when traveling by train. “It’s hell to get to work on time,” said the deputy and number one on the list for Tarragona, Yolanda López, who travels by train from Sant Vicenç de Calders to the Parliament. “The Generalitat has powers,” she added, urging action now.
It all started with a tribute to Ahmed Ibrahem Ibrahem, representative of the Palestinian community in Catalonia. The room broke into applause. Albiach related that he “always carries Palestine and the Sahara in his heart” and Díaz showed a Palestinian scarf at the beginning of his speech.
