Separated at birth

Mariana Mortágua had a knack for irritating the right. Scathing, caustic, and accompanied by a good dose of haughtiness, arrogance, and arrogance as she defended sectarian, economically, and financially inconsequential positions, Mortágua could exasperate the most calm person on Earth. The recent elections left her in a politically weakened position, but her model established itself and left behind successors.

Once the left ceased to be politically and culturally dominant, it's no surprise that its more histrionic style was appropriated by the new populist right. And since in politics, it's not just styles and ideas that matter, but also people (or characters), Mortágua's manners and manners were embraced by someone who, on the opposite side of the National Assembly, reflects the same astuteness.

Always ready to fuel any controversy that sparks her own, Rita Matias condemned the €16,000 salary that Catarina Furtado earns monthly from RTP. She did so after Catarina Furtado accused her of expressing an opinion on the demolitions in Loures without knowing what she was talking about. The Chega MP's response was immediate and harsh, as we've become accustomed to with Mariana Mortágua. But the most curious thing wasn't the similarity in the manner of the response. It was, above all, the content of that response.

Rita Matias criticized Catarina Furtado's excessive salary, which is paid by us, the taxpayers, as the TV presenter works for RTP. Like Mortágua, the focus of her criticism focused on the salary as a way to discredit and diminish someone's opinion. Like Mortágua, Matias considers it normal and appropriate for a politician to have a say in the salary of a journalist or television professional. Like Mariana Mortágua, Rita Matias doesn't consider the possibility that RTP is a private television station and Catarina Furtado's salary ceases to be a public and political issue. Like Mortágua, Rita Matias uses the misuse of public funds to benefit her political discourse while simultaneously promoting the causes that give rise to it.

For years, the concerns of ordinary citizens living outside the cultural and political bubble were ignored. It was an inexcusable mistake, and it's fair to pay dearly for it. But it's also a mistake to pretend that they are different people with the same mindsets, despite having been separated at birth.