The sea will boil

The unbearable lightness of knowing what we think. The days leading up to Manacor have been intense. The sea has boiled, like a casserole in the oven, in the apocalyptic Ausiès-Marché style. The local cultural organization has canceled a conference on Chuetas and antisemitism because the speaker was to be the historian, and also self-proclaimed Zionist (that's how she describes herself, the label isn't mine), Laura Miró. The episode is incredibly complex, and nothing I say about it will escape accusations of being a Zionist or a Palestinian terrorist from supporters of both sides. I'm not aiming for neutrality. I want a free and sovereign Palestinian state. I'm disgusted by the genocide that the Israeli state is perpetrating against what some still cynically call "Holy Land." I don't want Israeli colonization of that territory, just as I don't want Spanish colonization of ours. Between the state and the oppressed people, my choice is clear. Cancellation is another matter entirely. It drives me crazy that we don't let someone speak, especially when we've already invited them to share their perspective (wasn't this the initial mistake?). If we've reached the point where we can't listen to each other, where we can't speak frankly, with all the nuances, all the complexities, and all the controversies in the world, then we've lost our way in this whole mess.

Orriols vs. Garcés. "These aren't proposals for change, they aren't proposals for transformation, but rather interventions to prevent the loss of the white race, to prevent the loss of a certain language, the loss of the rights of the indigenous people. It's an intervention based on an imaginary of loss: we lose privileges, we lose resources, we lose pensions, we lose customs, we lose our identity..." The philosopher Marina Garcés spoke in this way about the narrative constructed by far-right parties. The boss takes us directly to Sílvia Orriols, the mayor of Ripoll who will shatter all records in the upcoming regional elections in the Principality of Catalonia. At first glance, of course, it's unsettling to see "language, customs, and identity" alongside "privileges, resources, and pensions." But don't worry, the one who cleverly put them together wasn't Garcés (who, by the way, has been bombarded on social media for these comments) but Orriols herself. Defending one's identity against a repressive state isn't a far-right position. Doing so against the latest migrant who's just arrived penniless, of course it is.

Picornell vs. Pons. From two women to two men. Climent Picornell published a fascinating piece last week (is there any office that isn't?) about the demographic bombshell that has exploded in the Balearic Islands over the last twenty years. The San Juan-born teacher offers no solutions, and prudently and cautiously distances himself from partisan electoralism and various lukewarm approaches. However, he does warn that democratic forces need to articulate a narrative (and actions) that bravely confronts the demographic issue. "Can't we talk about demography? Are we racist for that?" Practically 50 percent of the archipelago's population was born outside the Balearic Islands, and this "makes it difficult to coordinate this growth with the provision of public services." The process also "has consequences for shaping the collective mentality," Picornell warns us, while at the same time asserting that "it will continue, because to avoid a demographic winter, the Balearic Islands need immigration. If they don't send immigrants, the collapse is inevitable." Pere Antoni Pons, for his part, addressed the debate in an article published in Latest NewsThis refers to the "denationalization" of left-wing sovereignism, which contrasted sharply with the emergence of the brand-new Coalition for Mallorca led by Lladó and Miralles—two Juans who, in their youth, seemed to move with ease within sovereignist social democracy, but who now, dazzled by the tourism industry and the profits of identity politics and the liberal economy, find themselves with the crocodiles of racism and xenophobia ready to devour them at the slightest distraction. Returning to the initial idea of the "denationalization of the left," I believe it is dangerous to endorse a narrative that disconnects a sense of national identity from the yearning for social justice. I'm not saying that the brilliant bell ringer does this; he simply states the facts. But a rebellion against right-wing national hyperventilation is necessary: yes, we can both aspire to be and simultaneously aspire to transform, because both concepts move in the same direction: liberation from the yoke of Spain and liberation from the neoliberal and capitalist yoke.

Pedro Antoni Pons said that if the new Coalition for Mallorca "avoids the temptation of becoming the lobby for tourist rentals, if it knows how to satisfy the desire for a return to order and the preservation of the public system demanded by a significant part of the population without endorsing authoritarian policies, then it may have room to maneuver." And what worries me is that this new party will have room to maneuver if it "endorses authoritarian policies," because votes, when it comes to winning elections, are even more tempting than money.