The great challenge of our time is populism: political, ideological, economic, scientific or journalistic. The increase in available information causes a saturation effect that leads broad layers of society to be overwhelmed by the complexity of the world in which they live and that is the basis of uncertainty, a prelude to fear, a prelude to the embrace of simplistic solutions and, ultimately, authoritarianism of all kinds. Combining the three Ps that make up the purposes of our newspaper is complex, not suitable for populists. But simplicity has gained so much ground that at this turn of the year we must remember the obvious: the essential basis for people’s progress without destroying the planet is sustainable economic growth. And that is what populists do not like to hear, both those who base their magic on distributing wealth without dealing with its creation, and those who promise individual prosperity without explaining how they will distribute it.
The way out of the pandemic crisis has been, in the European Union, very different from the recipes that were used in the financial crisis of 2008. So they opted for fiscal austerity and now for fiscal expansion. And the response has been different not only for ideological reasons but also because of the very nature of the crisis. In 2008 it was a bad debt crisis and in 2020 it was an unsold crisis. Nothing to see The European Central Bank launched the money printing machine from the start and liquidity has flowed enough to save jobs and businesses. But debt has been generated and for previously indebted countries, such as Spain, a debt that in the coming years may be excessive. We have weathered the downpour, but the storm has not passed, far from it. Deceiving people in matters like this is one of the bases that a posteriori favors populism. You have to start telling people that there are companies that cannot be permanently doped. And, especially, those that are in sectors that will not make sense in the post-pandemic normality: inefficient intermediaries, commission agents, consumers of fossil fuels, …
2022 will be the year of the new german government. An unprecedented coalition made up of three parties: the social democrats who have historically put the spotlight on progress, the liberals who have put it on the people and the greens who have put it on the planet. But they will share with the party that has governed so far their aversion to inflation. Why? Well, because Germany saw a century ago how the uncontrolled rise in prices served a populism like the Nazi to make the deception of politicians evident in the pockets of the people. In this first quarter of the year we will see how the fight against inflation becomes the ECB’s priority and conditions its monetary policy. The low interest rate tap is going to close for heavily indebted countries like Spain. And at that point, the coalition government will have to decide to drastically cut some spending and overcome the temptation to use Next Generation funds to plug holes instead of using them to transform the economy.
We celebrate these days the 20th anniversary of the launch of the euro. The great success of the EU. But also the second opportunity lost by Spain since its integration. The first was the regional development funds of the 1990s, which were not used to generate new areas of industrial development but to foster a large megalopolis of services in the capital. From there was born that emptied Spain that asks for passage. And the second, the euro, was dedicated to taking advantage of low interest rates to inflate a housing bubble that exploded in the faces of citizens. Next Generation funds are the third opportunity. The slowness in its execution is, for now, infuriating. If the crisis comes before the projects are launched, many companies will not have the muscle to execute them. And Spain cannot waste a third chance because the northern partners are not going to give another.
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The advancement of the elections in Castilla y León has ended the dream of a calendar year without going to the polls. Pablo Casado has considered them as primaries in the field of the center right and as the first chapter of a novel titled, again, Go away, Mr. Sánchez! With no other argument than the description of a black and sorrowful Spain built by hyperbole without the slightest sense of reality. It’s a stupid fight between the “everything goes wrong & rdquor; of the opposition Y the “everything will be fine & rdquor; by Pedro Sánchez that runs out when deadlines are met without tangible results. Politics is dedicated to fragmenting rather than stitching up the seams to define a general interest. The fragmentation of the parties of the European social pact does nothing but equalize them, in the eyes of many citizens, with those who promise hard money at four pesetas because they know they will never give them, the feared populists.
Can you imagine any center-right European party that did not vote for a labor reform that had the support of the bosses? Or parties of the left that did not join one that had the approval of the unions? Well that happens in Spain. Social agreement is essential to base sustainable economic growth on European funds as the basis for people’s progress without destroying the planet.. Trade unions and employers are more aware of this last opportunity for Spain than the political parties. And so are these emerging characters that we identify in today’s newspaper, from the European minister of Germany to the creators of the Hipra vaccine. They are the evidence of our commitment to the progress of the people who live in this part of the planet that we call Spain and Catalonia. They are our vaccine against the populist serpent’s eggs that nest in this time of complexity and perplexity. Buckle up for another year together.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com