In a State like Spanish, where in addition to Spanish three other languages ??are recognized as official (Catalan, Basque and Galician), it should not seem eccentric to anyone that it can be spoken in the Congress of Deputies. Yesterday’s Abc editorial assured that those who have defended its use in the Lower House are doing so to build walls between Spaniards. It is possible that there may be such a temptation, but tongues are not meant to break anything, but rather to put things back together that may have been broken.
Linguistic pluralism should enrich us as a country and the circumstantial use of an ear muff does not seem like an aggression against anyone, least of all against the common language. It was enough to amend the regulations so that Congress can speak in the other official languages ??of its territories. Its president, Francina Armengol, solemnly declared on Tuesday that Parliament is the temple of the word and that it must be able to express itself in different languages, but PP and Vox did not agree with the idea.
Nobody denies Spanish its status as a common language. But Spain is a plural State, where different identities coexist and languages ??are an essential part of it. Castelao wrote that “if we are Galician it is because of the work and grace of the language”. Alberto Núñez Feijóo used Galician in the Parliament of Galicia when he was president of the Xunta and knows well what the language means to his fellow citizens. It is a little surprising that the PP did not support this measure with its votes.
Worse was the role of Vox, which has made insolence its way of giving itself visibility in Parliament. Its deputies left the chamber when the Congress reform law was voted on, which gave way to the first plurilingual legislature. Santiago Abascal and his troop threw the earmuffs on the empty seat of Pedro Sánchez. Many ended up on the ground due to the impact, which forced the ushers of the Chamber to pick them up.
Neither Spain is broken, nor Spanish is badly injured, because some deputies can intervene in their mother tongue. This is about democracy, not earmuffs.
