A very simple step

A very simple step will be taken by Catalan Parliament tomorrow. With the support of anywhere between 62% and 79% of all MP's, a declaration of sovereignty will be approved. (Note: it must be said that only 21% of MP's will vote against the declaration. 23 of the 135 might abstain from voting due to divergences with technicalities of the declaration.) 

 The importance of this declaration is enormous. It will recognise the Catalan people as sovereign and will express its ability to choose its collective destiny as a free, sovereign unit. What this declaration does, in effect, is provide the Catalan people with the legal personality to adhere to international legislation. Now that the Spanish legislation has proven not only biased against Catalonia but also restrictive regarding universal rights such as the right to self-determination, a declaration of sovereignty allows the inevitable referendum to be held under the democratic, unbiased umbrella of international law. 

 January 23, 2013, will go down in history as the day when the Catalan people, represented by its Parliament, broke free of an illegitimate legal threshold established by a dictatorial regime. In declaring itself sovereign, the Catalan people takes a stand for democracy and universal rights. Those who want independence have worked to grant unionists the right to an unbiased, clean referendum. The ball is now on their roof. 

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Arnau Gomis
@ArnauGomisM
http://www.naciodigital.cat