THE TRUTH IS SOMETIMES THE HARDEST PILL TO SWALLOW
For years, Costa Campoamor has often been treated as politically predictable.
Fragmented.
International.
Transient.
Difficult to mobilise.
That perception matters.
Because a community that is assumed to be politically fragmented is easier to overlook than one that is organised, registered, voting and demanding evidence.
But even political mobilisation is only part of the journey.
We have talked throughout this series about the Two Mountains.
Now it is time to remind ourselves exactly what they are.
Because independence is not a finish line.
It is one summit followed by another.
THE FIRST MOUNTAIN — ACHIEVING INDEPENDENCE
People often point to municipalities that separated from Orihuela decades ago and say:
“They did it.”
Pilar de la Horadada certainly did. In 1986, part of Orihuela’s territory was formally segregated to create the new municipality, with the decree providing for territorial delimitation and the subsequent division of assets, debts and obligations.
But what happened decades ago cannot simply be copied today.
The legal framework has changed.
National law now requires any new municipality to be based on a territorially differentiated population centre of at least 4,000 residents, and both resulting municipalities must be financially sustainable, sufficiently resourced and able to maintain service quality. Valencian law adds further territorial and procedural requirements, with the final decision taking the form of a decree of the Consell.
The goalposts have moved.
That does not make independence impossible.
It means the mountain has to be understood before anybody starts promising the summit.
ORIHUELA. VALENCIA. MADRID.
The First Mountain contains far more than votes.
There will be Orihuela.
There will be the Generalitat Valenciana.
There is national legislation.
There will be boundaries.
Finances.
Assets.
Liabilities.
Services.
Reports.
Legal arguments.
Administrative procedures.
And political resistance.
Then come what I have repeatedly called the dark arts.
Not some fantasy conspiracy.
Procedure.
Timing.
Delays.
Challenges.
Institutional resistance.
Arguments over figures.
Arguments over territory.
Arguments over who pays for what.
This is why residents deserve the truth now.
Because a vote may open the door.
It does not remove the mountain.
THEN WE REACH THE SECOND MOUNTAIN
And this is where, in my opinion, the harder climb begins.
Imagine the first mountain has finally been conquered.
Costa Campoamor has become an independent municipality.
There is a new Ayuntamiento.
There are celebrations.
A flag.
Perhaps even champagne.
Then Monday morning arrives.
And everything changes.
For years we will have been able to say:
Orihuela failed us.
Orihuela didn’t maintain the roads.
Orihuela didn’t provide the services.
Orihuela didn’t invest enough.
From that first day of independence, that excuse disappears.
The rubbish becomes ours.
The roads become ours.
The budgets become ours.
The contracts become ours.
The staffing becomes ours.
The planning becomes ours.
And above all:
the accountability becomes ours.
THERE IS NO WALK IN THE PARK AFTER INDEPENDENCE
This is perhaps the hardest message in the entire independence debate.
A new municipality does not receive several comfortable years in which everybody patiently waits while its new administration learns how government works.
Residents will expect services from day one.
Bills still need paying.
Employees need managing.
Contracts need administering.
Budgets have to balance.
Planning decisions have to be made.
Public infrastructure has to function.
Mistakes will no longer belong to Orihuela.
They will belong to us.
That is why I believe the Second Mountain may ultimately prove bigger than the first.
THE HARDEST PILL TO SWALLOW
None of this is an argument against independence.
It is an argument for preparation.
The First Mountain asks:
CAN WE BECOME INDEPENDENT?
The Second asks:
CAN WE GOVERN BETTER ONCE WE ARE?
And the second question may ultimately matter more.
Winning independence would prove that Costa Campoamor could overcome formidable legal, political and administrative obstacles.
Building a competent, transparent and financially responsible municipality would prove whether that struggle had actually been worthwhile.
So prepare now.
Prepare the evidence.
Prepare the future councillors.
Prepare the administration.
Prepare the financial systems.
Prepare residents for difficult choices.
Prepare for mistakes.
Prepare for accountability.
And most importantly:
prepare people for the truth.
Because the truth is sometimes the hardest pill to swallow.
Independence would not remove our problems.
It would make those problems our responsibility.
That is the reality of the Two Mountains.
The First Mountain is about escaping the old system.
The Second Mountain is about proving we can build a better one.
And perhaps that is the real summit.
PETER HOUGHTON
Political activist and co-founder of PIOC
SAYING IT AS IT IS
