Originally published in Spanish. Ignacio Vidal-Folch. Crónica Global.
In this sinister movie which is the Catalan process (from which, judging by the first cataclysmic consequences, with the businesses leaving Catalonia for Madrid, Valencia, Aragon or wherever, with the elders panicking for losing their pensions, with the emptying of banks boxes, and even with the possibility of violent clashes, everybody wants to get off), the scapegoats are going to be the CUP dumbs. We will see them chased and beaten by the Mossos. They —not their posh voters, that lousy gauche divine residing in Pedralbes which voted for them tired of corruption, just to annoy, just to see what happens—, this useful idiots, the Cupists with single-neuron heads, will be blamed for the disaster, while the coup leaders, the Astute [Artur Mas] included, and the irresponsible pseudointellectual class that provided him with a list of arguments, will be sat in the place of the sensible people, the people of order, while the coup political parties will be presented as parties basically reasonable, whose grassroots were dragged by the anti-establishment movement.
From here to next Thursday, the jeremiads will continue. Yesterday we could already read some astonishing editorial and commentary pieces, full of hypocrisy and philistinism, penned by the most leading intellectuals of the coup’s civil plot, by the ones who have been encouraging it, and now, in a senatorial tone, warn of its dangers and remind us that they had already alerted that there is no such thing as a low-cost independency. Chocolate for the news! Thank you for reminding the public opinion that there is no independence not paid with blood or money; for reminding them —now— that the money is gushing out, and it remains to be seen about the other thing. Precisely the ones who have been feeding the coal into the machine for years, to ensure the clash of trains were thunderous, just the minute before jumping to the ground so they can watch it with some perspective, from far and taking notes. Even the writers of the infamous “joint editorial” of a dozen Catalan media outlets, in an unanimity that, along with the Association of Catalan Journalists, is the most shameful expression of gregarious, submissive and —we must tell— authoritarian spirit that beats in Catalanism, now the chants are: “Not this, not this way, we are not going well”.
Could all of this happen without the private media for the education of the masses, lavishly greased with money, bribed by the Generalitat, widely financed by the banks that now are running away? Catalan government’s public agitprop media, TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio discredited to the point of grotesque except in rural areas —they would have not been able to lead us to this all by themselves. What have been instrumental are the private-owned newspapers and radio channels that make up the Barcelonian bourgeoisie’s imaginary. Those are now sacrificing people like Quico Sallés in the moderation altar, but keeps in operation the real list of coup leaders, the members of which we perfectly know —those twisted mouths, let there be no doubt, will get away with their devastation, washing their hands like Pilate.
This is the same old story of Catalan bourgeoisie. This is what Josep Pla told Josep Carner when the poet published its beautiful poem concluded with the words [in Catalan]: “I might fall, unchangeable / all of doing the honours / by the straight path / with wet eyes and my heart in love / to a shred / once a flag”. “This awful sonnet by Josep Carner should be given to everyone for everyone’s reflection. But maybe it would have been better not having to write this sonnet at all, so the people who belonged to leading classes in the previous period [Josep Pla is referring to the Francoist era] would have been more careful with who they were risking their cash”.
