Times of crisis, times of change. That's how we are: in plenary session of the Executive Council process of adaptation to the new times. An accelerated learning process in a liquid society, where securities evaporate as if by magic and the ground moves under our feet. And at such times, some people's mouths are full of novelties and we hear them shouting, as if they had just invented the words (or worse, the concepts): Honesty, transparency! They are the same people who are surprised that the Spanish citizens measure with the same yardstick the political and financial class , whose reputation has been suffering for a long time.

I am deeply saddened by the shameful spectacle of seeing the leaders of the two major Spanish parties confronting each other in Parliament to the cry of "and you, more". And I am not the only one. On Thursday, in forceful declarations, the American Ambassador Solomon urged our Government to address the
"The positive economic forecasts could be undone if confidence in our country crumbles". corruption "aggressively and quickly". He noted his conviction that a great pact of State on that topic would be a good step forward. Being at agreement with the U.S. ambassador usually pays off. In this case, I am only 50%, perhaps because in matters of transparency and anti-corruption they are not, as in other matters, at the head of the planet: North America occupies 19th place in the general ranking (we are 30th), third in its region, far below Canada, ninth, which is more than one point behind. I know, like the ambassador, the weight that the stability of institutions has in the economic development . It is an intangible that is difficult to measure but vital. The growing (still timid) appetite of foreign investors for Spain; the unbeatable figures of visitors and tourism trade balance; the forecasts of analysts such as Morgan Stanley could unravel if confidence in our country crumbles: something that corruption achieves when it is systemic. Minister De Guindos assures that this will not happen: "neither in the bond market nor in other indicators... nor in Spain's credibility". I hope so. Just in case, I think there are two readings of the moment. The pacts not to steal, whether or not they are made by a majority, in Parliament or outside, are useful in order to establish criteria that discourage camouflaged crooks, either by increasing efficient controls, or by raising sanctions, or by raising the intra-corrupt skill : this is a relatively simple technical task. But no pact leads to honesty, in the same way that being related to a surname, however illustrious, does not make you illustrious. Ethics is a habit, and habits are developed by repetition of acts, and on a substratum of absolute conviction. The habits of Spanish institutions are not adequate, that is why, as a citizen, I want much more than a pact.