The course in Congress began, but it was not just another day. This time the protagonist was not on the speaker’s platform, but on the desk of each individual MP, where he was resting since he was there early in the morning the Penguin. The translation system was introduced for the first time in Congress, with very different uses in the first plenary session, with the green light given for speaking in Catalan, Basque or Galician. For the Vox MPs it was a throwing weapon, for the PP MPs it was a useless element and for the majority of those who supported the initiative it was an ornament since few used it throughout the session. Or they cared little about what their Lordships said from the rostrum They had worked overtime to quickly become multilingual. The image of the earphones that lay on their Lordships’ table most of the time served to explain the futility of the reform in question.
As deputies walked the hallways, the common language continued to be Spanish. Greetings between politicians of different backgrounds, written in the common language before taking their seats in the hall. Accommodation that some have retained for short periods of time. Cuca Gamarra, spokesman for the PP, was the first to disgrace the presidency for violating the rules before changing them. The people referred to the articles that had regulated the use of language up to that point and asked Armengol who respected the law. An accusation that remained there as the president gave in to the speeches.
The use of the word “socialist” had only just taken hold José Ramón Gomez Besteiro when Vox spokeswoman Pepa Millán interrupted with an appeal to the regulation. “Article 172!” they shouted from Abascal’s bench, who was the first to get up to leave the room in the face of the president’s rudeness. On the way out, all the Vox MPs left their earphones on Pedro Sánchez’s empty desk as he was absent because he was in New York for the high-level UN week. The pile of translators had to be cleared away by the cameramen, who could not eliminate the embarrassment that was already inevitable at this point. «!You don’t have to come back” was heard from the bench to the left of the presidential office. Accusations that seemed like they were from another time.
From there, the podium hosted speeches in the various official languages of the territories. First with the already mentioned Besteiro, who did it in Galician and Spanish and goes down in history as the representative who introduced this norm in Congress (before it was even approved). According to him, the repertoire was endless. Not smokeable. A linguistic cocktail that at times made it difficult to follow the common thread of the arguments. The earbuds didn’t help either as they failed at times.
Was Gabriel Rufian, spokesman for the ERC, was the first to completely ban Spanish from his speech. He did it entirely in Catalan and that of course ensured that his jokes were laughed at during the delay. A trend that we have to get used to and that distorts the current parliamentary life. Because responding to a direct request is not the same as responding to a translator. The new politics.
Only a few earphones available
Either the majority of MPs cared little about what their representatives said at the lectern, or they had worked overtime to quickly become multilingual.
Strange, until he entered the scene Mertxe Aizpurúa Spokesman from EH-Bildu, hardly anyone used the earphones. Its origins in Basque It forced many to use the device for the first time, which was unprecedented on the popular bank.
The grumbling in Congress became clearer as the minutes progressed. For example, when the math teacher drags out his explanation and his scribbling becomes incomprehensible. Like I spoke Mandarin Chinese. Those students who disconnect when they don’t understand something were the deputies this Tuesday, unable to listen to each other in a plenary session designed to do exactly the opposite. Promote communication between Spaniards. At least that’s what the proponents of a rule announced, which soon caused a stir.
Abascal, outraged
The Vox MPs understood that it would be a good time to return to the chamber as soon as the interventions of the nationalists and independents had ended. They did it when Alberto Catalán (UPN) destroyed the division they wanted to achieve in Navarre by using Basque. Claim in Spanish followed by Borja Semper the one chosen by the PP to speak.
To everyone’s surprise, after a few minutes the Basque deputy started speaking Basque and translated himself, as was usual in Congress. A use of the word that outraged Mr. Abascal, who got up from his chair again and left the room. This departure was not in the script, so his followers were slow to follow him, but they did it to the delight of nationalists and independence advocates, who were happy to have provoked so much ridicule from the right. «Those who left are the same ones who kicked us out of class when we spoke Basque. otherwise they would put us in prison. We have made some progress,” said the PNV representative.
Their Lordships’ boredom grew with increasing multilingual accusations, turning the plenary session into a coming and going of MPs to the toilet, to smoke or to drink coffee. The same as always, but in different languages. Some even had time to talk on their cell phones without noticing what their colleagues in the stands were saying. More than a multilingual camera, it looked like a cage full of crickets.
A farce that has become embroiled in errands due to the cost of translations, flags or the speed of processing this rule. “They could have been in just as much of a hurry to act on the ALS bill, but they delayed it for 42 weeks.” ALS patients can wait, but their earbuds can’t. The rise in oil or fuel prices can wait. They are hypocrites in the pursuit of power». The words of José María Figaredo (Vox) ended the debate after three hours of argument in four languages. Of course, the vote only took place in one language and there the expected yes of the left, the nationalists and the separatists won (176) and 169 against, with two abstentions. The perfect drawing of the current political map of Spain.
At the exit, when the hallways were buzzing, the language was Spanish again, what The same applies to meeting and eating or talking to a fugitive.. Life goes on. Or almost.
