domingo, 28 de febrero de 2016

Catalan nationalism is currently at an all time high

          In a recent game at Camp Nou with FC Barcelona playing against Athletico Bilbao a chant of "independencia" erupted once again from some 70,000 fans.  It just so happens the new leader of the pro-independence Catalan Parliament, Carles Puigdemont, was up in the executives box.  He responded to these chants by giving a stately nod.  Fans also were wearing the red and yellow shirts that represented the Catalan flag and expressed their profound dislike for Madrid by repeating a comment made earlier in the week by Puigdemont when he said, "chase the invaders out of Catalonia."  This sense of Catalan nationalism is nothing new but the recent upsurge is remarkable.  The regional elections in September showed 48 percent want independence for Catalonia which is a huge jump from the 15 percent who voted on it twenty or so years ago.
          The party involved is called the People's Unity Candidacies - Constituent Call (CUP).  They along with other partners in the government want to see Catalonia the newest state of the European Union.  Catalonia already has a regional government in place and will look to start drafting their own constitution and the necessary institutions needed for an independent state such as a central bank, judicial system and a Catalan army.  It looks as though the Catalan Parliament in Barcelona will be squaring off against the central government in Madrid as Spain's Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, has made himself clear when he said, "Nobody will break up Spain in any way."  This clearly hinting at their government and courts will strike down any Catalan decision that violates the Spanish constitution.

How tough do you think Madrid's response will be to these extreme measures the Catalan Parliament is taking?  Do you think Catalonia has the right to separate themselves considering they are just being brought down by the rest of Spain in terms of the economy?


                  Citizens in Catalonia rally in the streets for independence
Citizens in Catalonia rally in the streets for independence. Photo: AFP

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3 comentarios:

  1. I too think that the surge in Catalonia independence is interesting. I wasn't sure if you were implying that the recent chanting situation is significant in the movement, but I'm not sure how much of a factor FC Barcelona plays in it. If FC Barcelona, was more of a grass roots organization than a global franchise, I might think differently.

    Madrid needs to figure out what to do and quickly. Catalonia makes up 20% of the total Spain GDP. That is a portion that Spain cannot afford to make up. Aditionally, Spain has an enormous debt problem that would worsen (possibly beyond repair) if Catalonia no longer contributed. With the global turmoil that currently exists in the world, I do believe that Madrid will do everything in its power to avoid physical violence in dealing with this.

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  2. It is very interesting to see the development of Catalonia and to be able to be apart of the history as we are witnessing it happen as we are abroad. Even though we are still in the early stages, I do this it is nice to say that we were here in 2016. I do think Spain will do the best they can to keep Catalonia apart of Spain because of economic powerhouse cities like Barcelona, but I do think if democratically Spain should allow Catalonia to become its own country if they vote for it and hopefully no violence will erupt. In terms of soccer, I think it would be interesting to see what would develop of all the teams that are in Catalonia. There are not that many good teams. Already for the most part La Liga is lopsided. If Catalonia made its own league it would be dominated by FC Barca. There would be many questions to how well it could succeed even if it did have FC Barca. Would the league have sponsors and could the league be financially stable. Maybe La Liga would stay the same even if Catalonia announces its independence.

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  3. I agree Cameron, Madrid needs to figure out how to make Catalonia happy and strike a deal possibly unless it is too late. I would also find it very interesting Scott if they did form their own league and wonder if they could gain support and money from sponsors. -Connor Butler

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