On Friday, Salvador Illa spoke at the S’Agaró economic conference. In 2021 it came first – tied in seats with ERC – in the Catalan elections. But this year the PSC has won the municipal and legislative elections. AND The survey of the CEO of the Generalitat a few days ago gave him a much greater victory in the next Catalan elections and predicted that, for the first time since 2012, there would be no absolute pro-independence majority.
What is Illa’s secret? That as Minister of Health he rose to fame with the pandemic and impacted his constructive attitude? Sure, but also that he has maintained both firmness and rejection of tension. And that the reduction of inflammation and the pardons have benefited him. Even now – with the great noise of the amnesty – only 28% of Catalans (against the 54% Spanish average) disapproves of the new Government in this newspaper’s Monday survey.
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But the key is that looks more to the future than to previous fights. He affirms that Catalonia wants to turn the page on the ten years of the ‘procés’, but more with dialogue than with confrontation. In 2021, the independence movement vetoed any pact with the PSC, but after the breakup of the ERC-JxC Government, Catalonia has budgets thanks to Aragonès’ pact with Illa. He wants to be president, but he is more committed to building bridges than to fueling division among Catalans.
Illa does not want blocks, but an open social democracy. In the Europe of 2023 – after Meloni in Italy and the success of Wilders in Holland – dogmas are fallen leaves. AND in S’Agaró he wanted to tune in with the PSC voters (and with those who have returned after passing through Cs), and extend a hand to the royalists of the Commons (signing of Lluis Rabell for Collboni) and those who left (quite a few in inland Catalonia) went to CDC or ERC. And he named José Montilla and Pasqual Maragall, as well as Jordi Pujol, as presidents. He avoids frontism. It is a notable difference with Sánchez. But he knows that without Sánchez the PSC would do worse. Spain counts.