31/10/2017 00:00
It was a case of keep calm and carry on in Catalonia yesterday - no civil disobedience by civil servants and no widespread protests despite the wealthy region now coming under the direct control of Madrid. It appeared that another chapter in the long history of Catalonia was slowly closing, just a month after the so-called illegal referendum on independence. Elections will be taking place in December and the pro-independence government, under threat of arrest, appear to have disappeared. So does this mean that the crisis in Catalonia is effectively over? Probably not over but probably entering into its final phases.
7 comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Interesting that the Catalan leaders have fled to Brussels. The EU has abdicated any involvement but one wonders if more EU commission skullduggery is at work.
Ron, I have several Catalan friends who, before the last "referendum", told me that they would be voting YES for independence.They got quite a shock when YES "won" and the local government declared independence, something they thought wouldn´t really happen.At the coming elections, most of them are going to vote for a more neutral party, as the last thing they want is to go down a road with no end in sight.One thing is the theory, quite another is the reality.
Surely the results in Dec will determine whether this is the end of the storm or the eye...?
Ron:1) Throwing away your Spanish National Identity Card doesn't make you stateless!!! You just have to request and pay for a duplicate. The same with passports. And yes some Catalans did destroy both after Friday's so-called declaration so if they want to vote on 21-D they will have to obtain duplicates.2) You can't mix elections with referendums or 'soundings'. Well, certainly not on the same ballot paper. I suspect you are not familiar with Spanish election ballot papers. They are just lists of candidates, one for each party. You choose a list, put it in an envelope, identify yourself at the voting desk and drop your envelope in the urn. You don't have to make any mark on the ballot paper. In fact if you do it will be considered invalid.And finally I am sure that the voters won't be intimidated by 'anarchists arriving from all over Europe"! Hopefully there will be a high turnout which will give a truer pictures of the political sentiment of all the people in Catalonia.
I am sure that no Spanish person would be stupid enough to throw away their National Identity Cards which would then make them stateless! The worry would be that anarchists and minority groups who have nothing to so with Spain will arrive from all over Europe to try and intimidate voters.
Jason, first you say sizable (sic) and then half, when according to the latest polls, only around 35% want independence. The real answer will be known after the next local elections. I object to Ron’s use of the word “assume”. I have no doubt they will be, except for the fact that a large amount of nationalists have destroyed their identity cards, cards which they will need to be able to vote.
I would doubt very much that things will be quiet for long! Here's an idea: Assuming the elections of 21-D are going to be fair and well controlled, maybe a 'sounding' could be taken in the form of a question on the ballot paper such as: 'Would you in the future support the idea of Catalonia being a separate country completely independent from Spain and the EU? ' This would give Rajoy some much needed credibilty and avoid the need for a hurried referendum, and give all parties time to think things through sensibly.