ABSTRACT
The most striking feature of the Barcelona ‘confluence’ around the Comuns was the entry of people into political activity for the first time, although many of those involved had some history of protest and campaigning. Ada Colau’s group had some characteristics in common with the Candidatura d’Unitat Popular (CUP), whose origins date from the 1980s. Colau was to criticize the ‘movementism’ of the CUP and entered the electoral fray with a different mindset, determined to seek support in the centre as well as appeal to disadvantaged sectors. Colau’s own decisions, to move on from social movements to political activity and to prioritize the municipal level, have been described as a catalyst of the process of confluence. Colau herself, although in touch with the conceptual debates, has taken no part in them in public but rather has stuck to practical applications and common-sense notions in her discourse.
