Europa Press Junts, One Step Forward and One Step Back: Their Latest Proposal for Public Housing
The mayor of Sant Cugat has conveyed it to Carles Puigdemont so that it reaches the Parliament and the Congress
Junts continues to give one step forward and one step back. Carles Puigdemont's party shows its most pragmatic side in local politics. Meanwhile, in other forums like the Parliament, it still doesn't shed its complexes.
The latest proposal presented by Junts Sant Cugat is a good example of this bipolarity.
The local section of Junts in this municipality has presented a proposal to require a minimum of 10 years of residency to access public housing. Currently, the minimum required is three years.
Mayor Josep Maria Vallès has conveyed the proposal to the parliamentary groups of Junts in the Parliament and the Congress of Deputies. He did so in a meeting with Puigdemont himself in Waterloo. With this measure, Junts Sant Cugat wants to prioritize residents who have lived in the municipality for more years.
Junts, Between Complexity and Pragmatism
The proposal has been well received by Carles Puigdemont, who has committed to working to change the law. It should be remembered that in 2008 the law was modified to lower the minimum from 10 to 3 years.
The new proposal aims to restore the previous threshold "to prevent our young people from having to leave to get public housing."
It is a concrete measure for a specific problem, but it shows Junts's double face on ideological issues. On one hand, it is capable of promoting such measures. But on the other, it continues to be part of the exclusionary policies and embraces the same discourse as ERC or CUP.
At the same time, the measure opens the debate on whether this could be applicable to other social aid and benefits. This would prevent suspicions and rumors about the supposed favoritism of administrations toward newcomers.
Opposition from CUP
In this case, Junts has shed its complexes and formulated a common-sense proposal that aligns with pragmatism in local entities. This has been seen, for example, in the local sections of Maresme, where Junts has had a more belligerent discourse against illegal immigration.
Junts's proposal has already encountered opposition from CUP, which considers it a distraction maneuver. They call for addressing measures that they consider urgent to solve the housing problem, such as limiting rental prices or regulating seasonal rentals.
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