The politics of television
TV ratings show that millions of people around the world tune in every week to see their favourite drama series. But what are our politicians watching?
US president Barack Obama is a big watcher of television series and a fan of Breaking Bad, Homeland, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, The Wire and Boardwalk Empire. When the second season of House of Cards began, he even tweeted to ask his followers to avoid spoilers. But what about Catalan politicians? Do they watch series, and if so, which ones? President of the Generalitat, Artur Mas, admits to not having enough time to watch much television, while government spokesman, Francesc Homs, says he prefers to dedicate his spare time to his hobbies, among which is cycling.
However, other ministers do watch series, such as education minister, Irene Rigau, who likes to combine political drama, such as Scandal, with more lightweight products, such as Castle. Scandal is about a lawyer who specialises in managing Washington scandals, including those affecting the presidency: “It has everything you wished didn't exist about politics. I watch it to vaccinate myself,” says Rigau.
Catalan PP leader, Alícia Sánchez-Camacho, also likes Scandal. In fact, Camacho is the only party leader who talks about Spanish TV series, above all, El Ministerio del Tiempo, which is something of a hit on the TVE channel.
However, the series of the moment for most politicians is House of Cards, which tells the story of congressman Frank Underwood – magnificently played by Kevin Spacey – who will do anything, and I mean anything, to get to the White House. Such has been the impact of House of Cards that the day that Jordi Pujol Ferrusola handed over the Camarga CD to parliament, the journalist, Jordi Basté, tweeted: “Frank Underwood does that and we applaud the scriptwriters.”
ICV leader, Joan Herrera, also watches the series, although he stresses that it has little in common with the reality of Catalan politics. Which has done nothing to dent the series' popularity among Catalan MPs. ERC member of congress, Joan Tardà, says he watched the entire third series in a 24-hour period, while Convergència's national coordinator, Josep Rull, says he prefers the British version of House of Cards, a BBC miniseries from 1990.
The West Wing
However, for most people the political drama par excellence is the West Wing and Catalan politicians are no different. Created by Aaron Sorkin in 1999, the series quickly became a cult success, providing as it does the inner workings of the US cabinet, with Martin Sheen playing the president. Critics and experts in political science coincided in their praise for the series, which has won three Golden Globes and six Emmy awards.
“It exalts politics as a service,” says Rull, who recognises that the cohesion portrayed by the government team in the series provides an example for other organisations: “When I first saw the series, it seemed clear who could be who in Catalan politics,” adds Rull, who mentions no names. Another fan of the West WIng is Ciutadans leader, Albert Rivera, who bought the entire box set at Christmastime.
Of the non-political dramas on TV, the rest of the party leaders point to other genres. ERC's Oriol Junqueras, for example, likes the zombies of The Walking Dead, Catalan socialist Miquel Iceta prefers the spectacular fantasy adventures of Game of Thrones, while CUP's David Fernàndez is hooked on the extreme social issues explored by The Wire, a series that Obama called one of the “greatest in history”.