The issue of the pardons is bringing out of worst in each part of the Spanish political class. In those who oppose it, obviously, because they are partly motivated by a visceral anti-Catalanism and a cheap electoralism after an unjust Supreme Court verdict. But also among the PSOE and in particular the prime minister, who, in an effort to make his own a measure in which he does not seem to believe but has ended up adopting partly due to his need for a parliamentary majority and partly to anticipate the tsunami of judicial rectification that is on its way from Europe, and, incidentally, to please the European chancelleries, which have long been calling for it.
This Wednesday, as part of this pilgrimage-like exercise initiated by Pedro Sánchez to justify the pardons before Spanish public opinion, he spoke from the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires, after an interview with the Argentinian president Alberto Fernández, delivering a few words that were enormously serious, unjust, false and painful. He asked Spaniards for understanding in the face of the pardons, and for magnanimity. That is, benevolence. That is, clemency. That is, generosity.
It will be necessary to turn off the radio and TV and shut out any statement that might be made from the Spanish government from now until the day they are granted if this is the explanatory level of what the Sánchez administration understands by the pardons to the nine political prisoners. It is an act of grace in the hands of the executive, which it can enact or not. However, giving guidance is not demanding magnanimity from Spaniards, but rather, explaining to them that there is a conflict between Catalonia and Spain, that the pardons do not resolve it, and that the government wants to correct a situation that it believes is unjust. This, no doubt, does not yield votes. But make no mistake, prime minister: Spaniards do not want to be magnanimous with the pro-independence prisoners, but nor do the prisoners want forgiveness from Spaniards who are against pardons because, as the jailed leaders have repeated more than once, they have not committed any illegality, the trial was far from a neutral hearing, and at least a few of them have already said they will do it again.
After what the pro-independence movement has suffered in recent years and what it still remains to suffer in terms of trials and massive fines - look at the calendar for the end of this month with the pardons (probably on the 22nd), the communication of the huge fine from the Court of Accounts to some thirty Catalan government and foreign ministry officials (probably on the 29th) and the interview between Sánchez and Aragonès (in theory, before the end of the month) - this shameless speech by the PSOE reveals the limits of realpolitik applied in Madrid. With all of this, as can be observed, the remainder of the month of June is turning into an exercise in high-wire walking in order for the pardons to provide a little air in Catalonia with the minimum damage to the PSOE in Spain.