Any thoughts on what's going on in Catalonia?
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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41780116
I still have no idea where this is headed. Seems to me if they are allowed to secede, then that opens up other possibilities in Europe.
Anyone on The Continent have a first hand perspective?
Thoughts?
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IN the 1860s the USA fought a war over part of the country becoming separatist. There is still a separatist movement in Hawai`i.
Canada has been dealing with Quebec separatism for some 50 years now.
The UK is dealing with serious movements in both Scotland and Northern Ireland.Catalonia has most of the features of a country distinct from Spain. They have a language which is not mutually intelligible with Spanish. There's a history of Catalans being shut out of the economy and political structures of the government in Madrid.
I tend to support the rights of political self-determination in other countries but recognize my hypocracy in opposing Quebec as a different country.
Both China and France are going to be strongly opposed. For France, Catalonia flows into Occitan and the French don't want to see a rise of anti-France separatism in a large chunk of their territory. China hates the suggestion of legitimate succession ANYWHERE in case it encourages Chinese minority areas like Manchuria, Tiber, Xinjiang, or Guangxi to resist the central government.
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The problem with Catalonia is that this seccessionist movement is un-constitutional by Spanish Law. The referendums are unconstitutional.
No region can separate unless the whole of Spain accepts it and Spain won't. From what I can collect from several blogs and news, Catalonians want to separate on the idea that Spain steals from Catalonia, they say that the high income generated in the region is taken out from it.
On the other hand some Spaniards explain that that's how the goverment works, the income from the provinces is pooled together and then assigned. Also, Catalonia is not rich because of itself, the Spanish goverment invested heavily into its infraestructure (sometimes in detriment of other regions), so to some Spaniards, the Catalonians want to hog all the riches while the rest of the country suffers from unemployment.
And Catalonians aren't pushed aside by the goverment, actually the goverment abides to their whims. there are signs both in castillian and catalonian, but in Catalonia they won't even translate their signs to spanish, there are Catalonian embassies along the Spanish ones, and those are paid by the country as a whole.
It's obvious that the Catalonian leaders just try to promote seccessionism in order to turn the region into their own private minicountry so they can get all the income themselves. Puidgemont even assured them the EU would welcome them with open arms (impossible since it requires unanimous agreement and Spain and France would never concede)
And no, I'm not from the continent but since I have family in Spain I'm interested in the issue.
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The problem with Catalonia is that this seccessionist movement is un-constitutional by Spanish Law. The referendums are unconstitutional.
No region can separate unless the whole of Spain accepts it and Spain won't. From what I can collect from several blogs and news, Catalonians want to separate on the idea that Spain steals from Catalonia, they say that the high income generated in the region is taken out from it.
On the other hand some Spaniards explain that that's how the goverment works, the income from the provinces is pooled together and then assigned. Also, Catalonia is not rich because of itself, the Spanish goverment invested heavily into its infraestructure (sometimes in detriment of other regions), so to some Spaniards, the Catalonians want to hog all the riches while the rest of the country suffers from unemployment.
And Catalonians aren't pushed aside by the goverment, actually the goverment abides to their whims. there are signs both in castillian and catalonian, but in Catalonia they won't even translate their signs to spanish, there are Catalonian embassies along the Spanish ones, and those are paid by the country as a whole.
It's obvious that the Catalonian leaders just try to promote seccessionism in order to turn the region into their own private minicountry so they can get all the income themselves. Puidgemont even assured them the EU would welcome them with open arms (impossible since it requires unanimous agreement and Spain and France would never concede)
And no, I'm not from the continent but since I have family in Spain I'm interested in the issue.
The fake news media in the USA ignores any story which doesn't have a direct link to USA concerns. Therefore, a problem in Catalonia is completely ignored by the media in the USA.
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Should always be open to possibilities
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Well, let's elaborate a bit on the picture, catalonya has always been autonomous to a degree, since this social rift has millenia, centuries and centuries, however during Franco depotism the region (state) suffered a lot of repression in terms of language etc… had to that mix a spanish central government which inherits Franco ideology and has not a solid standing (3 elections to form it and no majority), had to that silence from the government for several decades over this matter, had to that the fact catalonya is supporting almost solo the debt of more than half of spain... and finally sprinkle in top of the cake the fact rajoy is a fucking bastard that ordered police brutality on people voting...
Yes it's secessionist all the countries divides are by norm inconstitucional, what is that point worth aniway in the matter?
This either goes slowly and calm down noone does nothing, either goes smart and catalonya destroys it's economy and makes Spain go bankrupt forcing the EU to make it solve the issue or get expelled, either goes really bad and some groups start agitating things and they get civil war.
Any of those things are not that far fetched seen the history of the place.
