Obstacles to surmount (at a critical moment)

So much so that even ministers in the current Tripartite Government are saying that whatever the ruling, Catalan Spanish bilateral relations will have been seriously damaged. But it is not yet the time, in this bulletin, to speak of the possible reaction in Catalonia. Therefore, in spite of the widespread belief that the ruling will be unfavourable, we will refrain from postulating on the response that, given the circumstances, is almost certain. A political, public and popular response, from the political forces, the Catalan parliament and government, and the whole of society.

However, there is one thing of which we can already be certain: the day after the ruling the Catalan people will have to move the country forward all the same. We will have to strive for its modernisation, for its material progress, for a fair and equal social structure. We will likewise have to work to defend its national integrity, its language, its culture, its traditions. And assimilate the people arriving from abroad. And boost the prestige of Catalonia and the self-esteem of her citizens.

And with what will we achieve this? With what we have. With a Statute that the Constitutional Court will have altered a good deal or substantially, which at any rate will not be the tool we were calling for. With a negative political and public climate in Spain. With a general economic crisis. So we must and will be able to harness our assets. Which we have. And they are neither few nor insignificant. Assets in the economic field, in the cultural area, in the social sphere and in civil society, such as the social cohesion that this country enjoys, etc. A long etcetera of positive things. That is, although we have to work in challenging conditions we can continue to build a positive country and society. On the condition...

On the condition that we draw on our assets. On the condition we do not put spokes in our own wheels. In this respect, there are a number of dangers to avoid and several shortcomings to amend. Some, urgently. The year 2010 will be decisive in this regard.

1. One of them is what the Italians have called the CASTE, a deeply entrenched system in their country and the cause – they say, and quite rightly – of the paralysis inflicted on its society and its economy. We already gave over an editorial to this situation on 27 May 2008.

The political caste, with its unbridled proliferation of more and more political posts, advisors, and paid workers on permanent leave. With overlapping duties. And the ever-inflating caste within the civil service, the result of which is a tainted and inefficient administration.

2. This can produce several apparently different consequences but with the same negative outcome. One of these is a form of disproportionate INTERVENTIONISM, which eventually leads to unnecessary delays, muddles and obstacles. Only necessary to justify top-heaviness itself.

In short, it hinders and deters social initiative. Especially when society itself sees that elsewhere (inside and outside the State itself) things are easier.

3. The “NO CULTUE”.  In other words, the extremely widespread attitude of  resistance and opposition to all kinds of projects, from new factories to centres for the disabled; from the fourth Vallès ring road to safe-injecting rooms for drug addicts; from wind farms to waste disposal sites, ski slopes, logistical parks or electric power lines. We have already said that the “no culture, as it is practised, is inexorably reactionary because it clashes with general progress. 

4. If all of this – the caste, disproportionate interventionism and oversized public sector, which ensnare and hinder government action at all levels, and systematic opposition –, is not halted and replaced by attitudes that are more constructive, more serious and in certain aspects more austere, Catalonia will become mired. This is in part already happening.

5. As well as the paralysis and systematic contradiction, this all causes a state of collective discouragement and perplexity. In part this is manifested by what we define as political disaffection, a mood that will not give rise to the resurgence of energy, hope and initiative that we need more than ever. Now, once the process of the Statute is completed, with the pitiful spectacle of the Constitutional Court and – more serious – the equally pitiful reaction from across Spain, it will be time to move Catalonia forward.

As we have already said: with what we have. With a positive attitude, not wasting time, and rejecting everything that obstructs us. Everything that obstructs us due to confusing ideas, sectarianism, levity and lack of seriousness, because it mistakes public service for a modus vivendi,  and creates confusion, uncertainty and incoherence.

These negative tendencies need to be checked by all sectors of society. And it is well known that through these editorials we have sought mainly to convey the importance of everything that comes before politics; what should be the intellectual and ethical bedrock on which we should lay the foundations of collective action. It is what we call IVA (Ideas, Values and Attitudes). And we will continue to do this. Because without this groundwork society lacks the tools it needs to move forward. However, in the end a country’s drive is contingent on POLITICS. Especially in times of doubt or particular difficulty. As is our situation at present. In times like these, politics become a priority.