"What a cross to bear," the one that fell upon us with the darned debate about whether or not to remove the cross from Plaza de Las Palmas, because of historical memory and its links to Francoism, that which almost no one should have in their memory anymore
The truth is that, laws, norms, or patrimonial issues aside, common sense dictates to me that the presence or absence of that cross was unlikely to be a cause for concern for almost anyone, not even the most republican, nor do I believe the expenditure of resources that has been made is necessary; for the moment, to remove it first and then to replace it, perhaps pending its re-signification —which is the buzzword used to legitimize the permanence of what were Francoist symbols— and who knows if to remove it again, as some insist. What a fuss about the cross's relationship with the darkest past of Spain's not-so-recent history, and hence my renaming it the Black Cross.
I understand well those who consider it a mere religious symbol that is part of the urban landscape they traverse, and they are the majority among the regular users of the square — something we shouldn't forget, since we're being so memory-democratic — as it is located right in front of the island's most important religious temple, the church of San Ginés. I understand less those who, after resurrecting Franco and the civil war (not to be confused with the just demand to restore the dignity of those still in ditches and mass graves), suddenly find its presence an offense, and I understand to a lesser extent those who simply consider it a hindrance to the clear use of the square, although the latter are motivated by more playful-festive than memory-related reasons.
Personally, I couldn't care less what they do with the Black Cross, but I did find its restoration —complete with photos and a municipal press release— to be a calculated shame, coinciding with the day the agreement was signed for the White Cross nursing home to become a reality —likewise with photos and an island council press release— although this latter one does matter to me, a great deal, as it will represent a new and much-needed care resource to assist people in that stage of life we will all reach, and to which more and more of us will join: old age.
The island's PSOE continues to entertain the public with its memoirs and false narratives, such as its supposed commitment to social welfare and care for the dependent — after keeping all the island's NGOs that provide this care in suspense for 4 years, renouncing the social agreement with them and not even resolving the contract for the Tahiche nursing home, which they found awarded in 2019. On the other hand, from Coalición Canaria, we have resumed the path of care for the dependent so that, finally, both the Tahiche nursing home and the Cruz Blanca nursing home will see the light of day, with an investment — for the moment — of 6 and 10 million euros respectively, using Lanzarote Island Council's own funds, in addition to regularizing agreements and moving forward with the social agreement with all NGOs in the sector.
From these lines, I want to congratulate the current governing group led by Oswaldo Betancort for this, and to remind the PSOE, which questions everything, that it was under the CC government — with the same councilor in charge, Marciano Acuña, by the way — when Lanzarote saw its last major advances in dependency care: the equipping and launch of the Residence and Day Center for Disability Care, or the construction, equipping, and launch — where there were two plots of land — first, of the Don Julio Santiago Psychosocial Rehabilitation Unit (also a residence and day center), and then the Dr. Guzmán Senior Residence, both with multi-million euro investments. Since then, nothing significant had been done in Lanzarote in this field, but after 4 disastrous years of a falsely progressive parenthesis, we have returned to the path of progress in dependency care.
Ultimately, although it is a shame that the main opposition party remains in the hands of the one who rocks the cradle where its general secretary frolics, engrossed in sterile debates that resolve nothing for the people, such as the Black Cross issue, in Coalición Canaria we have not lost focus on the objective of continuing to design and execute projects of hope and future that do interest the people, such as the White Cross issue.
