Catalonia in the International Spotlight

It seems that The Times has begun a media crusade against the possible independence of Catalonia. Two days ago the headline of its Editorial cried out that the separation from Madrid would be at least as bad [financially] in Catalonia as in the rest of Spain. A few days earlier, the same newspaper published an article by journalist Matthew Parris along the same lines, with an explosive title "Catalonia is a bigger time bomb than Cyprus".

Although it is widely known, it is worth remembering that The Times is a British newspaper of conservative bent that has Spanish ex-president Aznar of the conservative Popular Party as a consultant.

What is surely not as well known is that Mr Parris, in addition to being a journalist, was also a member of the British Conservative Party. A man with an interesting curriculum with a few peculiarities like the fact he received a medal from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals from the hands of the recently deceased Margaret Thatcher for jumping into the river Thames to save a dog. We are not talking about the typical correspondent who works in Madrid and does not have a clue of what is happening in Catalonia; Mr Parris lived and worked in our country and, therefore, one assumes he would possess some knowledge of our reality. And I say that one assumes this, because it is obvious that either he does not possess this knowledge or for some reason he is not interested in divulging it.

“The damage Catalan separatism could do to what would be left of Spain is an argument against separatism”.

“If the separatists get the referendum and win, this could devastate the entire region”.

Are we to understand that the Spanish State has the right to consider its own interests, that Europe has the right to consider its own interests, but if we, the Catalans, dare to consider our own interests, then the Apocalypse will come upon us?

Let’s take this step by step. It is interesting that a publication of such prestige as The Times reveal that without Catalonia, the Spanish State will go under. What I do not find acceptable from any point of view is that we, the Catalans, have to hold ourselves responsible for the economic feasibility of a country that for years has suffocated us economically. And it seems to me equally intolerable and irresponsible to affirm so strongly that Catalonia without Spain would go down.

On one hand, not only does this kind of psychological blackmail not work with us, but it deeply outrages a country that has been suffering a bleeding fiscal plundering for years, contributing to the misconstrued autonomic solidarity, trying to find a mechanism to suit the Spanish government, while receiving negative replies, insults and abuse in return.

What answer can we give our public employees who see their salaries cut for the third year in a row? And to the 100,000 Catalan families who live below the poverty threshold? And to those 860,000 unemployed Catalans? And to the Catalan companies to whom credit for export is being denied?

And on the other hand, the Mr. Parris overlooks the fiscal deficit—whereby Catalans pay more taxes than they receive in reciprocity—that year after year Catalonia suffers (€16bn, 8% GDP) or the chronic deficit in infrastructures that reduces the economic potential of the country. Without this deadweight, Catalonia would not only be limited to surviving, as the editorial of The Times implies, but would instead be a middling economy within the European Union, with a welfare state equivalent to that the Dutch or Danish citizens have.

The problem with the future economic viability of Spain in the event that we become independent would be for the Spanish State and the European Union. Not for Catalonia. It is not fair to impose this responsibility upon us, especially when we are striving to do our homework, adjusting our budgets and improving competitiveness. Everyone is responsible for themselves and we must all together make the common welfare possible. Catalonia wants to contribute to the European coffers as would correspond it, because we are convinced that Brussels, with all its problems and imperfections, administrates the resources better than Madrid. At least its sense of justice and democracy makes it more trustworthy before the Catalans.

The international concern should place more emphasis on urging the Spanish Government to do its homework, to negotiate the holding of the referendum in Catalonia and to search for the means which would allow self-determination in a territory where the majority of its population is crying out for its right to vote in order to decide its own future.

Would it not be much easier to insist upon the need to agree, negotiate and reach an agreement, instead of threatening us with the economic and financial bankruptcy of the entire Iberian Peninsula?.

Read this article in German, Spanish and Italian

Elisabet Nebreda, Secretary
for Intl. Policy. ERC

Cesc Iglésies, Asst. Secretary General
for Political Action. ERC

Cesc Iglésies, Assistant Secretary General for Political Action ; Elisabet Nebreda, Secretary for International Policy.

Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (pro-independence Republican Left of Catalonia)