by Oriol López Llauradó
A few years ago, I was one of those Catalans who believe in autonomy
as the means to achieve a gradual, beneficial understanding between
Catalonia and Spain. The reform and rewriting of the Catalan autonomy
charter confirmed that it was possible to slowly adapt our laws to the
Catalan national aspirations.
The July 20120 ruling by the Spanish Constitutional Court which, for
all practical matters, undid this reform, and even backtracked on some
older achievements, left no doubt about Spain's intentions. It forced
me to wake up, as it has with many Catalans. The new text of the
Catalan autonomy charter, produced after strenuous efforts by all
political forces to come to an agreement, approved by the Catalan
Parliament and by the Spanish Congress, and voted by all Catalans, was
decapitated legally, but not legitimately by a group of people who had
not been elected to their jobs.
Spanish democracy is a mirage, as is Catalonia's chance of achieving
greater freedom within Spain. The federal model, proposed by some, is
not possible either. For a federal state to exist, you need at least
two independent states to begin with, and here we have only one:
Spain. The only possibility left for Catalans is to become an
independent country.
On July 10, 2010, more than one million people demonstrated in the
streets of Barcelona in order to ask for Catalonia's independence.
However, the Constitutional Court did not change its decision one
single bit. People expected that Catalan politicians, encouraged by
widespread demonstrations, would make a determined step toward
independence. It was not meant to happen—all we got were some vague
promises. This was cause of great frustration. Those who in theory
were there to represent us and defend us were not doing their job
either. Catalans were betrayed twice. Once by Spain, and again by
Catalan politicians.
Things have not improved since. On the contrary, the economic crisis
has worsened, and this makes the 22 billion euro a year fiscal
imbalance between Catalonia and Spain even more unbearable. Catalonia
is sinking further down, and Spain is killing the goose with the
golden eggs—which is what Catalonia has always been for them.
http://www.helpcatalonia.cat/2012/08/on-second-thought-independence.html
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