Justice is in human and contemporary hands. His sentences may be historical, but they do not constitute the judgment of history, which requires the time and work of historians, until the end of the matter and even the interest. From the material distilled, over the years, and once sources and documents have been exploited, a certain amount of history can be extracted, the truth of which little can be said.
Now Jordi Pujol appears in court with his six children. We know how long you spent 23 years as head of government of Catalonia. We cannot discuss his contribution to the democratic transition, his poise as the creator of Catalan autonomy, or his contribution to government, first with González and with Aznar, but in confusing times like the present, the only thing that is certain is that there is no final judgment on his work.
His most lasting political merits do not seem to have much to do with the accusations that burden him, although it is known to all that those years were a wonderful opportunity to enrich his large family, from which Nadi emerged with his liberal career, his scientific career, his artistic, civic or charitable works, as well as his skill. As for operating in the presidential shadow of the priest, a contradictory figure like many others of his time, King Juan Carlos went no further.
As is often the case, justice arrives late and poorly. If we listen to public opinion, the penalty will be imposed. For some, these are venial sins, exploited by the “National Police” to get in the way. practical Perhaps blackmailing the National Patriarch would have forced him to oppose secession, in which case the exact opposite would have happened. For others, it is the last chance to enter the world of the Pujolista’s protracted personal power, characterized by a dearth of reporting, poor transparency and a systematic inheritance of Catalan power and Catalonia itself, to the point of placing one of their own sons at the top of their party, including with claims of succession.
The memory of history, carved by the great sculptor that is time, falls. Sometimes they deceive appearances, as Hubera succeeded in the case of the former president’s death before the media explosion of the scandal. If the fixed image of the last point was glorious, in the current circumstances it would be painful and humiliating, as well as fragile.
It is difficult for someone to spend so much time in power, not finding the right moment to give up comfort, and instead be able to attempt abuse and corruption. Even more so if it is under the pressure of family greed, which increases as the children grow. As often happens in political history, it is disproportionality that leads the powerful to destroy their prestige, and sometimes even to devalue their work.