A less than responsible minister

The slip by Defence Minister, Pedro Morenés, insinuating in an arrogant and bullying tone that if we Catalans are good there will be no need for the army to intervene, added one more voice to this disconcerted pot of crickets into which the Spanish state has transformed while trying to prevent the Catalan people from deciding their future, especially if that decision involves gaining independence. The Spanish authorities have long since missed the opportunity to present a convincing argument to demonstrate that the Catalan people have any reasonable offer to fit within Spain rather than insults, slights and permanent economic and cultural punishments. The possibility of acting without arrogance ruled out, the escalation of broadsides and threats seems to be unstoppable, and yesterday's, hastily denied by vice president Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, is not only an exaggeration the state knows it cannot make real but demonstrates that an increasing number of Rajoy's executive have lost the plot.

So many years wanting to pretend that there is nothing wrong in Catalonia have convinced the liars of the lie, and now they open their eyes astonished by a reality that is falling down on them with a democratic and peaceful force they have no weapon to fight against, because the only possible weapon to fight the polls are not used by the military. Yesterday's slip was more the result of nerves than a real threat, the only one that the state knows with certainty that is false and inapplicable as it would destroy the little credibility it has left in terms of democratic quality.