The ‘president’ of the Generalitat had spent months demanding a meeting alone with the president of the Spanish Government. Topics and controversies to deal with were not lacking. Pedro Sanchez assured him Pere Aragones that he would find the time, but it seemed that everything was a much higher priority than his date. Armed with patience and perseverance, he finally achieved the meeting. He traveled to Madrid by train with only one handle of his backpack on his shoulder and at the gate of Moncloa he got a little nervous. He wanted to reposition his tie and jacket for the posing; but having already climbed the stairs (Sánchez only goes down the steps if it is about Biden), more than a gesture of coquetry it seemed that he was looking for his wallet (which would not be bad, with politicians you never know) or trying to detect the pulse . At the entrance to the palace there were two handshakes. In the first, Aragonese hesitated. She didn’t know where to look, at his interlocutor or at the cameras. The presence of Sánchez impresses and although the Catalan wanted to maintain a certain seriousness (it should be noted that I am angry), the photographers captured how he (ad) looked at him (I understand, I too would have sparkles in my eyes if Obama extended his hand to me ). Nevertheless, this time he didn’t look at the ground to find out what his protocol place to adopt was, giving away a photo like the one from June 2021 in which he lowered his head and seemed to bow to his host.
Aragonès arrived in Moncloa without a sheet or a dossier of proposals or claims under his arm. And if she had, she didn’t see herself on the table. Already in his last visit to Moncloa, the folder was practically invaluable (if we compare it with the one that Quim Torra or Artur Mas carried before). Angela Merkel’s carpesanos or Aitor Esteban’s notebooks have always provoked admiration (look, one that works!). Focusing on this detail of the staging could lead to hasty interpretations, but subsequent press conferences corroborated the thesis. One hour and 45 minutes to agree that the dialogue table will meet at the end of July. Bravo.
Who has not suffered or knows someone who has lived to a toxic relationship? They are not always couples. It can also be a family member, a friend, a co-worker or a Prime Minister. For a toxic relationship to be promoted, it is essential that the victim is somewhat low in morale or self-esteem. Because when you are desperate, your defenses (intuition) go down and you cling to straws. As with any type of drug, at first you fool yourself and convince yourself that you can quit whenever you want. Moreover, you assure that it is you who is taking advantage of the situation. A friend who says that she is not going to hang up because she just wants a blanket to spend the winter or a ‘president’ who just wants someone on the other side of the table.
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But little by little, the absences and rudeness that you thought you had mastered affect you more and more. You begin to realize that those oversights – ‘ghosting’, not investing even half of what was budgeted or dedicating a single sentence to the Catalan conflict in the debate on the state of the nation – are actually disrespect that you will not tolerate anymore . But you allow them because deep down you’ve ended up thinking that you don’t deserve or you’re going to find something better (if you don’t support them, the PP and Vox will come). So you start to ignore or justify the ugly ones that he dedicates to you (he has a lot of work). If you lower your expectations, then you will suffer less, you tell yourself. And every time you get smaller and smaller.
Obviously, to keep you hooked, the other balances his offenses with flattery. “I have never liked anyone as much as you” or “(reviewable) pardon for political prisoners.” In the ears of others they are just lies, but you feel that with you it will be different. What is an essential requirement for a lie to succeed? Someone who needs to believe it. But, luckily or unfortunately, reality never tires of insisting that you open your eyes. Constant and serious warning signals arrive for you to stay away (such as illegal wiretapping); definitely break that kind of relationship. Maybe in the future, when you rebuild yourself, you can keep another one as equals, but now it is impossible.