The cordon sanitaire in parliament doesn't work and its members are changing their strategy

One of the most distinctive features of cordon sanitaires is that they don't work. The reason is that outsider political forces usually channel what the establishment has left out. There are many examples, and the clearest is France: the marginalization of the National Front has only served to buy time.

In Catalonia, however, this political lesson doesn't seem to have arrived. On the contrary, the current political order has insisted on making every possible mistake in this regard. The famous "anti-fascist pact" against Vox in 2021, for example, hasn't prevented the party from continuing its slow and steady growth. It's worth remembering that, despite the spectacular growth of PP, Vox hasn't just failed to lose votes, but has actually gained them—30,000, to be exact.

To further complicate this scenario, another identitarian right-wing party, highly likely to be included among the "fascist" forces, joined Parliament. We refer to Aliança Catalana. At this point, AC's case is much more revealing than Vox's for a simple reason. AC is pro-separatism, which leaves no room for the processist movement to link "far right" with unionism.

As many will recall, before the most recent regional elections, the left joined a classic strategy of mobilization through fear. Hence ERC's fixation on Orriols, who, up to that point, didn't even have parliamentary representation. Due to electoral proximity, Comuns, CUP, PSC, and, surprisingly, Junts joined in as well.

Junts changes strategy

In fact, it was Junts who blew up the cordon sanitaire. The reason is that AC finds it very easy to mark Junts ideologically. They can do so through motions that Junts can't refuse (such as reactivating the 2017 DUI, for example).

Likewise, attempts to fine and punish Orriols to silence her only serve to strengthen her. This explains why President Rull now lets Orriols speak at length when, at the beginning of the legislative session, he constantly interrupted her. Now the strategy is to let her speak, and in any case, initiate sanctions and internal procedures afterward.

It is precisely Junts who are responsible for the intensity of the cordon sanitaire having been reduced. The absence of a solid ideological discourse (the Islamic veil, for example) weighs too heavily on them for it not to be obvious that they want to silence Orriols. Junts have needed several negative internal polls to understand that this doesn't work.

The situation, ultimately, doesn't present great mysteries. After the collapse of the processist movement, traditional political forces need time to reorganize. Along the way, we witness situations like the present one: cordon sanitaires that come and go.