Humphrey CarterPalma26/12/2017 00:00
TW
0

What is going to happen next? While the prime minister did his best to digest his traditional Spanish Christmas lunch yesterday afternoon, the recently deposed Catalan President Carles Puigdemont was probably finishing off his mussels and chips in exile in Belgium. I wonder what Christmas hats they were wearing and I doubt the cracker jokes made either of them laugh, for the Spanish stand-off over Catalonia is far from humorous.

The King, for the second time this year, tried to talk turkey in his Christmas speech over Catalonia and the fact there is no need for confrontation but conciliation.

Puigdemont begs to differ. While he is on the run, and most of his former ministers are in jail or out on bail, how that works with regards to forming a government I do not know. He has asked for a meeting with the prime minister outside of Spain, pleaded to be allowed back to Spain and have his arrest warrant revoked and also called on the King to make a " reconciliatory" Christmas speech.

So far no one is taking any notice of him. He is the leader of three parties which will probably make a separatist coalition government, but the other two parties - the ERC and CUP - are not that keen on having Puigdemont as the leader again.

So, with clocks ticking and deadlines to be met, if the separatists cannot agree by the middle of next month, elections will be held all over again. What a carry on.