Elisenda Alamany i Carme Gomila: "In Barcelona, we will charge a tourist tax of 15 euros: the PP and Vox have so little regard for the Islands that they are asking for one."

PalmThe general secretary of ERC and president of the Republican group in Barcelona, ​​Elisenda Alamany, is in Palma this Tuesday to attend the events commemorating Mallorca Day, December 31st. She is accompanied by the president of Esquerra in the Balearic Islands and councilor in the Manacor City Council, Carme Gomila. They advocate sovereignty as an ideal inseparable from social rights and speak of the "entire nation," referring to the Catalan Countries.

How does she interpret the rejection by the PP and Vox on the Diada on December 31st?

— Elisenda Alamany [EA]What the PP and Vox are doing is trying to relegate our culture to the margins, to a mere folklore. We demand a strong, living language, deeply rooted everywhere. That's why we're here. It's a time for celebration, but also for standing up against the attacks on our language.

— Carme Gomila [CG]We are not afraid of attacks from the right and the far right. The rights we have fought so hard to achieve are constantly being questioned within our institutions. This should give us more strength than ever to take to the streets.

What role should Esquerra Republicana play in the Balearic Islands?

— EAThe left-wing sovereignist movement in the Balearic Islands has taught us a lesson in Catalonia at a time when we are reflecting on the role of independence. It has brought to the forefront what 'sovereignty' truly means: how we preserve our identity as a globalized, tourist-oriented society, how we manage this tourism, how we develop a strategy to increase the social use of Catalan, and how we stand up to the People's Party (PP) and Vox, who want to carve up the territory. This is the agenda that the independence movement in Catalonia must embrace. Esquerra Republicana (ERC) will, as always, support these projects rooted in each territorial reality. The guarantee that Esquerra must have within the Más coalition is to gain sovereignty at every step and to raise the bar for statehood.

How has the Process affected the sovereignty movement in the rest of the Catalan Countries?

— EAEsquerra is the only party with a true commitment to understanding the entire nation. We have a 95-year-old party with broad appeal, a coherent national discourse, and values that it defends throughout the territory. This project adapts to the political and electoral realities of each region. We are currently experiencing a reactionary wave where we must ground these struggles for sovereignty in order to be of service to the middle and working classes across the Catalan Countries. The economic and productive model is also key to beginning to envision a new country, which is what the independence movement envisions. This is the path we must take, rather than dwelling on what we have likely failed to address.

How do you assess the relationship with MÁS, and especially with Vicenç Vidal, a member of parliament integrated into Sumar in Congress?

— CGBoth Esquerra and MÁS, through this affiliation with Sumar, are the only movements capable of giving meaning to the word sovereignty. In the political presentation Approved at the last congress, we developed a very clear narrative based on three pillars: home, work, and island. We aspire to be able to speak of a concept of nation that is in no way exclusive, but quite the opposite. We want a whole nation.

What did Esquerra defend at the assembly where the MAS grassroots members were decide that Vidal should remain within Sumar?

— CGEsquerra was in favor of leaving the Sumar plurinational parliamentary group. But we must respect the sovereign decisions made in assembly.

Are you in favor of forming a common left-wing front in the State?

— EAI prefer to talk about people rather than parties. The left must be a useful political force, one that knows how to connect with people's common sense. This is the work we must do. We are more interested in doing this than in thinking about electoral alliances. It's not on the table.

Should the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community, and Catalonia form a united front on the new funding model?

— EASometimes we talk about special funding as a battle between political parties. It's a debt we owe to the citizens of our country. Without the necessary resources, we cannot usher in a new era of prosperity, neither in Catalonia nor anywhere else. We must continue fighting on all possible fronts for better funding, while also emphasizing that all these resources must serve to strengthen sovereignty and put it at the service of the people.

The Balearic Islands have complained that ERC negotiated the special financing bilaterally with the PSOE.

— EAWe can't do this work for other parties. We do it for all the citizens of Catalonia, and we expect those who govern for their people to explain whether they will truly fight for more resources for their territories. Let me illustrate with an anecdote. Today I went to a hotel where I paid a tourist tax of one euro. Is it really that small, Palma or Manacor? Do their leaders love their land so little that they charge tourists only one euro? Is this the way things are going back? In Barcelona, ​​in 2028, a tourist will pay 15 euros. Is it really that different? When left-wing pro-independence forces have been in power, they have been the first to raise this issue.

Will this increase curb the city's tourist saturation?

— EAWe support tourism taxes because they signal authority and respect for the places tourists visit, but above all, because of the return on that money. We support increasing these taxes and explaining to citizens the economic benefits of this activity. This money should be used to mitigate the current negative impacts of tourism on this city. Taxation and limits, cruise ships and visitors. We've reduced the number of visitors to Park Güell by half a million. The right and far right are proving to be a disaster and utterly unpatriotic. Governing tourism is also about loving your country.

Is ERC willing to approve Salvador Illa's budget? And Pedro Sánchez's?

— EASánchez must fulfill his commitments to Catalonia, and so must Isla. This isn't a debate about the Socialist Party and ERC, but about whether Spain is meeting Catalonia's demands. First and foremost, there's the issue of special funding. They must also honor the commitments made in the investiture agreement. As they do so, we'll move forward. When they haven't, there hasn't been a budget.

Should the budgets move forward if they fail?

— EAIf the Socialist Party doesn't resolve the issue of special funding, it will face continuity problems. But I'm optimistic and convinced that ERC will secure funding for our country. It will be remembered in history.

How is the rise of Aliança Catalana viewed from the perspective of left-wing sovereigntism?

— EAI'm not worried about this party, but about the people who vote for it. There's a sense of unease among the middle and working classes. We must listen more closely and respond to them. There's a need to talk about identity in a process of globalization, depersonalization, and individualization. We must talk about identity understanding it in progressive terms, in terms of community, and in terms of defending the Catalan language as an element of social cohesion. Nothing defines our identities more than where we were born. Nothing generates more inequality than denying you the ability to speak your own language. Identity and social justice are two issues we must address in the face of the despair, unease, and anguish of the middle and working classes. In this way, reactionary, divisive, and exclusionary political projects, which have never been part of what Catalonia is, will gradually lose strength.

What do you think about Joan Lladó (former leader of Esquerra in the Balearic Islands) currently being at the head of SOM, a party that He opposes immigration?

— CG: It's pointless to talk about a nation if the rights of the LGBTQ+ community or migrants aren't taken into account. I'm very surprised to see Lladó giving a speech against the tourism model when he owns hotels. They don't aspire to propose a new economic model; it's the same old one, and the same rhetoric that the PP and Vox parties would use. SOM Mallorca speaks of identity in very reductionist, regionalist terms. The sovereignty we aspire to represent is independent of everyone's starting point.

— EAThere is a contradiction between those who want to call themselves sovereignists or separatists, but who, on the other hand, renounce the leadership in the fight for rights that sovereignty and independence have traditionally undertaken. The raison d'être of sovereignty is to be a better country. When I listen to Juan, I see a politician very similar to a politician from Madrid. So much baggage wasn't necessary for this trip.

How can MÁS per Mallorca surpass theirs? electoral ceiling?

— CGIn Mallorca, there are many more people who think like us, and we must show them that the best option is MORE for Mallorca. If you ask people what problems affect us, they'll say housing, language, tourism. We must offer real solutions and ensure people see an immediate impact.

— EAWe've seen the flaws of laboratory politics. This is a marathon, not a sprint. The projects that achieve broad appeal are those that are deeply rooted and have been painstakingly working for a long time. ERC has 95 years of history. Left-wing sovereignty is consolidating itself as a solid alternative, one that doesn't make sudden changes. It has principles, values. As it progresses, as it becomes a solid project, and as it connects with the concerns of the people, it will grow and connect with more people.

What is the overall assessment of the term in office in Manacor?

— DCWe have persevered and even increased our vote share compared to 2019. We have very limited resources from the regional institutions and are facing significant challenges. Similarly, it is good news that Manacor plays such a vital role in the collective project that is MÁS. We have reached a point where we have a degree of legitimacy, a track record, and a well-established project.