Two facts have drawn my attention to me this last month: the first, the proposal presented by Arantza Quiroga, president of the People’s Party of the Basque Country, and the second, the one presented in the Catalan Parliament. Both have common characteristics: one is the presentation of a courageous initiative to clarify the future, to facilitate coexistence or to overcome some limits. Two, against both initiatives, have been similar reactions and responses to stop and hinder them. Both have parallels.

Quiroga was in charge of proposing in the Basque Parliament the working group or committee on Freedom and Coexistence. What was most striking and daring was that the proposal was addressed to all parties represented in Parliament, including EH Bildu, and instead of calling for the “rejection” of the violence, it demanded its clean “rejection”. Beyond terminological issues, it was clear, as Quiroga stated when he resigned, that he wanted to overcome the current situation, that he tried to change the People’s Party to become an instrument of coexistence. After all, its intention was to reach a broad agreement between all parliamentary groups through the principles and values necessary to guide freedom and coexistence in the Basque Country. Although it seemed reasonable – and daring, of course – it was not long before a violent reaction came from Madrid, an order of withdrawal – as Quiroga herself acknowledged – and with it his resignation and the maintenance of the position of the People’s Party. What came from Madrid was precisely the closure of the possibilities for progress, the persistence of the problem and, therefore, the obstruction or delay – or at least the desire – the future.

On the other hand, in the Parlament of Catalonia, Junts Pel Yes and the Cup, by majority, have agreed on the first step to start creating the Catalan Republic. I am not going to enter into that agreement now, but I am going to say that this parliamentary majority is responding to the commitment it made in the elections on 27 September and that, therefore, I should not be surprised.

What worries me is, once again, the reaction of the State – the Spanish Government and several political parties – to this agreement and the response being given to it. On the one hand, it is clear that Catalonia will be the central theme of the elections on 20 December, and to that end some have decided that they will “share” the answer in case of any other, so that no one will win or lose with this fat issue. That is how I see the position of the government, the PP, the PSOE and the Citizens: The issue of the state, all united – at least in principle – and all ready to stop the roadmap drawn up for the independence of the Parlament de Catalunya. A different answer – in principle – that given by Podemos or United Left, of course.

They have told us that they will exhaust all the possibilities offered by legislation so that these kinds of initiatives do not go ahead. This means, firstly, that they will come to the Constitutional Court and, perhaps later, under Article 155 of the Constitution, the Government, with the absolute majority of the Senate, will be able to take the appropriate steps to compel the Community of Catalonia to fulfil its role.

Of course, what they want is to prevent and prohibit the future of Catalonia from materialising. As if the future of any person or people were in the hands of the Government. Fortunately, the future is built in auzolan.