In the eighties and nineties I was a member of the PSOE federal committee, proposed by Alfonso Guerra. At that time, Felipe González and Alfonso were my political references. They were the great modernizers and democratizers of Spain. In 1994, Felipe invited me to speak with him in Moncloa as an affectionate gesture when I had overcome cancer. And I told him that I was leaving the party, without fuss, because I could not continue to accept corruption, despite knowing that the two of them were never directly involved. We parted amicably.
Since then, despite having diverged from their positions, especially in relation to Catalonia, I have avoided any personal criticism because they were part of my life and one must not renounce one’s own past, even if we go down different paths. That is why I have been deeply saddened by the political offensive they have unleashed, converging with the right, to derail the investiture of Pedro Sánchez.
An investiture that could open the door to a plurinational State capable of finally stabilizing coexistence in Spain. In fact, they already undermined Sánchez in 2016 by remote-controlling the El Ermitaño de Benavente hotel conspiracy to defenestrate him. It was then that we connected with Pedro in his strategy of progressive coalition and dialogue with democratic nationalisms, as opposed to the grand right-left coalition that led to the near disappearance of social democracy in much of Europe.
Naturally we are all free to express an opinion and contradict the leaders elected by the militants. But in this conjuncture the opinions expressed by the leaders of my generation have a specific political objective. They are a political act. Contrary to what the socialist bases chose and what millions of progressive citizens have as hope. This is called disloyalty. That is why it particularly hurts that Pedro Sánchez is accused of disloyalty. Because when he did not agree to keep the corrupt Rajoy, he did not disobey the party but resigned from the deputy’s record and raised the internal debate until reaching a new congress and winning it with a large majority, which has been revalidated in the party and at the polls.
Do Felipe and Alfonso really think that Spain is breaking up as the ultra right says against all evidence? Do they honestly think that thousands of Catalans should be jailed or retaliated against after being beaten for peacefully voting for independence with no airs of concreteness, in the face of the world’s indignation? They oppose an amnesty whose text and scope are not even known. As Enric Juliana recalled, the Suresnes congress that enthroned Felipe also approved the right of self-determination for the nationalities that make up the constitutional State, although this is not what is being considered now.
Do my former references want to go down in history as those who made the dialogue between the peoples of Spain fail? Wait for a new congress and fight there. But in the meantime, please, don’t be disloyal to your party.
