A few more weeks

June 30th was the date. Not symbolic: agreed upon. The agreement between ERC and the PSOE for a new financing model included that commitment. But upon its arrival, there was no trace of the model. No document, no proposal, no guidelines. However, ERC isn't talking about a breakup. They're talking about a margin.

Oriol Junqueras, speaking from Bellpuig, asserted this weekend that if the PSOE needs "a few more weeks," then let them. Further evidence of the extent to which a segment of Catalan politics remains hooked on trusting in the endless credit of a state that doesn't pay on time but always collects in stability.

Illa is seen as the calm alternative, while others negotiate between resignations

The lowering of the bar is no accident. It's part of a long-standing shift in the political landscape. ERC has long been deciding to play the game of institutional responsibility, but in a Madrid-style version: less confrontation, more delay. This isn't new, but it's also striking, because the underlying message is clear: Catalonia can wait. Until after the elections. Until there's room. Until the balance of power improves. Until it's easier. But it's never explained when that will be.

Meanwhile, the State administers silence and oxygen quotas. It promises to listen, but doesn't write anything. It talks about singularity, but for everyone. And in Catalonia, we seem to have normalized the fact that what is agreed upon isn't fulfilled, but neither is it denounced. It's not likely that they'll be upset in Madrid. Or worse: that something will have to be done.

Unique financing is no longer a compelling demand, but rather an expectation with an expiration date that drags on like a prescription that no one dares to pick up at the pharmacy. And this in the midst of a country that has spent years learning to read headlines and knowing they won't happen. A country that no longer expects miracles, but perhaps (one might hope) does expect some dignity.

In this context, the PSC has the advantage. Dressed in the guise of moderation and the promise of efficiency, it can present as a historic gesture what in reality amounts to nothing more than maintaining a calm that suits it. In response, ERC offers others credit it doesn't have. It drags out deadlines, modulates its rhetoric, and avoids conflict.

Meanwhile, Salvador Illa manages to project an image of reliability. He sits at the tables posing as a solution, not a problem-solver. With a calm tone, he capitalizes on the confusion of others without even raising his voice. His leadership is discreet but effective: while others wear themselves out negotiating between resignations, he presents himself as a calm alternative. The result is not so much an ideological gain as one of perceived authority.

And in a few weeks, there may be a unique funding proposal. Or maybe not. But what already exists is a clear feeling that Catalan politics has entered a phase of voluntary submission, disguised as pragmatism. Because if even what is agreed upon isn't demanded, it's not that they're not giving it to you: it's that you don't deserve it.