RTVE's inclusive eclipse broadcast meets 14-month eye care waiting lists

RTVE's inclusive eclipse clashes with 14-month eye care waiting lists

What could possibly be inclusive about an eclipse? The question is already circulating before the lights even go out. Spain's public broadcaster has announced it will cover the phenomenon with an "inclusive" approach, and the reaction was swift: the announcement has been met with a flood of irony ranging from gender perspective to "pet friendly".

The list of official adjectives keeps growing: inclusive, sustainable, resilient and, depending on the whim of the moment, also "pet friendly". But no adjective turns a natural phenomenon into a public policy. What is public policy is the money the broadcast costs, and the contrast with healthcare is devastating: while the full production setup is prepared so as not to miss a single detail of the eclipse, ophthalmology appointments are being scheduled, in some regional health services, 14 months out.

The speculation that the prime minister might fly to Guadalajara on the Falcon to watch the event was the final straw. There is no official confirmation, but the mere fact that it is considered plausible says more about the management of public affairs than any adjective could. Some, in jest, have suggested renaming the eclipse "ecl" or "ecli" so that he, she or they can decide. At this rate, the only one who won't get a say is the star itself.

In the end, the eclipse will blot out the sun for a few minutes. The rest, what really stings, will still be there: in the waiting lists, in the budgets, in the bill for a broadcaster that can't decide whether it's airing astronomy or selling smoke.