La voluntat d'un poble

I seem to have gone a bit overboard on the length today -- skip to the end for Sub Sunday!

Today's a big day in Catalunya -- the snap election for the Catalan Parliament called by Artur Mas as effectively a referendum on independence. Not that you would notice in Begur -- nothing special seemed to be going on, and people were strolling, chatting and drinking in the square as usual on a Sunday morning, if perhaps a little more animatedly than usual.

The matter isn't a straightforward as it might appear, and even after my extensive reading of cases for and against, I'm still not completely sure where I stand on it. The political posturing and manipulation on both sides is unattractive, as is the scaremongering (for example suggestions that an independent Catalunya wouldn't be able to join the EU, or that it would blockade Spanish exports). And there has been some nasty xenophobic rhetoric, again on both sides. Spain's central government has handled the whole affair very badly. The anger of Catalans who feel they have been ripped off, humiliated and treated with complete lack of respect by the Spanish government is very apparent.

The government could have accepted the Catalan parliament's request for fiscal independence, like the Basque Country and Navarra. This would have defused the whole (dodgy in my view) economic argument (whereby Catalans, who contribute more to central government in tax than they get back in investment, argue essentially that they don't want to subsidise work-shy Andalusians). It's clear that politicians have seized on this economic case, exacerbated by the crisis, as a handy way of increasing support for independence among those not ideologically committed to it, and it has certainly worked; surveys suggest that well over 50% of Catalans are now in favour, whereas only five years ago it was more like 20%.

Yes, self-determination is important, local autonomy is good, and Catalonia has a genuine identity separate from that of Spain. But Catalans aren't being oppressed, and despite all the incomers, especially in Barcelona, Catalan language and culture are in no danger of dying out -- at least on this side of the border. Some of the nationalist rhetoric being bandied about makes me feel queasy.

For the cynic in me, the fervour for independence is a handy distraction from the politicians' failure to do anything about widespread unemployment, poverty, and homelessness. And then I can't help thinking that many of the biggest problems we face today -- global warming, poverty and disease, the power of multinational companies, the environment, can't be solved on a local level -- local action helps, of course, but they need global solutions.

Anyway, exit polls suggest that Mas won't quite win an overall majority. But as I mentioned the other day, four out of the six parties standing are in favour of independence, so the promised referendum on independence (already declared illegal by the Spanish government in its quest to increase Catalan resentment) seems inevitable.

Further reading if you're interested:
The Independent gives a good overview.
A whole series of interviews with Catalans from the Guardian, which I found quite enlightening.

Edit: update for those still awake: There's a world-weary view of the poltical posturing on this blog, which I find a reliable source of analysis of Spanish politics. It includes a results widget that suggests Mas is a long way short of a majority. So Mas's gamble may have failed.

PS I took lots of more arty photos today, but decided it just had to be this one!

PPS It's Sub Sunday. Nearly forgot. I'm cheating a bit because I know I've already recommended Chamaeleo (... with one eye open) numerous times. But for some reason I can't fathom, she (?? I think! Could be a he!) has fewer views and subscribers than I do, despite being a far better photographer. Amazing bird shots, but also virtually the only HDR shots I have ever really liked. Go on, you won't regret subscribing! This is also my way of thanking Chamaeleo for many helpful and constructive comments on my blips.