Illa Ties Himself to Erc and the Opposition Uncovers His 'Scam'

PSC faced the legislature with the plan to govern in minority with the support of ERC but with a certain autonomy. In reality, their plan has been thwarted by their parliamentary weakness, the inability to forge other alliances and the political game in Madrid. This has forced them to tie themselves to Comuns and, above all, to ERC.

Salvador Illa's government, very ambitious in its plans, has ended up being in many areas a continuation of the previous Esquerra executive. Their role has gained weight in bilateral negotiations with the central Government, in the context of Sánchez's concessions to ERC and Junts. This has tied them even more to the republicans.

Moreover, PSC has approached ERC in their common strategy against the far-right mantra. The socialists have ended up buying into the republicans' narrative. This was very evident in Parlament this Wednesday.

Complicity Against the 'Far Right'

The tension staged by ERC with PSC in the last sessions of Parlament translated into complicity this Wednesday. Deputy Josep Maria Jové asked Salvador Illa for "forcefulness" against "the global reactionary wave that challenges us." He demanded that he be "just as tough against the fascism that claims to be pro-independence as with the Spanish fascism."

"You and I belong to parties with substantial differences on some points. On this one, none," Salvador Illa replied.

The President shared the "concern" about the spread of "hate messages on social media." He promised "forcefulness" to "say enough" to these kinds of attitudes.

Later, Salvador Illa again flattered ERC by responding to a question from PP. It was about slimming down the public administration to avoid more waste. But Illa took the opportunity to tell popular deputy Alejandro Fernández that "the only thing we should cut is Catalonia's debt."

In case there was any doubt, Illa attributed all the credit for the agreement to forgive part of the debt with the State to ERC. A clear display of PSC's servility to ERC, with the political game in Madrid as a backdrop.

Opposition Points Out PSC's 'Scam'

In his turn, Vox deputy Ignacio Garriga pointed out PSC's great deception. "You presented yourself in the elections as the great alternative to separatism, and you have turned out to be a real scam. Because all your decisions have hardened the impositions of your predecessors."

He cited the Department of Language Policy as an example. "You took the secretariat, elevated it to a department and put an ERC member in charge," he said. In his response, Illa again stirred the specter of the far-right by asking Vox if they are "with Trump or with the EU."

Illa is reproducing ERC's same clichés whenever he can. On one hand, he tries to appear close to them, conveying the idea that they share the same interests although with nuances both in Catalonia and in Madrid. On the other hand, he allows himself to be dragged by the ideological polarization fueled by the republicans in the last legislature.

This may serve him in the short term to maintain a certain stability. But in the long run, it is a risky game because, judging by the polls, the narrow majority that keeps him in government has its days numbered.