• Lower House The independence movement uses the premiere of the co-official languages in Congress to boast of being "different nations"
  • Politics Vox leaves Congress and leaves the pinganillos in the seat of Sánchez and Borja Sémper uses Basque to address Bildu

On day 1 d. C. (after Spanish as the only language) of the Congress, the PP joined by surprise to the simultaneous translation. It happened in three passages in Basque of Borja Sémper's speech. The honourable Member - a rookie in the gallery of the Chamber - wanted to point out that there is no need to amend the Rules of Procedure in order to be able to introduce single phrases in the co-official languages, provided that the speaker himself translates them at point-blank range.

However, Sémper's gesture, aimed at the PNV and Bildu, did not please most of the parliamentarians of his own group. Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo didn't even applaud. There was "stupefaction" in the popular bench, because they did not understand that the PP wanted to prevent it from being spoken in the co-official languages before reforming the regulation and, nevertheless, Sémper did so in a part of his speech.

This is attested by several deputies contacted by this newspaper. "It was an unusual and very serious mistake. The astonishment among the Members is total. In all sectors. Veterans and young people. Hard and soft. It is incomprehensible," says a deputy with several legislatures already behind her. Another Member is even harsher: "It was nonsense. You have an opportunity to say four things well... and you go out there?" "It has left Cuca [Gamarra] bad, who has said that we must take away the word of those who speak in the co-official languages before the reform comes into force," he adds. Indeed, the PP spokeswoman had argued that you can not start doing something that has not yet been approved. Yesterday only the vote was taken to take the reform into consideration.

OPINION

Run the mile.

The common is already a whisper

  • Writing: RAFA LATORRE

The common is already a whisper

The criticisms compiled by this newspaper are very abundant. "People are outraged. A debate that we had won we have lost again. You say two words in Basque, you translate yourself and explain that now you can do that, but do half of the speech in Basque ...", laments another of the best-known deputies of the conservative bench. "Everyone was upset" when they heard it, he adds.

"Instead of talking" about the trampling of the rules of the House, "we are talking about Sémper's speech," adds another parliamentarian. "We haven't understood it," says another. Especially because on Monday, at a press conference in Genoa, Sémper assured that the PP would not do "the canelo" and would speak in Spanish. "Have you done the canelo today?" another deputy prodded after the plenary session ended. "It has been contradictory," he concluded.

At the weekend it was decided that it would be Sémper who would speak. "He is the message," they explain in Genoa. He had moved to the leadership that it would include a paragraph in Basque (not three) to "evidence" that "it is not about promoting languages but about promoting a candidate", as a leader of Genoa said later. The PP removes iron to the controversy ensuring that his group "is plural". "It is difficult to find someone who can give Borja lessons in political courage," they add. "If 70% of your group does not understand you and you have to explain yourself, you have made a mistake," ditches a deputy.

  • Congress of Deputies
  • Politics
  • Borja Semper