Language Is Not The Issue

The Partido Popular, the Spanish equivalent of the British Conservative Party, is set to have a leadership battle in the Majorca and the Balearics. The mayor of Calvia, the never-retiring Carlos Delgado, will stand against the current leader, Rosa Estaras. All fine and boring except that one of Sr. Delgado's avowed aims is to see Balear (the term used for the islands' language) used in schools rather than Catalan. And yes, there is a difference, albeit that Balear is, in essence, a derivative of Catalan and little more than a dialect thereof.

This stance contrasts with that of failed national president candidate Mariano Rajoy who would rather have seen the back of all Catalan-style language. But one wonders quite why Sr. Delgado might wish to see this change. There are plenty of people (and parents) who would rather that Castilian was the main language. This is a pragmatic view, rather than a romantic or populist one. And here's the rub maybe. Sr. Delgado seems willing to play with education and futures by insisting on something that will have questionable support. Education seems to be something that politicians everywhere feel they can use as part of their ambition, whether the aim is right or wrong.

But this is really not the most important issue. The PP has suffered several setbacks locally over the past couple of years; the national elections saw the socialists overtake the PP in Majorca and elsewhere in the Balearics. The PP may well have to do some navel-gazing, but the language issue is missing the point by some way. Majorca is not a rabidly nationalistic island. Yes, the Majorcans wish to preserve their language, but it is not a subject that exercises them especially. The PP has far more important issues to address, not least the fact that the socialists have shown themselves to be far more in tune with contemporary society. The Balear question may play well with some circles, but it is not the thing that will put the PP back into a position of power.

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