Until Pep Guardiola’s appearance on the balcony of the Palau de la Generalitat, no one, or practically no one, said ziga-zaga in Catalan. ‘Zig-zag’ to case. The revived expression is now used by the head of communications of the president of the Generalitat on the set to warn the ten participants of Ask the President that they will have to pass the speaking turn in an orderly manner: first, one of the five sitting on one side, then one of the five of the other. So on, in zetas.
That of the now football coach has been the second most daring of the statements that have been made on that balcony, although it had zero success or effect. As much as he can have a DUI declared 15 times.
Be that as it may, the ten participants taste the wooden seats before the recording. They will be the ones who will launch a new format of interaction between the president of the Generalitat and the citizens. The first Ask the President is recorded at the Espai Bital de l’Hospitalet de Llobregat and is broadcast today at 7 p.m. on govern.cat and on all the networks of the Government of the Generalitat and its boss. The intention is to hold a debate every quarter with different groups and in different places and broadcast them.
This time, Pere Aragonès is addressed by young people chosen by some of the youth organizations with whom he has recently met. The ziga-zaga, along with being careful if they make faces even if they are out of shot, is one of the very few instructions they receive. The participants come without either the president or his team knowing what they will ask. Just the block: yes social, yes economic, yes cultural.
The Government has not chosen the names either. The National Youth Council of Catalonia, Tot Raval, the Diari de Barcelona prepared by students from the Pompeu Fabra University, Pimec Joves and the gypsy collective of Catalonia had a free hand to select, although they were asked not to speak on behalf of the entities.
“I have a kilometer question…”, warns one of the participants. She is 29 years old. He is the oldest. The youngest is 21. Doubts arise before starting: “Will something happen if I miss a treatment from you?” “If it comes out of you, it comes out of you; If it comes from you, it comes from you,” the president’s team emphasizes, taking the edge off. On the set, already recording, what will appear is some “oysters”. Sin of youth.
During the hour of recording, the Government spokesperson, Patrícia Plaja, accompanies the president. The format is inspired, among others, by the Bürgerdialog (civil dialogues) that Angela Merkel starred in Germany, or the Kanzler Gespräch (Chancellor’s Conversation) by Olaf Scholz. In Catalonia, the last one to make a similar option work was Carles Puigdemont, in January 2017.
Aragonès stands near a stool that he will never use. He doesn’t walk around the set either. He doesn’t exploit all the space on the dance floor. The head of the Government holds a microphone that limits him from expressing himself with his hands. These are points that would have helped even more to create a climate of dialogue.
But the atmosphere is relaxed and Aragonès compensates by not avoiding the issues. Not even that of the one who asks him to know if he has received pressure from any important company or group.
“Has there ever been a time when you forgot about the lights?” the president now asks once the recording is over. “No!”. The answer is unanimous. In any case, they recognize
