Only a political survivor, someone used to being repeatedly reborn from the ashes, like Pedro Sánchez, would have made such a risky decision as to burn his bridges with the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) and throw himself into the arms of Inés Arrimadas. The fifth extension of Spain's state of alarm has been passed by the Congress of Deputies, and the PSOE-Podemos government breathes easily again thanks to the Basque Nationalists (PNV) and Arrimadas's Ciudadanos (Cs). Apparently, the same way as in the fourth extension, since the Spanish government also secured the same votes in Congress on that occasion. But the resemblance is deceptive, because if on that occasion ERC had decided from the beginning to vote no and negotiation was quickly ruled out, this time, the pro-independence Catalan party put some conditions on the table that made the party think it might achieve heart-attack deal at the last minute.
So what happened? Sánchez first chose a partner and then, without reason, he incomprehensibly turned away from the party that had paved the way for his re-election. The legislature is very young - just over six months - and the economic crisis on the horizon, not to mention the health one, is grave and, as such, should impede definitive and forceful changes. Another factor is that what Sánchez does today can be very different from what he does tomorrow. But how much longer do you think his credibility will last with this inconsistent and irresponsible attitude? I take it that at some point, when someone twists his arm, the dialogue table between Spanish and Catalan governments will be recovered, the promise Sánchez made in his investiture, and which he has now pledged with Ciudadanos to leave quietly in a drawer. Should he be believed?
Sánchez is turning right with the same conviction as when he looked to the left - in Podemos's shoes I would start being concerned - a few months ago. The most professional of all the deputies sitting in the Spanish Congress, the PNV leader Aitor Esteban, who has an oratory ability which more than notable, made perhaps one of his worst speeches ever on Wednesday to justify his sí vote. His speech was too simplistic for such a brilliant parliamentarian, but it was all too clear that the Basque politician had little to get his teeth into. Very different, for example, from the successful intervention of ERC's Rufián, who exuded irritation with Sánchez's decision.
We will have to wait and see what political movements are made in the days ahead. Also, to find out if the damage done by the state of alarm vote is superficial or, on the other hand, more profound. In any case, the question remains: with such a slim majority, was Sánchez's move worth it?