And the dowry for the employers, President Illa?

First warning, just like in a bullfight. Foment del Treball, the Catalan employers' association, isn't entirely happy with the bull Salvador Illa is fighting as head of the Generalitat (Catalan government). With the petals of Sant Jordi still fresh, the president of the Catalan business community, Josep Sánchez-Llibre, broke off the wine-and-roses romance he had with the regional government. It's not that the love is over; it's known to be self-interested and therefore long-lasting. But as with all relationships that aspire to a future, it's best to adjust expectations to reality as soon as possible: "This isn't what we agreed on, my darling !"

So Foment, through its president, unleashed the artillery in Barcelona: in the Generalitat, there is a covert tripartite coalition working to promote the decline of Catalonia and threatening and attacking private property.

Listening to Sánchez Llibre, one would believe that the Soviets had taken over the Plaza Sant Jaume.

Curious positioning, anyone with a memory will think. It was only three months ago that Sánchez Llibre himself was applauding wildly at the conference in which the president of the Generalitat unveiled his economic model and program. Illa said then that with him at the helm of the Generalitat, Catalonia would once again be above the region governed by Isabel Díaz Ayuso in terms of economic growth and wealth creation. "That's exactly our proposal!" the Foment boss enthusiastically added. However, listening to him now, just 90 days later, one might believe that the Soviets have taken over Plaça Sant Jaume, that the collectivization of the means of production is already underway, and that soon the representatives of the employers' association will march toward an imaginary gulag located in the Franja de Ponent.

Neither too much nor too little. What has happened along the way? Well, a man doesn't live on fine words and a back brush alone. Foment believed that by now the airport expansion issue would be a clear-up issue and that with some minor gesture in tax matters—environmental, for example—the Generalitat would have shown a minimum of sensitivity in loosening the tax screws on companies based in Catalonia.

Far from it, parliamentary arithmetic has imposed its rules. And Salvador Illa has agreed to regulate, as he has no other option to survive in Parliament, tourist rentals, doubling the property transfer tax on the purchase and sale of homes in specific cases, or giving carte blanche to a reform of the tourist tax—whose implementation has been postponed since it was scheduled for May 1—that will make a substantial increase feasible.

Given this, Sánchez Llibre had no choice but to speak out: "This isn't the dowry we had agreed upon for the employers' association to join the presidential harem! Stability and institutional prestige are all well and good, as are companies returning to Catalonia. But none of that negates the rest, the employers' association reasoned.

After firing their blunderbuss at Illa on their own turf, the Catalan employers' association traveled to Madrid this Tuesday. There, a place where Illa's socialism is considered a haven of peace and good practices compared to Pedro Sánchez's, Foment (Republic of Catalonia) has outlined its statements with more nuances. More or less along these lines: what we said about the attack on private property is true, but Illa, even if he's out of tune because of the Comuns and ERC—bad company!—deserves trust because his score doesn't sound all that bad. Besides, he'll soon give us something to cheer about with the airport expansion, and we'll all be happy and happy. Half a barrel, half a barrel. Since this airport omelet requires breaking eggs, we'll see how far the Republicans and Comuns are willing to beat them.

Behind Sánchez Llibre's rants, the employers' dream of a Generalitat led by the Socialists, but with the support of Junts instead of the Republicans and Comuns, slumbers. This is an impossible scenario while Pedro Sánchez remains in power without fulfilling the demands agreed upon with Puigdemont, but even more feasible when he is ousted, if that ever happens. Incidentally, in this scenario, Catalan socialism would weep with one eye and would count its tears well. It would be equivalent to resetting Salvador Illa's time at the head of the Generalitat to zero and would position him as the sole and greatest opponent of the Spanish right. And that, in Catalonia, is tantamount to winning the jackpot.