Readers of
George Orwell’s “Homage to Catalonia” (1938) will remember the author’s
strength of feeling for the cause and for his fellows. Catalonia is that kind
of place, even now, for there are a number of English people living there who
see themselves simply as Catalans born abroad. In the wake of last month’s
rallies, expatriates met to discuss the implications of secession from Spain.
One of the
participants was Simon Harris, who gives an account of the issues and feelings
of Catalans in this email interview:
Please describe the October 1 expats
meeting, and the fears and hope of attendees.
The October
1 meeting was held at the Antiga Fabrica Moritz and a couple of hundred
foreign-born Catalan citizens attended (We don't really like “expat”. It
certainly doesn't tally with my experience in Barcelona and smacks of people
talking English and drinking G&T on the Costas. We live here and get on
with our lives much like the locals despite having been born elsewhere.)
The four
people on the panel talked of a more prosperous future with a greater degree of
social justice.
The main
concern is a possible frontier effect causing a decrease in trade with Spain. But
I believe the confrontational style of central government exaggerates this. 47%
of Catalan exports go to Spain. Many of the commercial relationships go back
decades and are often with multinationals so it’s actually quite difficult to
tell where things have been produced. Even the boycott on Catalan cava of a few
years ago didn't last long (the alternative was French champagne that doesn't
taste the same and costs three times as much). Ultimately, consumers care about
quality and value for money so after a period of instability the trade
relations will settle at a slightly lower level but at the same time, Catalonia
will find new foreign markets. (The area of the economy that will be worst
affected is the Catalan banks, La Caixa and Sabadell. Once you've changed your
account you don't go back.)
Our other
concern is the general lack of debate. This is partly a cultural problem but
also because since the referendum isn't allowed, there's been no real campaigning
on either side. People who are active, such as most of those who attended the
meeting) tend to be pro-vote and pro-independence.
What are the arguments for Catalonian
independence?
Firstly,
cultural-historical: like Scotland, Catalonia used to be a separate country and
was gradually taken over by its neighbour. It still has a strong sense of its
identity, which is why the Spanish government has always tried to suppress
Catalan language and culture. Catalan was illegal after 1714 under Felipe V and
you could be arrested for speaking it under Franco. As recently as 2012, education
minister José Ignacio Wert said that he wanted to 'españolizar' Catalan
schoolchildren and has since introduce a new education law called the LOMCE
which attempts to do so. Although the language of education is Catalan, all
Catalan kids are bilingual and in PISA tests (independent EU university tests)
Catalan schoolchildren always score above the national average in Castilian Spanish!
So the LOMCE is a repressive rather than an educational measure.
There are
also economic arguments. To start with, Catalonia pays far more in taxes than
it gets back in investment from Madrid. Yet central government obstructs
development in our region and is prepared to accept national disadvantage in
order to keep us down. For example, the European Corridor Freight Line which
would run from Algeciras, Malaga, Cartagena, Valencia and Barcelona into
northern Europe is constantly blocked because it doesn't go through Madrid.
Even though it would benefit the whole country, it would benefit
Barcelona/Catalonia most.
Look also at
access to airports. Madrid Airport's Terminal 4 has metro, train and new roads -
and they plan to spend €16 billion on an AVE (high speed train) connection
serving a handful of passengers a day. Meanwhile, connections to Barcelona
airport's T1 terminal need improving and Iberia Airlines have just cancelled
intercontinental flights from Barcelona. It’s mad.
The fact
that everything in Spain is run by national agencies disincentivises efficiency. For example the hugely profitable Port of Barcelona subsidises the
unprofitable ports and hasn't money left to reinvest in its own infrastructure. And so
on.
How has the movement started and grown, and
what is the degree of general support?
Things came
to a head when Catalonia's new Statute of Autonomy, which had been watered down
and passed by Spanish Parliament and voted on in referendum with 75% in favour
in Catalonia, was declared unconstitutional by the national Constitutional Court
in July 2010.
The first
demonstration under the slogan 'We are a nation. We decide' took to the streets
with more than a million people in Barcelona. Just prior to this informal
ballots on independence were organised in villages and towns and the 'Barcelona
Decides' ballot took place in the early summer of 2011 with a festive
atmosphere and a massive vote in favour.
The extreme
right-wing Partido Popular (they say they're conservatives but the party was
founded by former Franco ministers and current leaders have ties with the
fascist Falange party) came to power in Spain in the autumn of 2011 and tension
increased. In 2012 on La Diada, the Catalan National Day (September 11th)
more than 1.5 million took to the streets of Barcelona under the slogan
'Catalonia, New European State' and for the first time independence for
Catalonia became a majority opinion.
The 2013 Diada
demonstration was the “Catalan Way” in which 1.5 million people joined hands
from Catalonia's southern border to its northern border with France, and in this
year's “V” 1.8 million people created a human mosaic in Barcelona. Both events
were perfectly organised and there has been no violence of any kind.
Current
support for independence stands at roughly 50% in favour with 25% against and
25% undecided. These figures vary by 5% in either direction, depending on the
poll.
What is the attitude of the Spanish
Government, the EU and supranational bodies?
The Spanish
government has refused to negotiate on the main issues.
A few days
after the 2012 Diada, Catalan President Artur Mas met with Spanish President
Mariano Rajoy to discuss changes to tax policy. Catalonia currently pays €16
billion in taxes (net of inward investment) to central government; this is 8%
of Catalan GDP, making it the most highly-taxed region in Europe. Rajoy refused
to discuss the issue.
The other
complaint involves language and education. Under the Education Minister’s LOMCE plan to 'hispanicize' Catalan children, it will be possible for students to go through their whole school career without learning any Catalan. The Spanish Constitutional Court also obliges the Catalan
government to pay for private education exclusively in the Spanish language to
any parent that asks for it. Yet even in the atmosphere of tension only 40
families in a population of 7.5 million have requested this. Why? Because the
Catalan education system is very good as it is and guarantees a high level of
integration.
In Autonomic
elections in November 2012, 4 parties included a pledge to hold a referendum in
their manifestoes, so now 86 members out of a Catalan parliament of 135
deputies are committed to this. The Catalan government presented a proposal to
hold a referendum on November 9 in the Spanish congress, which was voted
against by all the major Spanish parties and defeated.
The Catalan
parliament then drew up a law of 'Non Referenderary Consultation' (a
non-binding question to find out how many people are in favour of independence
and also allow debate from both sides); the Constitutional Court decided that
too was unconstitutional and threatened to suspend for life any civil servant
who engaged in any sort of organisational activity.
As a result last
Tuesday (14 October), President Mas announced a 'participative' vote would take
place without using the census (voters will register using their ID card on
voting day), volunteers rather than civil servants would be involved in the
organisation and polling stations would be restricted to facilities owned by
the Catalan government.
The Partido
Popular government in Madrid is considering taking it before the Constitutional
Court as I write [15 October]. It
should be noted that many see the Constitutional Court as biased in favour of
the Spanish government: some of the judges are former Partido Popular activists
and only gave up membership after being elected.
The attitude
of the EU and other supranational bodies is that it is an internal Spanish
issue.
Could you comment further on the November 9 “consultation”?
Because the consultation is organised by the 'Yes' camp it is unlikely that many Noes will bother to vote, but if as expected 2 million Catalans vote 'Yes' this will be a very strong message to the world. Either way the Spanish government
lose. If they ban even this watered-down consultation, they'll look like
fascists. If they let it go ahead, the world will see a festive peaceful
Catalan society make a powerful democratic statement.
What are the movement’s chances of success,
and what processes would be involved in legal and economic separation? Would
Catalonia choose to remain in the Eurozone?
I think there
are high chances of success. Although the participative vote on November 9 isn’t
a referendum, the message will be clear if there is a massive turnout. This
will be a prelude to 'plebiscitary' elections in which pro-independence parties
form a single candidacy with the promise that if they win, independence will be
unilaterally declared the following day.
The Catalan
Commission for National Transition has been meeting for the last couple of
years and has produced 18 reports on different aspects of the future state of
Catalonia. They published a 1,000-page white paper 10 days ago so many things
have been considered.
As there
won't be agreement with Spain there will be difficulties, principally in setting
up a Treasury and collecting taxes and Social Security.
Obviously,
international recognition will be crucial but if everything is done in a clear
and transparent democratic process there shouldn't be too many problems, apart
from anything else because Catalonia has a large economy with international
exports and is home to multinationals.
How would you view Catalonia’s economic and
social prospects afterwards?
Obviously,
there would be an unstable period before internal infrastructures are in place
and international recognition comes. If we can get through that I'm highly
optimistic.
Catalonia
has a strong economy centred on its vibrant capital Barcelona. Catalans are
creative, gregarious and above all peace-loving. As the demonstration of only
38,000 people in favour of staying in Spain showed last weekend, the strength
of feeling in the anti-independence camp, whilst it exists, is not as bitter as
Spanish politicians would like us to believe.
Originally from Nottingham in England, Simon
Harris arrived in pre-Olympic Barcelona in 1988 and immediately fell in love
with the language, culture and history. He has now lived half his life in
Catalonia, where he first earned his living as a musician and then as a teacher
of English at the British Council and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and
translator of Catalan and Spanish. He published his first book 'Going Native in
Catalonia' in 2007 and since 2011 has run the tourism website Barcelonas.com. Simon
is an active campaigner for Catalan independence. Find out more on Simon’s blog
- http://independence.barcelonas.com
“Catalonia
Is Not Spain: A Historical Perspective” by Simon Harris will be published by 4Cats Books in early November.
Buy from:
4Cats Books
Carrer Mallorca, 299
Pral 2a
08037 Barcelona
books@barcelonas.com
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