Catalonia seems determined to organise an independence vote despite Spain’s constitutional court ruling that there is no legal basis for such a referendum to take place. Spain’s Constitution explicitly prohibits the holding of any vote on secession by individual regions; instead, such a vote can only be held by the country as a whole.
The head of the Catalan government, Artur Mas, said a non-binding vote will take place on November 9, using a different legal framework to proceed. He described the poll as simply a “consultative vote”.
“The vote on November 9 can be considered the preparatory vote before the definitive one,” Mr Mas explained. He said the “definitive” vote would be a new election in Catalonia, even though constitutionally speaking, the government of Catalonia does not have the right to seek independence.
Catalonia certainly has strong claims to nationhood: it has its own language, a history going back more than 1,000 years and a population of 7.5 million. Being a nation, however, (like Scotland) does not necessarily mean it should be a separate State, especially if it is part of a wider successful kingdom.
The prosperous region, which has a high degree of autonomy, is in fact a vital part of Spain and has been so since the 15th century. Barcelona, Catalonia’s capital, happens to be the world capital of Spanish-language publishing. Catalonia, which makes up 16 per cent of Spain’s population, has contributed enormously to Spanish history, culture and the economy.
Part of Catalonia’s desire for statehood is fuelled by memories of the Franco dictatorship which attempted to suppress the Catalan identity
Indeed it would be a great pity had Catalonia to ‘go it alone’; besides the fact, of course, that such a development would cause a massive constitutional crisis in Spain, economic turmoil, possibly encourage other Spanish regions to pursue the same route and create a huge problem for the EU at a time when it needs to be concentrating on other important matters.
Furthermore, in the event of an independent Catalonia, the same type of problems that would have emerged had Scotland chosen to break away from the UK would crop up. What would happen to the country’s debt, the armed forces, borders, immigration policy, pensions, currency and membership of the EU and Nato?
Would major businesses located in Catalonia move to other regions of Spain? If Catalonia had to break away, and perhaps entice a few other regions to do the same, it would bring into question the whole notion of what it means to be Spanish, and that would be a great pity.
To a certain extent, part of Catalonia’s desire for statehood is fuelled by memories of the Franco dictatorship, which attempted to suppress the Catalan identity, even though today Spain is a thriving democracy and all the regions have a level of autonomy.
However, before the economic crisis of 2008, less than one-fifth of Catalans favoured independence, but today polls show the vote to be evenly split between the pro- and anti-independence blocs. The crisis affected Catalonia quite badly and the region today suffers from an unemployment rate of 20.2 per cent (compared to Spain’s 24.5 per cent).
The feeling among many Catalans is that while the region accounts for almost 20 per cent of Spanish GDP, the central government in Madrid takes much more than it gives back. Furthermore, the fact that Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had dismissed a request by Mr Mas for greater fiscal powers in 2012, coupled with the news that under Mr Rajoy investment in Catalonia by Madrid has fallen 58 per cent, has strengthened the pro-independence sentiment.
Additionally, although Catalan is the joint official language along with Spanish in Catalonia, there have been claims that the Spanish government has been pushing Spanish at the expense of Catalan in the region’s schools, which obviously has caused some anxiety among Catalan speakers.
Both sides need to show some flexibility and make an effort at reaching some sort of compromise, but the Rajoy government needs to make the first move, namely recognising the legitimacy of Catalonia’s request for greater fiscal autonomy, looking into the possibility of increasing central government spending in the region and making sure that both Spanish and Catalan are treated equally in Catalonia’s schools.
Mr Rajoy’s claim last Wednesday that a new “chapter of dialogue” was being opened with Catalonia is encouraging. The government of Catalonia should see what Mr Rajoy has to offer and consider suspending next month’s ‘consultative vote’.
Catalonia deserves to be recognised as a nation and given more autonomy, but one which is an integral part of a united Spain. Surely the people of Catalonia can be both Catalan and Spanish?