05/10/2017 00:00
Could someone in authority in Spain please wake up and open their eyes before the dispute in Catalonia escalates even further and plunges Spain into an even deeper crisis? The referendum which took place in Catalonia on Sunday had already been declared illegal and therefore it was rather pointless. The Spanish government could have sat back and just allowed the poll to take place and then declared it illegal. End of story. Instead, the government sent in the riot police from across Spain and tried to stop it using methods which have been slammed as being heavy-handed. Why? the result was meaningless, there was no need for riot police, there was no need for violence which was broadcast across the globe.
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Contrary to most opinions expressed in this thread in now looks like things are not going Puigdemonts's way. There have been huge demonstrations all over Spain, especially in Barcelona, where Spanish flags have been hugely prevelent and a new sense of pride in the country seems to have arisen. The "silent" majority seems to have made their voice heard, having been kickstarted by the Kings brilliant speech to the nation last Tuesday. The fact that the two major CATALAN banks have decided to move has been a big body blow to the fantasists who thought they could break the law and get away with it.
Using opaque ballot boxes (rubbish bins), many of which were probably stuffed with YES votes beforehand and using an unauthorised and dubious census data.
According to their own figures,only 33% actually voted yes to independence. 57% didnt vote at all and 10% voted no. How on earth does this get interpreted as a victory for the seperatists?
I'm not making a value judgement of their case, Richard, but the Catalan independence movement have taken a cause that was marginal at best and made it look like a struggle of the oppressed. Puigdemont has played Rajoy like a fiddle and looks very much to have gained the upper hand.
That it could hardly have gone any better for secessionist Catalans doesn´t necessarily mean that they are right.
Agreed with the cool heads bit, but the referendum was actually far from pointless, it was a huge success from the perspective of the independence movement. The issue of Catalan independence has been swatted away by Madrid for a very long time. This referendum, however flawed, has put the issue on the front page, and TV headlines across the globe, and got people wrapped in flags on the streets of Barcelona...it could hardly have gone any better for secessionist Catalans.
The damage has already been done,hatred and bitterness have been sown that will last for a long time in Catalonia and things will never be the same again.