I dare not think how upset Albert Rivera must be now that the PP have decided to regard him as a national level electoral threat (they are adamant that Spain is a nation). The upper echelons in Dolores de Cospedal’s PP have agreed that the best antidote against Ciutadans (C’s) is to accuse them of being ... a Catalan political party.
Therefore, the necessary instructions have been issued at once so that --when in public-- the PP’s leadership always refer to Albert Rivera’s party by its Catalan name only, rather than the Spanish equivalent. In other words, they are to stop calling them “Ciudadanos” (in Spanish) and must refer to them as “Ciutadans” at all times. This way, the great Spanish nation will realise right away the sort of people that Ciutadans are: they might claim, time and again, that they worship the Spanish Constitution but, alas!, they are Catalan. Their original sin disqualifies them to offer Spain any political project.
The first attempts to implement the new instructions regarding C’s have already taken place. While they are worthy of praise for the discipline shown, we can’t say that they have been satisfactory on the whole. Only a couple of days ago, there was a video on www.vilaweb.cat showing Mr Carlos Floriano --PP’s Deputy Secretary of Organisation-- at a press conference. Mr Floriano really struggled to pronounce the Catalan version of his rival party’s name. So much so that, as he uttered the word five times in just over a minute and a half, all he could manage was “Ciudatangs”. “Ciudatangs” this, “Ciudatangs” that, and so on. Of course, it would be wrong to expect Mr Floriano to set an example, given his well-known leaning towards guttural language. Since we cannot hope PM Rajoy to pronounce words correctly in any language, not even in Spanish, we shall have to wait for VP Soraya Sáenz de Santamaria to have a go at saying “Ciutadans”, no doubt after much practice in front of a mirror and assisted by a speech therapist and an exorcist. Then they might actually let Alícia Sánchez-Camacho say “somefing”(1). She might just tell us what Rivera’s lot are really like and how they intend to terminate the special agreement between Spain and the Catholic church.
So, much to their disappointment, Ciutadans and Ciudadanos (or the hip moniker “C’s” which they like to hide behind) will have to resign to seeing themselves as what they actually are: a Catalan political party, born and raised in Catalonia of unquestionable Catalan stock. This makes them incompatible with the standards of Spanish nationalism which they have embraced without getting anything in return, except for utter disdain: they treat them as Catalans, which means they are suspect of the worst of disgraces. I will say it again: I can imagine how upset Albert Rivera must be. But Rome does not pay traitors and Catalans are not wanted in Spanish politics. Not even if they aim to be Spanish nationalists. I am dumbfounded that they hadn’t realised before, but ambition can easily lead to wishful thinking. Cheer up, Albert Rivera.
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(1) N.T. The author is mocking Catalan PP leader Alícia Sánchez, whose verbal and regional mannerisms are well-known to the average Catalan reader.
