"We are not robots," said the vice president when the students attending the conference via Zoom, as reported by the journalist Alex Tort in La Vanguardia, asked him if there were conflicts between the health and economic ministries.

Aragonès was as sincere as possible in his explanations about the management of the pandemic, the elections and the future of Catalonia. From his office at the Palau de la Generalitat, he answered all the student’s questions:

Five key ideas to face the present

1. "We have to manage exhaustion, fatigue and uncertainty. We must avoid leaks in the future and act with the maximum possible knowledge and resources."
2. "The idea of ​​collectivity should be highlighted. We are a collective society, not individualities. The collective force will be what will allow us to overcome the challenge of COVID-19."
3. "The pandemic will affect the content of the election debate. They will talk about how it has been managed and the solution proposals and how we rebuild the country."
4. "We have an economy based on the service sector, which depends on international mobilization and social interaction and, for this reason, it has been so affected. From this we will come out with renewal projects based on innovation and in the sectors. However, there must also be financial help and it must arrive on time. "
5. "At this point, the independence movement needs a larger majority, stronger institutions (political and civil society) and greater international support.

Politics and life

During the hour or so that the meeting lasted, Tort writes, there were some students who worried about when the Camp Nou doors would open or why the churches were open and the theaters were not. But there were also unexpected questions: "Is it healthy, democratically speaking, that there are people who live all or part of their lives in politics?" Aragonès is clear: "It is good that there are limits and that political power is validated with elections and that there are mechanisms for returning to the usual workplace, because, otherwise, only the rich can be involved in politics." Regarding the elections, the candidate and national coordinator of Esquerra Republicana highlighted his willingness to address all citizens with the aim of creating strong alliances within Catalonia.

The Blanquerna - La Vanguardia talks are a cycle dedicated to reflecting on the future between today's leaders and those of tomorrow. An opportunity to bring the students of the Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations closer to current debates.