The ANC and the Consell de la República Save ERC and Junts from Rodalies Chaos

The Rodalies service has once again become the focus of criticism for its poor performance, a persistent problem that highlights the inefficiency of political management. In recent days, the chaos on the trains has reached its peak, with a strike that was called off at the last minute. This has only served to add a bit more tension among users who can't believe the chronic nature of this problem.

Amid this crisis, the main pro-independence actors, ERC and Junts, have been supported by the two most influential civic organizations in the independence process: the ANC and the Consell de la República. In a four-voice chorus, the pro-independence movement has mobilized to repeat the script of the last decade. The problems of Rodalies, they say, will only be solved with independence.

The Chaos of Rodalies, a Reflection of Political Inefficiency

By its own merits, Rodalies has been for years the clearest example of poor political management in Catalonia. With an obsolete system, constant delays, and a lack of investment, Rodalies has only served for political bargaining and confrontation.

In this context, ERC has touted in recent months a supposed negotiating success with PSOE: the transfer of Rodalies' competencies to Catalonia. The new general secretary of ERC, Elisenda Alamany, even stated in the press that "with the transfer of Rodalies we are pulling a tooth from the State":

As is usual in the relationship between PSOE and the pro-independence movement, these achievements arrive very watered down in Catalonia, if they are not directly false. In the case of Rodalies, for example, the transfer will result in the creation of a RENFE subsidiary with a small participation from the Generalitat. Despite the grandiosity with which ERC presented the agreement, in the end, it will be ADIF that manages the lines.

The Magic Solution: Independence

Without exonerating the responsibilities of the central State, this kind of situation serves the pro-independence movement to scrape the remnants of the discourse of the last ten years. In this sense, the two quintessential pro-independence entities, the ANC and the Consell de la República, have quickly refined the narrative and stirred up the streets.

From the Consell, Puigdemont's private cenacle wrapped in controversies, "the chaos of Rodalies is an example of the Spanish State's mistreatment of Catalonia." Meanwhile, the ANC speaks of "the problems of Renfe as a consequence of the economic plundering that Catalonia suffers." Parallel to this, the ANC has called for strikes under the slogan "For Dignified Trains. Only Way: Independence."

The predictable conclusion of this discourse is that "the only real solution is independence" (ANC) or "only with the Catalan Republic will we have the possibility to decide and manage the necessary resources to meet our investment needs" (Consell).

Meanwhile, users, disconnected from the constant political confrontation, deal with the inefficiency of a basic service for any society. The images on social media of overcrowded trains and platforms are already a constant. This explains why, apart from the ANC and the Consell, several civic organizations have called for up to eight demonstrations for this Saturday.