“The Government has made a fool of itself by marketing the rights of all Spaniards without the Spaniards knowing what we have delivered today.” Alberto Núñez Feijóo has not spared forcefulness in evaluating the plenary session in which the Government has saved two of its three decrees in extremis, thanks to an agreement with Junts.
After having said that they would vote “no”, the independentists have ended up tipping the balance in exchange for several concessions from the Government.
For the president of the PP, this agreement between Junts and the PSOE, announced by the secessionists, represents confirmation that “the Government is presided over by a president without portfolio”, in reference to Carles Puigdemont. “Brussels has decided what, how and when it is approved. It is the first time that sovereignty is transferred outside of Spain,” he added.
In a statement to the media after the first vote on the decrees, Feijóo stressed that “it is terrifying to think what each week of the legislature will be like” from now on, after the transfers from the PSOE to Junts.
According to the Junts statement, the PSOE has given Catalonia immigration powers, a reduction in VAT on oil to 0%, the publication of fiscal balances, a legal reform so that companies that left in Catalonia can return to Catalonia. 2017 and a recognition of the “historical rights in matters of local government” of this community, among other measures.
Sources from the PP have later assured that the main opposition party is going to study taking to the Constitutional Court three aspects that it considers “actionable.” The first, the transfer of immigration jurisdiction, since, in his opinion, it could give Catalonia control of its own borders and the possibility of not accepting distributions of immigrants.
The second, the reform of the local administration regime tailored to Catalonia. The third, that the omnibus decree gives a period of five years to apply some of its most substantial modifications. According to the PP, this contravenes the constitutional obligation to justify the urgent need for the reform to do it via decree. And something that is postponed for five years in the same decree cannot be described as urgent.
The first additional provision of this decree ensures that “within five years”, public administrations “will guarantee interoperability between the systems at the service of the Administration of Justice, in accordance with the provisions of this royal decree-law.” And the third transitional provision adds that there is a maximum period of five years not to apply the new changes for the submission of files “in digital format that enables their downloading and reuse by the court, judicial office or tax office.”
For Feijóo, “the Government does not govern, it only markets.” “It is just a coalition of personal interests: Spain is in the hands of dozens of parties that do not trust each other… how can you govern like this?” he added.
Such is Feijóo’s disappointment in the face of this “grossness”, that he has stated that if he had known that this was politics, he would never have decided to be a politician.