Independence will secure the future for Catalan once and for all

Reading the international press you'd be forgiven for thinking that it had been a bad night for the Catalan independence process when the Catalan election results were announced on November 26th. Of course, the opposite is true, pro-independence parties now hold 87 seats to the unionists 48, giving a comfortable, albeit more plural, majority in favour of an independence referendum. Besides the predictable hostility of the press and their focus on the economic issues fuelling support for independence, what much of the media has missed is the importance of language and culture to the debate.

Since the dictatorship and because of Spain's constitutional arrangements for the autonomies, Catalan language protection has always been conditional on who was in power in Madrid. One of the first things the Spanish conservative PP government did when re-elected was to attack the successful Catalan immersion model in Catalunya and target the language in València and Illes Balears which have PP administrations. Similarly in Galicia, the PP has undermined the Galician bilingual model. The measures taken against Catalan go against all European norms (e.g. Lisbon, Council of Europe treaties the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and FCNM) for linguistic minority protection and illustrated how vulnerable and powerless the language was when faced with a hostile Madrid government.

Given the static state of developments in the protection of the national and linguistic minorities and the re-emergence of the independence option, it will be interesting to see how European states, and the EU itself, respond. Will they recalibrate and improve how they accommodate their national minorities and stateless nations with a binding set of European standards that both protect and promote lesser-used languages as called for on numerous occasions? Or will they remain moribund, and thus convince these language communities and nations to follow Scotland and Catalunya towards either greater self-determination or independence?

Meanwhile, these so-called national and linguistic minorities, and/or stateless nations, look on with interest and some envy as the independence process in Catalunya and Scotland begins to take on the air of business as usual. A no doubt unintended consequence of all the publicity surrounding the independence debate is how it is becoming mainstreamed politically instead of remaining in the margins. Plan A of adequate minority protection is looking increasingly redundant as Plan B, independence, is looking increasingly viable.

For those of us working in the field of lesser-used languages the Catalan independence process sends out a clear signal that European mechanisms for national and linguistic minority protection are failing, or are at least inadequate. This failure is symbolised by Catalunya and Galicia. The moment a hostile government came into power in Madrid all the progress made with Catalan, Basque, and Galician immersion was jeopardised. The languages of the autonomous communities were victimised for their own success as the PP accused them of de-Hispanicization and began a programme to undermine all existing language legislation. Perhaps the worst case is the Illes Balears where Bauza's government is systematically unravelling all previous agreements despite massive public protests.

Effective language planning for regeneration is dependent on long periods of stable development, of gradual normalisation away from spotlight of media coverage, constant protests and funding cuts. Few parents are language activists and part of the process of destigmatising and regenerating a language through education means that parents have to feel confident that their child's schooling in immersion will be stable and secure.

Meanwhile, the economic arguments for independence are gaining ground and are transferable. Scotland will learn from Catalunya and vice-versa. The Welsh and the Basques, and others, will learn from each. Some media ask, "where will it end?" But why should it end? It is the beginning of the end of a process to bring meaningful democracy and to return sovereignty to those European nations without states. As we would expect from a mass-media dominated by majority interests and corporations with a vested interest in the status quo, there is constant criticism and apocalyptic warnings of the doom independence will bring, but what about the positive side to the debate? Independence means greater freedom, a more mature, accountable and just democracy, the ability to secure once and for all Catalan as the normal, everyday, state language free from a meddlesome Madrid, and, given the Scandinavian examples of successful small states, backed by the prospect of greater prosperity. What's not to like?.


Davyth A. Hicks
Editor-in-Chief, Eurolang, minority language agency

Source: 'Euskara Gipuzkoan'