PP's SIRENS ARE TOO NOISY, FOR CiU's JOURNEY TO ITHACA

"Whenever CiU can choose, they choose PP", Reagrupament´s leader Joan Carretero

Joan Carretero (Tremp, 1955) keeps working as a doctor as well as being president of Reagrupament. In this interview he tells he cannot trust this pretended CDC’s independentism, explains the European Citizens’ Initiative supported by his political association and talks about the relations between his party and the republicans of ERC. He decided not to go on strike on 29th May because he’s already got enough of his salary “stolen”.

-Having attended it, do you think that the last CDC Congress was not an ordinary one?
-No, not at all. I went there to learn. CDC is such a solid company and has an invincible and very well preserved reputation. They perfectly combine and know how to say one thing and do a different one. And most people keep voting them. Therefore, there are lots to learn from them.

- ERC being the alternative way in Parliament, do you think CiU will take you to Ithaca?
-According to their pace I’d like not to be dead when they reach there… ERC has been offering themselves to accomplish several deals but even for the national budget CiU has chosen PP. There is nothing to say as they have the right to do so but obviously they like best Alícia Sánchez-Camacho. A journey to Ithaca having Camacho, Rajoy or Alejo Vidal-Quadras enrolled in the crew would only be heading for Madrid as final destination.

-Ulysses did arrive to Ithaca alone...
- It was a very long journey and not quite successful. So I would have preferred a better metaphor. Mas seems though to be very fond of sailing.

-Those PP sirens are singing too loud?
-So they sing and well, they have a better look and are maybe more attractive for them. As it was put once by a CiU directive, their heart is telling them to choose ERC but their mind turns to PP.

- Besides the mermaids have the safe’s key, haven’t they?

-They are both attractive and rich. But having deals with the so called populars is nothing new. Sometimes we seem to have only a short term fish-like memory. Jordi Pujol did indeed choose PP twice. Now they are trying to mask it all by having weekend outings towards independentism while all serious things are discussed and dealt with PP: Generalitat’s presidency and budget, Barcelona and Badalona city councils, Diputació... Whenever they could choose , they chose PP. And Catalan voters awarded them.

-The relations now between ERC and CiU have nothing to do with the usual ones at the beginning of 21st century?

-Now at least they seem to have a more similar message at weekends.

-Weekends used to belong to ERC only some time ago.
-Yes, but now CiU’s weekend festivals keep in the shade all that happens during the rest of the week, and that’s because Alícia Sánchez-Camacho is now who decides what’s going on in this country.

-This coalition between ERC and RCat is just occasional?

-Yes, just to take part in spanish and local elections. But if this strategy of giving priority to the national claim and stepping forward to get our own state back is to be maintained we would try and make a similar coalition facing the Catalan and European elections and would like to have it also in all the municipalities wherever we have the possibility to do it. We would prefer a more stable coalition but they will decide if that is also convenient for them or not. We clearly think and want our party to be an active part of our Parliament, that’s why we set it up anyway. And we should be pleased in joining efforts with ERC and anyone else willing to do so. However, if such a coalition was not possible, we must think of ourselves as a political force aiming to have an increasing influence in Catalan politics.

-As for possible coalitions you already had a meeting with PNB in order to "explore ways" facing the European elections while ERC has other preferable partners

-Our political party does have its own life. We certainly would like to be partners with ERC, but if not so we must explore some alternative ways. We do agree on many things with PNB and although we don’t agree on some others we would accept being allies with them. We won’t close any doors to any possible partners as long as we can share some basic political aims that we may have in common with them.

-As a Public Health Service worker, were you on strike?

-No.

-Why not?

-Because I don’t want them to steal the money I earn for a working day. What the government wanted was to spare money, with the help of some naïve strikers, in order to improve their own accounts. They have already stolen enough of our salaries.

-The cuts affect mainly Public Healthcare. How do you feel as a doctor?

-That’s the price of being an autonomy. I have never been an autonomist.

-Maybe your salary will depend on a deal between Catalan president Artur Mas and those above mentioned PP mermaids?

- A joke goes that "Mas meets Rajoy and says: I’m going to decide cuts on Catalans. On his side Rajoy answers: Me too". There is an agreement between them in order to apply cuts on Catalans. But this is going to have its cost. We will have worse or lesser services than other countries which don’t have or create as many resources as we do.

- Josep Rull, CDC’s Organization Secretary, said that "we walk towards clash". Is that so?

- Then we should have clashed years ago. I don’t think they are courageous enough to face it up. In a few months time we will hear again that famous statement: “We have finally reached the best financial system in history”.

-Is this going to work out again?

-It has always worked out.

-CDC is saying they will support “tax insubordination”.
-I don’t think their eyes nor mine will ever see that.

-Then you don’t trust Pujol’s political evolution?
-It may be true in his mind or in theory, but Spain does not pay any attention to all these weekend proclamations.

-So you don’t think that Government’s independentism will go any further?

-Look, there will be no independence without Convergència. That’s only too logical as it is the most voted party. However, I don’t trust Convergència’s leaders and that’s not a matter of faith but a matter of facts. The facts in the last years and nowadays speak for themselves. I got the feeling we will stay as permanent members in the club of those willing to go free. But it is indeed our own fault: those Catalan citizens seeking independence ought to vote for parties that are also seeking it. If a nation does really want independence in present Europe, it will get it.

-Hence the European Citizens’ Initiative?
-Yes, if we are able to collect a million signatures that’s going to be a very good help in order to guarantee the European membership of any new states born from the splitting of former states which already were UE members. We won’t give up or get discouraged despite all the predictable political pressure from our Spanish neighbours.

Translation: JJTN