Thousands of ordinary citizens making a human chain across Catalonia this wednesday-Catalan national day-will be intended to show world opinion that the cause of independence is hurtling towards fruition.
A great photopportunity it will certainly be, and one that will once again serve as a reminder that the unity of Spain-constitutionally defined as a nation state made up of autonomous regions under a King-remains a controversial concept in need of reform.
But a mass demonstration, whichever form it takes, does not represent a democratic mandate. The party that wants an independent Catalonia has a minority of the electorate, while its majority partner in the Catalan government is torn between those who favour a split from Spain and those who would like a negotiated settlement-more autonomy but short of independence. A few days ago, it emerged that the Catalan president Arturo Mas had secretly met Spanish prime-minister Mariano Rajoy and agreed to go on talking.
The talk so far is that Mas would only go ahead with a referendum on Catalan independence if this was done within the law. He wants to get a deal from Rajoy that would avert a referendum in the short term.The more radical Catalan nationalists want to go ahead with the referendum next year, without or without Madrid’s consent. But they are in a minority.
There has been a phoney war going on between Barcelona and Madrid-more bluff than bluster- and an appalling absence of objective journalism and debate in the Catalan , and some of the Spanish media. Neither Rajoy nor Mas are proven statesmen and in Catalonia those campaigning for independence have lost all sense of reason which makes the situation unstable and unpredictable.
Beyond wednesday, there is a need for constructive dialogue and sensible debate. A federal Spain in which Catalonia feels it is fairly treated is something worth working towards.
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