Mas and Rajoy agree to save dialogue until 9 November

Something was patched yesterday in the damaged relationship between the governments of Catalonia and Spain. Artur Mas and Mariano Rajoy had nearly two and a half hours of conversation to explain themselves, without a mediator in sight. They differ radically on the solution to the demands of the majority of Catalans, but agree on the necessity of avoiding a complete break for now-- or at least until 9 November, the date set for the consultation. Then the country will begin a new phase, and the actors will have to rethink their positions. Will that be the moment when the PP agrees to put a constitutional reform on the table?

Meanwhile, the objective is to keep the lines of dialogue open in order to follow "in a civilized manner" the advance of the Catalan political agenda. In his appearance at the seat of the government in Madrid-- where he answered all the questions from the press-- Mas made it very clear that any process implies evolution and has stages that must be respected. For that reason he refused to speculate on any Plan B: "There is only one plan, and that is to vote". The high point on the stretch of road that starts now will be 9 November.

He communicated to Rajoy that his determination has not changed since last year's meeting. That is, that he will call the referendum so that Catalans can decide which political future they want. He insisted that it will be under the umbrella of Catalan law, but that he would prefer "the British way"-- that is, agreed upon with the central government, as in the case of Scotland's referendum-- a scenario that seems impossible. In a press release, the Spanish government reiterated that "the consultation cannot take place, and will not take place" because, in their view, it is illegal. Aware of that immobility- a negative that has the support of the PSOE-, the Catalan president didn't even raise the possibility of negotiating a new date or new questions. In fact, he is assuming that the State will challenge the Catalan law of consultations in the Constitutional Court as soon as it gets the green light from the Catalan Parliament.

The clash of sovereignties is now a reality. The conflict was palpable in the Spanish capital as, with more or less conviction, the Madrid press have sold the image of a Catalan president weakened by the Pujol scandal. Yesterday Mr Mas reminded them that he gets his "strength" from "the people of Catalonia", and not from the fact that he is the political heir of the ex-president. To counter the often stereotyped image of a movement promoted by political elites, he pointed out that his legitimacy comes from social support, from a parliamentary majority after the 2012 elections and the agreement signed by CiU, ERC, ICV-EUiA and the CUP. He recommended that they take note of the mobilizations that will take place once again in Barcelona on 11 September.

Instability and the economy

The two governments will take a vacation before resuming the course that they have laid out, with their positions very well defined. Indeed, neither of the two had much room to maneuver or change course. Mas has a clear mandate from the people, as expressed at the polls, and Rajoy doesn't want to concede on a question that he considers nonnegotiable. Those around him are certain that any negotiation on questions of sovereignty- the line that can't be crossed for PP members and socialists-- will be seen as giving in to "blackmail".

In these circumstances, the two sides made an effort to compartmentalize this aspect-- aware of where each side stands-- and explore other channels of understanding in areas that affect the daily life of the people. "We have to be intelligent enough so that one thing doesn't affect the other", said Mas. The Spanish president also put the focus on "preserving a climate of trust", as "political instability" could jeopardize the economic recovery; hence the attempt to separate the negotiations from the inevitable political clash. Also, it is a nod to the business world, which has maintained constant contact with both sides, even during this year of strong disagreement between Barcelona and Madrid.

The Catalan government wanted to show their willingness to work together by presenting a list of 23 proposals for clearing pending issues. They deal with topics related to public finances, infrastructures, and the Catalan language, among others. Madrid promised to study them "with a constructive attitude" and to loyally maintain an "open collaboration". To find out whether this will is real or not, the Catalan side will give them until the end of the year. Some of the elements on the list, such as the debt of the regional liquidity fund, could begin to be resolved this afternoon, at the Council of Fiscal and Financial Policy.

"Today they did not close any doors", said President Mas. In his reasoning, there are two arguments at the heart of the matter that must be taken into account. The first: Solving some of these issues will also benefit the whole of Spain, as Catalonia is its economic engine. The second: to grease relations in day-to-day affairs could facilitate mutual understanding and thus help to find a solution to the political and territorial problems.

No sign of the third way

Of third ways, there was nothing. The Spanish president didn't offer any alternative proposal to go along with his rejection of the 9 November consultation. Mas made it clear that, over the years, Catalans have already made many attempts to fit in and that it was Madrid's turn now. "For now, there is nothing" admitted Mas. Not even a change in regional financing that Spain's Treasury has put on hold so as not to generate problems with the PP's regional barons. It remains to be seen if, down the road, the PP and the socialists will end up jointly considering the possibility of retouching the Constitution, and, especially, if that would satisfy the majority of Catalans. In any case, the president made it very clear that he wants to take things on step at a time. If the Constitutional Court rejects the consultation, then a new stage would begin-- "Perhaps the last".

Blanquerna relives the memory of the attack by far right extremists

For a few moments the Blanquerna Cultural Center yesterday relived the frightening events of last year's Diada (Catalan national holiday), when a group of right-wing extremists attacked the Delegation of the Catalan government in Madrid. Yesterday, a protester managed to enter the building in spite of the police security in place from early in the morning. From a distance he interrupted the president for a few seconds, shouting "Long live Spain" and "Mas is a traitor", while the president was giving a summary in Spanish of his meeting with Rajoy. The Falangist Youth (a fascist fringe group) took credit for the incident yesterday on Twitter: "The Blanquerna bookstore was heavily protected, but we managed to get in there".