From institutional mistrust to populism

The gradual abandonment of dialogue and understanding has fuelled misunderstandings and the loss of trust between the two major constitutionalist parties, which has led to the introduction on the political scene of a behaviour that we could call "confrontation for electoral gain".

Since then, the constructive climate that characterised our coexistence for decades has been steadily deteriorating, replacing it with tension in the way politics is conducted, the most damaging effects of which can be seen, among others, in the dilapidation of international prestige, in the weakness of the economy and in the decline of social relations.
Our coexistence is now governed by the rhetoric of manipulation and confusion, methods which, when properly applied, are often effectively destructive.

That is why I believe that it is urgent for "leaders" to desist from the manipulation that involves pretending to seek agreements which, being inapplicable, make them appear as victims of the intransigence of the adversary; and from that other tactic, as harmful as the previous one, consisting of making people believe that any political relationship with the adversary contaminates, in other words, in a kind of sociological "noli me tanguere", because it is extremely corrosive.

We are living in an era marked by the financial crisis of 2008, largely a consequence of the policies that had to be implemented to avoid the bailout of Spain by the European Union.

Its effects exacerbated the discontent of Spaniards due to the uncertainty of their employment future, the reduction of social rights, the impoverishment of a large sector of the middle class and the lack of prospects for young people to build a future for themselves.

This situation generated great disorientation, pessimism and mistrust in society towards the traditional political options, due to their inability to reach agreements to solve their pressing problems.

These were the reasons that led to the emergence of populisms such as those represented by VOX and Podemos.

Another of today's major problems is the seditious disloyalty exercised by the Catalan pro-independence supporters against the Constitution and their own Statute of Autonomy, a populist action based on discrimination against those other Catalans who do not share their political criteria, whose rights and freedoms have been limited, as enshrined in the legal system and international treaties.

These actions are similar to those practised by the ill-fated Franco dictatorship.

Applying methods similar to those of authoritarianism, the pro-independence parties have endeavoured to convey a false picture of Spain in the international arena, with such distorted messages as "the Spaniards prevent the Catalan people from exercising their right to self-determination" or "the Catalans are subjected to repression by the Spaniards".

I will not go into the fallaciousness of these statements, which are aimed at attracting ignorant followers unaware of reality, but I will denounce the weakness of Spanish governments in re-establishing legality, putting an end to persecution and the generation of hatred, and restoring freedom for all Catalans, including those who oppose independence.

Because of my ideological proximity and my Catalan background, I direct this criticism especially at the current government, which I once again call on to seek an alliance with constitutionalist forces and avoid the unwanted pressure to which it is periodically subjected by pro-independence MPs in exchange for its support.

This would also avoid the humiliation caused to the vast majority of its voters by the scandalous declarations of Pablo Iglesias, until a few days ago Vice-President of the Government, in favour of the agitators who, with their mobilisations, have prevented the majority of Catalans from exercising their rights, albeit in the name of a democracy which, like the one he proclaims with the seditionists, is an exclusionary democracy in which only those who share the same criteria and dreams have a place.

The tribal spirit of the independentistas - who dedicate themselves to persecuting those who do not share their dogma - is the basis on which the hatred that precedes authoritarianism is forged.

The persecution suffered by intellectuals, journalists and, in general, people who disagree with the criteria of the Catalan secessionists is the palpable demonstration that they seek to impose a "regime" that curtails the pluralism that characterises liberal democracies, based on a single way of thinking, their own. It is a premeditated attack on institutions and the rule of law. 

Unfortunately, we are witnessing the ceremony of the confusion of certain political behaviour based on extremely puerile principles.

How else to explain the generalised positions of certain parties that stigmatise VOX, a party with which I do not agree, and yet do not hesitate to make a pact with ERC, which, along with other pro-independence parties, has become the heretic's hammer of dissenters.

A very worrying variant is the polarisation installed in current politics based on the fallacious assertion that anything that does not coincide with left-wing populism or separatists is Francoism, just as anything that is not in line with right-wing populism is communism.

It is shocking that the simplicity of this animosity has extended to the behaviour of large groups of fellow citizens, including journalists and the media, as evidenced by the statements justifying the aggression against VOX representatives who were assaulted at an election rally.

Curiously, those who violated freedom of expression were not radically criticised, but the seriousness of the attacks was attenuated because it was a "provocation" to express oneself in a territorial area with a supposedly opposing ideological majority.

It sounds like that scandalous claim from the 1970s that sexual abuse and rape of women was mitigated by claiming that it was the women who were guilty because they were provocative because they were wearing miniskirts.

I believe that in these difficult times, exacerbated by the dreaded pandemic and its consequences, the time has come to put an end to the widespread "adiaphorisation", i.e. the moral indifference of the behaviour of many of today's political and social leaders, a behaviour that has unfortunately permeated the opinions expressed on social networks.

It is extremely disturbing how the most elementary Manichaeism has taken root in sectors of our society that are assumed to have a high intellectual level, reducing reality to a simple radical opposition between good and bad, with good being what I think or represent, and bad being what others represent or think.

Unfortunately, this is the quickest way to put an end to civilised coexistence and perpetuate confrontations with such disastrous results as history has shown us.

It is time for us to demand the reinstatement of "the ethics of responsibility" and it is also time to put an end to the "dictatorship of mediocrity" that seems to reign in our country, in Spain, at present.

To this end I will continue to devote, to the best of my ability, all my energies and intellectual resources in the hope that we can gradually but inexorably recover the respect and civic sense necessary to consolidate an advanced democratic society.

Pedro Bofill, former Socialist MEP and Member of the European Parliament.