the interesting Conference of the Cercle d’Economia they have never raised a debate of candidates for president. Only two comfortable recitals of the president and the candidate. So there was no debate on Friday between Nunez Feijoothat I speak soberly first thing in the morning, and Pedro Sanchezwho closed the conference with a more bombastic speech praising Ursula von der Leyenawarded and present at the conference for its action at the forefront of Europe.
There was indeed a first skirmish of recitals. Núñez Feijóo seemed like a fresh horse with few scars despite the long Galician presidency. His style surprised. A veteran Catalan industrialist confessed to me that the PP’s speeches about Catalonia used to unnerve him and that this time he hadn’t. And his language was less affected than that of the young Pablo Casado and Isabel Diaz Ayuso. Feijóo seemed like a professional politician -neither young nor old- who is out to win. Sánchez acted like a horse that has already been crowned and insisted both on the desire for dialogue with Catalonia and with businessmen and unions as well as on his social achievements. But he accuses the fatigue of the pandemic, the economic unknowns and the turbulence of the majority that invested him. The most cumbersome, the CNI espionage.
Feijóo quoted Miquel Roca when he emphatically extolled the Spain of the autonomies. And he took the opportunity to affirm – without anger – that the ‘process’ had been a bad deal and that Catalonia had to reconnect with Spain. He also quoted Anton Costas, president of the Economic and Social Council and former member of the Cercle, on the social economy. Already Adenauer, the German chancellor of recovery after the world war, to preach stability. Without political stability there can be no economic stability (puy the Sánchez government) and without economic stability there will be no political stability. That is the great promise of it: Stability, with a capital letter.
With Vox as a partner? Feijóo answered half: the PP is autonomist, pro-European and knows how to manage. Vox is against the autonomies, is suspicious of Europe and has not managed anything. Rock, Coasts, Adenauer. Neither Fraga, nor Rajoy, nor Aznar. A pragmatist who, already in the Galician elections, was going a little free.
The leader of the PP seemed like a fresh horse that is out to win. The president, an already crowned horse who defends his management but accuses fatigue
In economics, he was sharp in saying that the government advocates an earthly paradise without taking into account that resources are limited. He exaggerated when criticizing that we have borrowed 200,000 million, when the pandemic has forced all countries to do so. And when disregarding the little growth of the first quarter, 0.3%. True, but the European average is 0.2%. It’s up to the leader of the opposition. But then -interesting accent- he insisted on the convenience of bridges between the two great parties.
Sánchez referred to the social successes. For the first time we have reached 20 million jobs and thanks to the labor reform, in April half of the jobs created have been permanent when in recent years it was only 10%. Okay, but April is just April. He said that the best policy against inequality is to create employment, but -he added- reinforcing the welfare state. He recognized that the inflation It is a problem, but he bet that it will go down when Brussels – it is about to do so – allows the price of natural gas to be capped at that of electricity. And he referred to recently completed projects like the Volkswagen-Seat battery plant.
But he did not mention that the ECB, the great financier of the deficit in recent years, is going to stop buying public debt or that interest rates will rise. The 10-year Spanish bond has already jumped from 0.6% in December to 2.22%. and the same omission on political turmoil. How is the crisis saved with ERC? How do you put up with a government in which the partner publicly demands the resignation of important ministers?
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Quoting “dear Pere Aragonès” it’s fine, but… And to say that Catalonia, which is chaired by the ERC and in which Salvador Illa won more votes, has less unemployment and more industry than the Spanish average is a sterile piece of cake to stop the CNI crisis.
Regarding inflation, the two barely surpassed the topics. And nobody knows what will happen. Feijóo’s recital was short and incisive. Sánchez’s was long and repetitive. Does Moncloa write worse or is it more dizzy due to the turbulence?