22 Jun Ximo Puig and the rubber band’s theory
Source: Tribuna Libre
After the configuration of the new Valencian Government, we went from a cooperation executive with two represented formations (one functioning as a helper, supporting or beating the undertaken policies) to “The cabin of the Marx brothers”. It’s about a tripartite or a quadripartite if we split Unides Podem in its two parts: Esquerra Unida y Podem. Even a sixpartite, if it is that this word actually exists, if we break the coalition Compromís in all its components. A pure madness, which coordination will fall on the zen monk Ximo Puig, an easy-going man but not passive, who I expect, they will make him lose it in a few weeks.
If after half a dozen meetings, the only thing our brand-new rulers have achieved is to divide up the chairs and widen the number of departments to satisfy almost everyone, think about what is left about the second and third rung of the Consell’s management positions. Without mentioning consultants, technicians and managers of the different foundations. It will be tested the Administration’s elasticity or, rather, the budget of the Valencian Government.
The programmatic Botanic II’s deal has, for the moment, 131 measures against the 202 planned in the first edition. We’ll see if they meet the maxim which second parts never achieved meeting. For now, the botanical governmental model has been replicated in València, Castellón, Gandía or Elche. Nevertheless, it went up in smoke in villages like Sueca or Villalonga, an example for each house, not to talk about Muro de Alcoy, despite the threats of eviction proceedings, which, by the way, leaves aside the promises of governing for everyone and of establishing sanitary cordons.
In light of such diaspora of criteria and political movements, I’d recommend Ximo Puig that he leaves non-sense goodwill speeches apart. Rather, he should start applying the rubber band’s theory. Its functioning basically tells us that, in light of a difficult decision (and I am afraid they all will be in this Consell) instead of making the well-known pros and cons list, he should rather divide, on one side, what hold him, and, on the other side, what pulls him.
The risk is that the rubber band won’t hold, and the president of the Valencian region and its government will end up dismantled. A boomerang effect which the PSPV’s president intended in the three-way negotiation that was actually a six-way negotiation if we include the members of the different coalitions, which, as we clearly saw, also wanted their share of the pie. Chairs for everyone. Conselleria de Trasparencia for the EUPV, vice presidency for Podem, several positions at Les Corts for the Bloc, among others evidences.
The objective of Puig’s negotiators was that Compromís and Unides Podem would be torn apart while fighting over crumbs and departments harmful to the image or lacking content. Nevertheless, the government partners turned out to be quarrelsome and the objective could not be entirely achieved, for example, diluting Mónica Oltra’s presidency with the one of Rubén Martínez Dalmau. Another option was to leave her without a spokesperson, arguing an excessive workload to also take over the Department of Equality and Inclusive Policy, from which its functioning could suffer, being this one a very important social field. Something that didn’t worry them in the last mandate, by the way.
As always, what is convenient for Ximo Puig and, as a consequence, for the socialists, generally isn’t convenient for the rest of the partners. So, unfortunately, this air of perpetual confrontation is harmful for the Valencians too. Four years wasted; again.
CODA. The former PSPV candidate for Mayor, Sandra Gómez, warned at the beginning of the negotiations to reissue the Nau Pact to the already Mayor Joan Ribó (Compromís) that the cities “would not be built by just one hand”. A shame that it sounded too theatrical, maybe for its closeness to the Theater Rialto, because neither Ribó is one-handed, nor Sandra Gómez can demand something that won’t be given away as a counterweight of the autonomous government’s pact.
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Por José Antonio Giménez
Analista de MK Político
Sanserif.es