“Regaining the trust of the Portuguese” was the expression chosen, on May 18, by the then general secretary of the PS, Pedro Nuno Santos, when announcing a new political cycle centered on local elections. The choice is happy. But perhaps we should first start with self-confidence, because no one can regain the trust of others if they are not reconciled with themselves. The proposed reconciliation, fair and necessary, was, however, misunderstood by some socialist sectors. Instead of a genuine reunion, they preferred a reckoning in the name of unity, more in the style of Otto von Bismarck than Mário Soares. And, as history teaches, these forced reconciliations always end badly. What the PS needed, and still needs, is true reconciliation: without long knives, without revenge, without the obsession with cleaning up the past. What should unite the party in October, now in January, was the desire to build the future, not to fight for it at home. The new secretary general was right to create an advisory council. But the national leadership managed the unlikely: bringing together three types of people in the same room. First, supporters of municipal candidacies rivaling the PS; then, names with great national and international prestige; and, finally, a group of veterans whose average age should be around, if not exceed, retirement age. Experience is valuable, no one denies it. But renewal is vital. The PS seems stuck in a rear-view mirror: the speech doesn’t change and, paradoxically, even the youngest ones sound old, as if they were afraid of seeming too new. The municipal results say it all. The “national figures” that the PS presented lost, with honorable exceptions, of course. The official explanation was that defeats were normal in local elections. Perhaps. But perhaps the Portuguese wanted to say something else: that time calls for new protagonists, new voices and a new attitude. I speak with the tranquility of someone who gave what he had to give and can now observe freely and without resentment. There are those who insist on continuing, half a century later. Nothing against it, but the results always end up speaking for themselves. A few days ago, I saw an old friend on my social media feed — a veteran in everything, from the national leadership to Parliament — announcing a draft resolution to make a certain region the first to have a territorial development contract. The message was confusing, the enthusiasm forced. I was left with the feeling that, more than reconciling the country, there are still those who need to reconcile themselves with the present. Today’s PS seems to be proud of the aggressiveness with which it debates. There are those who think that irritating your opponent is a political victory. But it’s not. You cannot combat a lack of education with bad education, nor violence with more violence. Silence is sometimes the firmest response. And, honestly, it’s hard to see party leaders boast about having “taken the piss out of” their opponent, in a tavern tone, whether in Campo de Ourique, Massamá or Martim Moniz. The country deserves more than that.