Tension Grows Among the Parties of the Sanitary Cord in Parlament

The decision by Junts not to support the motion of no confidence against Sílvia Orriols in Ripoll continues to have repercussions. Now every vote in Parlament is scrutinized, lest any of the parties in the so-called 'anti-fascist pact' make a mistake in a vote.

This is what happened this Thursday. A vote in Thursday's parliamentary session has sparked reproaches among parties within the sanitary cordon. Junts has taken the opportunity to settle scores with the parties that in recent days accused them of playing into the hands of the "far right".

The situation seems truly anomalous because it implies that now parties act out of fear in Catalonia. They don't vote based on whether a motion seems good for Catalonia or not, but to look good or to avoid being accused of this or that.

The controversy erupted over the rejection of the Catalan economic agreement, which Junts proposed through a motion in the Catalan chamber in yesterday's plenary session. The motion was rejected by 70 votes against from PP, Vox, Aliança Catalana... and PSC.

Junts has lashed out against the decision of the socialists to vote alongside Vox and Aliança Catalana on this motion.

Junts Attacks PSC

Vice presidents Josep Rius and Antoni Castellà have harshly attacked PSC. Rius has asked the "promoters" of the 'anti-fascist pact' to act now with the same forcefulness as they did with Junts in Ripoll. Castellà has been more subtle, referring to the "sanitary cordon against Catalonia's sovereignty".

Junts's communication director, Pere Martí, also voiced his opinion: "Against Catalonia, PSC breaks the sanitary cordon". Deputy Agustí Colomines not only criticized PSC's position but also that of Aliança Catalana: "It's unbelievable that the far right votes against Catalonia's economic agreement".

What this new dispute reveals is that the sanitary cordon is faltering. It was born to be a containment barrier against the "far right" and has ended up being further evidence of the decline of the pro-independence movement and its supporters. Instead of the intended unity, it is now just another tool of dispute among the parties that comprise it.

Perverse Logic

From the beginning, it seemed that Junts was shoehorned into the pact and signed it reluctantly. But PSC's position is also uncomfortable due to its evident differences with the other formations. When the contradictions became apparent, the sanitary cordon quickly fell apart.

The logic of the sanitary cordon is perverse because, for example, yesterday it forced PSC to vote in favor of the economic agreement just to avoid voting alongside Vox and AC. And so on. In the end, it is understandable that the parties end up bypassing it.