Spanish government threatens Catalan language in schools #news #politics #eu #usa

Popular campaign to defend Catalan in schools

by Daniel Ritort

Catalonia is facing one of the biggest threats to its educational system since the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. Spanish government said it will pass a law to relegate Catalan language to a third-class subject in schools. The Catalan government has reacted angrily to the Spanish government proposed law to relegate Catalan to a third-class subject in schools while Spanish would continue to be a core subject.

Jose Ignacio Wert, Minister of Education of Spain, said in Spanish Congress some weeks ago that he wants to Hispanicize Catalan pupils. His legislative proposal, presented less than two weeks after the Catalan elections, is now threatening to make any kind of recognition between his conservative party and the Catalan government even more unlikely.

Irene Rigau, Minister of Education of Catalonia, left a meeting in Madrid to express her opposition to the motion. She said that the proposals presented are not negotiable for the Catalans.

The draft law is full of ideas that have caused a row in Catalonia, and great criticism in social media like Facebook or Twitter with hashtags such as #wertgonya (#wertbashful).

While downgrading the importance of Catalan as a subject, the draft also forces the Catalan government to offer more subjects in Spanish, therefore challenging the current model. For the last decades, Catalan has been the language of instruction in order to guarantee that all pupils and their studies knowing both official languages.

The proposed law also says that the Catalan government should pay for private education in Spanish for those families that ask for it as far as the system is not reasonable in offering of both languages.

Rigau said that the project completely kills the Catalan educational system and warned she won't implement it in Catalonia. In fact, according to her, Wert's proposal is the worst legislative piece on the teaching of regional languages since 1978.

The proposal would relegate the Catalan language to a specialized subject at schools, while the Spanish language would continue to be a core subject and a second foreign language would be taught as a specific subject. Board exams in secondary education won't include the Catalan language and more curricular content would be dictated by the Spanish government.

Artur Mas, President of Catalonia, has called an extraordinary and unprecedented meeting with all the political parties that defend the current linguistic model in Catalan schools (all except the PP and C's).

The meeting will also include the Schools' council and will be an opportunity to plan a reaction to the threatening Spanish law. Alongside Mas, Oriol Junqueras, leader of ERC, the second-largest party in Catalonia, Pere Navarro, from the PSC, the third-largest party in Catalonia, and Joan Herrera, from ICV-EUiA, the Catalan green party , will also participate in the summit.

In Catalonia's public schools, Catalan is the language of instruction in order to guarantee that all pupils finish their studies knowing both official languages: Catalan and Spanish. Spanish is taught as a subject.

The model works, and Catalan pupils not only know Catalan but they also get the same result as the Spanish pupils in Spanish language exams, if not better. In addition, the model has been praised as a good practice by the European Commission and UNESCO.

However, the Spanish Supreme Court ruled that Spanish should be the language of instruction in Catalan schools based on an appeal by 3 parents, who took the Catalan government to court for not schooling their children in Spanish within the public education system of Catalonia.

Many legal experts think that the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction to change the entire school model, already defined by several laws. Furthermore, the Spanish Constitutional Court has validated the Catalan school model twice, in 1994 and in 2010. In addition, teacher unions and parents associations back the current model.

This controversy has been used by some Spanish politicians throughout Spain, most of them from the Spanish PP party. According to most Catalan political parties, it is a false controversy only created for electoral reasons to feed Spanish nationalism. In fact, the draft law proposed by Wert is seen as a concession to these right-wing demands.

The Catalan government, with the support of most of the civic society in Catalonia and the main political parties, teachers and students unions, is planning to fight any attempt to change the current educational system in Catalonia.

Rigau warned that they could try to challenge the Spanish law in the Constitutional Court. The project, still to be debated, could be passed because the PP has an overall majority in the Spanish parliament.

Rigau argued that Catalan law should prevail. She said they are facing an attack, and she doesn't know if that's because of a personal obsession by minister Wert or from the Spanish government. She also added that Mariano Rajoy, Prime Minister of Spain, said he wanted to rebuild bridges with Catalonia, and now he is hurting the Catalan society like that.

http://ritort.net/blog/2012/12/04/spanish-government-threatens-catalan-language-in-schools/

Une partie de l'armée espagnole souhaite intervenir en Catalogne #news #eu #usa #politics

Les derniers faits d'actualité détériorent les relations entre le
gouvernement catalan et le gouvernement espagnol : après la révélation
explosive de l'existence d'une fraction potentiellement séditieuse au
sein de l'armée espagnole, favorable à une intervention armée en
Catalogne, un projet de réforme du système éducatif a suscité 65
manifestations pour la défense du catalan.

A la tension entre la Catalogne et le gouvernement espagnol sur fond
d'indépendantisme latent s'est ajoutée une tournure civique, le 10
décembre, avec 65 manifestations organisées dans l'ensemble de la
Catalogne du Sud. Sous le slogan unique "Pour un pays de tous, l'école
en catalan", cette mobilisation massive a fourni une réponse populaire
à un projet de réforme du système éducatif relativisant la place de la
langue catalane à l'Ecole. Mais la nervosité politique reste intacte,
suite aux intentions exprimées par ce qu'il convient de nommer les
deux parties. Lors d'une conférence de presse, le 12 décembre, le
porte-parole du gouvernement catalan, Francesc Homs, a assimilé ce
projet à une "réforme constitutionnelle camouflée" , avant de défendre
une action unitaire pour préserver le catalan d'une "agression" de
l'Etat.

Fébrilité d'un secteur de l'armée espagnole

Cette prise de position s'inscrit dans un contexte grave où intervient
un symbole de l'armée espagnole, Pedro Pitarch. Le 6 décembre, ce
lieutenant général retraité depuis 2011 révélait l'existence d'un
courant, au sein de l'armée, favorable à une intervention militaire en
Catalogne, contre le souverainisme, car l'unité de l'Espagne "fait
partie de l'ADN" des militaires espagnols. Cette déclaration, nouvelle
dans le processus catalan, survient alors que le coup d'Etat espagnol
du 23 février 1981 n'a pas quitté la mémoire collective du pays. En
parallèle, l'ancien premier ministre espagnol José María Aznar, qui
fait autorité au Partido Popular, à la tête de l'Etat, affirmait le 12
décembre que les territoires qui "jouent avec la continuité historique
de la nation espagnole" devront en assumer les "conséquences". Cette
phrase révèle la dureté de l'ambiance, d'autant que M. Aznar, qui
pressent une "accélération de l'aventure vers la sécession", incarne
la mutation d'une Espagne profondément droitière et centraliste, issue
d'un régime franquiste qui en a constitué le corps idéologique.

http://www.la-clau.net/info/une-partie-de-larmee-espagnole-souhaiterait-intervenir-en-catalogne-7731

BBC: 'Eurozone crisis: Catalonia's place in Spain' #eu #news #usa #politics

By Misha Glenny | BBC

On 11 September this year, I watched as Barcelona was submerged in a lake of Catalonia's colours - red and yellow.

For almost all of the rest of the world, that date is now inextricably associated with the downing of the World Trade Centre's Twin Towers in New York and the attack on the Pentagon.

But for Catalans those events in 2001 appear to take second place to La Diada, the region's national day, which commemorates the final fall of Barcelona in 1714 following a siege by Castilian and French forces that had lasted over a year.

This year, a white star on a blue background augmented many of the red and yellow "senyeras", as the Catalans call their flag. The star identifies its bearer as a supporter of full-scale independence from the kingdom of Spain and, this year, it was as though there were an entire galaxy on display.
Eurozone squeeze

There is no doubt in my mind that the dramatic surge in secessionist sentiment in Catalonia is closely related to the eurozone crisis.

As the wealthiest part of Spain, Catalonia makes the largest extra contribution to the budget for distribution around the poorer parts of the country.
Reuters Catalan nationalists criticise cuts to their social services while they subsidise poorer regions

The finance ministry in Madrid estimates this could be as high as 17.8bn euros (£14.3bn; $22.9bn), or more than 8% of Catalonia's GDP.

This system, which has generated much resentment among Catalans, was almost identical to the argument I heard frequently in Slovenia and Croatia during the late 1980s in the run-up to the collapse of the former Yugoslavia.

"Why," the Slovenes and Croats argued, "should we have to subsidise poor areas like Kosovo and Macedonia?"

In Spain, however, Catalan resentment has been exacerbated in recent times by the swingeing budget cuts made by Mariano Rajoy's government in Madrid as it implements tough austerity measures demanded by the European Union.

Catalan nationalists criticise cuts to their social services while they continue to underwrite the poorer regions.
Fuel for nationalism

But, above all, secessionists point to history. The 11 September emerged as the National Day not only for the heroism of Rafael Casanova, Barcelona's mayor at the time of the siege, but because of what happened after the city's surrender.
A sea of Catalonian flags on independence day on 11 Sept 2012 Some 57% of Catalans say they would support full independence

Within two years, the victorious Spanish king, Philip V, punished the territories of Aragon by issuing the Nueva Planta decrees.

Catalonia had joined Aragon in the 12th Century but had always maintained its own parliament.

Philip V abolished Barcelona's Cortes and imposed Castilian law on all parts of Aragon's crown, including the Catalans.

In doing this, he was following the pattern of several large European states who were busy centralising government and economic management. And, although the Spanish empire was clearly not the power it had been in the 16th Century under Philip II, her monarchs continued expanding territorially until it reached its greatest extent at the end of the 18th Century.

But the quashing of autonomous Catalan institutions that had existed for many centuries provided some powerful fuel for Catalan nationalism over the next 300 years.

In the 20th Century alone, the Spanish government has restored Catalan autonomy thrice and abolished it twice.

When economic and political strains have increased, the calls for secession have typically become louder and the most traumatic event in recent history, the Spanish Civil War, evokes especially bitter memories among Catalans.

Not only did the victory of the fascist dictator, General Francisco Franco, result in the brutal repression of those who fought against him on the Republican side but it also resulted in Madrid again ordering the abolition of Catalonia's autonomous institutions.
Spain of many parts

During Franco's 40 years in power, the dictator never forgave the Catalans their resistance during the Civil War and his policies systematically neglected the region, especially with regard to its economic infrastructure.

The Catalans had rarely felt themselves part of an entity called Spain, in part because throughout modern history, the idea of a Spanish nation state has been amorphous. The core of today's Spain first came together as a political entity in 1469 when the marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand united the two houses of Castile and Aragon.

But their various territories boasted different traditions and political cultures. Catalonia was a key maritime power that was linked into networks across the Mediterranean, looking east. Its commercial pre-eminence was then undermined by two critical events which both fostered resentment and led to a decline in Catalonia's influence.

The first was the discovery of the New World and the decision to give the port of Seville in the south exclusive rights to all the goods, notably silver, imported from the vast resources opening up in South America. The whole focus of early modern Spain's economic policy shifted away from Barcelona.

The second was Philip II's decision to move his court from Toledo to Madrid in 1561. This small town in the middle of an arid, barren region but right in the middle of Philip's Hispanic territories soon became the critical political hub not just of the peninsula but the rapidly expanding Spanish Empire. Flaunting its new found wealth and undoubted military power, Spain was feared in Europe and beyond.

Still, nobody within Iberia - except Philip and his courtiers - recognised this country as "Spain". For Catalans, Aragonese, Galicians and Basques, it was an amalgam of which Castile, the imperial centre, was just one part.
Mixed population

That does not mean, however, that the Catalan push for independence has always enjoyed the support it does currently. For Catalonia has also benefited from the association with Spain and its economy is now highly integrated with the rest of the country.

Furthermore, the population is by no means exclusively Catalan, especially in Barcelona.

Many workers from other regions in the country have sought work there and then settled.
Map of Catalonia in Spain

According to the most recent census, just under 50% of the city's inhabitants read and write the language fluently while another 25% can converse or at the very least understand it with few difficulties.

But of course almost everyone in the city speaks and writes Spanish. And those immigrants are decidedly nervous at the prospect of Catalan independence.

After the death of General Franco, it took Spain's delicate democracy just under a decade before it was safe from a fascist restoration.

Under the reign of King Juan Carlos, a cautious monarch sensitive to regional stresses in Spain, Barcelona and Madrid appeared to have reached an understanding as to how they could live together.

Essentially, Catalonia has enjoyed wide-ranging autonomy again since the late 1970s.

But this time, it is an external event - the eurozone crisis - and its impact on Spain, already suffering a major banking crisis, that has brought relations between Madrid and Barcelona close to breaking point.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20644877

Joseph Stiglitz: Catalunya demostra que "la UE ha de reexaminar l'Estat nació" #dretadecidir

El Premi Nobel d'Economia de 2001, Joseph Stiglitz, ha assegurat
aquest dilluns a Barcelona que "la Unió Europea ha de reexaminar
l'Estat nació". Stiglitz, preguntat per e-notícies sobre si Catalunya
ha de ser independent, ha assegurat que "no puc fer previsions
polítiques" però que la realitat política actual ha canviat i per tant
el sistema europeu, sota el seu punt de vista, hauria d'anar cap a un
model més federal en el qual canviaria el paper de l'Estat nació.

"Si el marc referencial de la Unió Europea tingués èxit això afectaria
el paper que juga l'Estat nació i això hauria de ser reexaminat, i és
el que estem verificant en estats com el Regne Unit", ha explicat. "En
economia tenim una teoria que intenta analitzar quines activitats es
porten a terme i en quin nivell i quina és la unitat de presa de
decisions més adient per aquests tipus d'activitats", ha afegit. És
per això que "el que està clar és que el paper de l'Estat nació ha
canviat molt i necessita canviar més. Ha d'haver un debat polític
profund per determinar quina és la unitat de presa de decisions més
adient".

D'altra banda, preguntat sobre com es poden fer polítiques socials
quan els governs no tenen diners, ha comentat que "la major part dels
economistes ja van dir que aquestes mesures d'austeritat serien
desastroses". Segons l'economista, "les economies de la zona euro no
han tingut una bona actuació i aquelles economies en les quals es van
aplicar les mesures més radicals són les que han tingut la pitjor
actuació de totes". És per això que ha considerat que "les mesures
d'austeritat han estat un fracàs".

"El dilema al que s'enfronten països com Espanya és diferent a la
problemàtica a la que s'enfronten països com els Estats Units o
Alemanys, perquè aquests poden demanar prèstecs amb interessos molt
baixos o negatius i poden invertir en investigació o innovació", ha
explicat. Stiglitz ha fet aquest dilluns una conferència al Palau
Macaya sota el títol 'Per què l'austeritat no funciona: polítiques de
creixement equitatiu i sostenible a Espanya i Europa', i ha estat
promoguda per la Reial Acadèmia de Ciències Econòmiques i Financeres
(Racef) i l'Obra Social La Caixa.

http://societat.e-noticies.cat/do-you-believe-catalonia-will-be-independent-70911.html

Gary Stanley Becker: 'Breakup of Countries: No Economic Disaster' #politics #news #eu #usa

by Gary Stanley Becker

The largest and some smaller political parties in Catalonia, one of
the richest parts of Spain, want to have a referendum in that region
on whether they should secede from the rest of Spain. This is despite
the fact that during past several decades the central government of
Spain has ceded considerable fiscal and other independence to
Catalonia and other regional governments. Those supporting a breakup
argue, among other things, that Catalonia is being heavily taxed to
help support poorer and less hardworking regions of Spain. The
opposition to a breakup both within and outside of Catalonia claims
that secession would be illegal under the Spanish constitution, and
that it would destroy Spain's culture.

Spain is not the only country that is experiencing pressure either to
breakup, or to become much more decentralized politically. Major
parties in Scotland want independence from the rest of the United
Kingdom. As a result of this pressure, Scotland and other regions of
the UK have received much more autonomy than they had in the past. The
independence movement has quieted down in Quebec, but only after
Canada established French on an equal footing with English, and after
the province of Quebec received other special treatment from the rest
of Canada.

The Western and Russian-influenced part of the small country of
Georgia is essentially independent in most respects from the rest of
Georgia, while Georgia only became independent after the breakup of
the Soviet Union into many independent countries. At the close of the
nineteenth Taiwan, which had long been part of China, became a colony
of Japan until World War II ended. Taiwan was returned to China at
that time, but became an independent republic in 1949. China is
pressing hard for Taiwan to once again become a province of China,
probably with a large degree of autonomy. However, the great majority
of Taiwanese prefer the status quo, in part because per capita incomes
are so much higher in Taiwan than in Mainland China.

Although emotions usually overflow on the subject of secession and
forcible integration, I will not try to evaluate the significance of
nationalistic feelings in a region or country. I will instead focus on
the economic consequences of a country's breakup into smaller and
largely independent countries. Often stressed is that since larger
countries have bigger domestic markets, companies in larger countries
can utilize economies of scale in production.



The movement toward free trade agreements and globalization during the
past 60 years has enormously reduced the economic advantages of having
a larger domestic market to sell goods ands services. Small countries
can sell their goods to other countries, both large and small, almost
as easily as large countries can sell in their own domestic markets.
For example, during the past 30 years the small country of Chile has
had the fastest growing economy of Latin America, larger than Brazil
and Mexico, the two largest nations of this region. This would not
have been possible without the access of Chilean companies to markets
in other countries, both in South America and elsewhere. As a result,
Chile now exports around 40% of its GDP, compared to a ratio of
exports to GDP in the United States of about 13%.

To many in Czechoslovakia, the economic future seemed dim when
Czechoslovakia voluntarily split in 1993 into the Czech Republic and
the Republic of Slovakia. Similarly, emotions were strong after a
destructive war forced Yugoslavia to split into six separate
countries. Yet these separate nations are generally doing at least as
well economically as did Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

Small countries can do well with small domestic markets by taking
advantage of a globalized economy by selling large fractions of its
production to consumers and companies in other countries. That is why
smaller countries usually export a considerably larger fraction of its
production, and import a much bigger share of its consumption, than do
larger countries. Size of country was much more important in the past
when many countries had high tariffs, and transportation costs were
much more important.

Political interest groups tend to be less able in smaller countries
in distorting political decision in their favor. This is partly
because smaller countries are more homogeneous, so it is harder for
one group to exploit another group since the groups are similar. In
addition, since smaller nations have less monopoly power in world
markets, it is less efficent for them to subsidize domestic companies
in order to give these companies an advantage over imports. The
greater profits to domestic companies from these subsidies come at the
expense of much larger declines in consumer well being.

The growth in the competitiveness of small countries on the global
market is in good part responsible at a deeper level for the
remarkable growth in the number of countries since 1950 from a little
over 100 to almost 200 countries now. And the number of independent
countries is still growing.

http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/2012/12/breakup-of-countries-no-economic-disaster-becker.html

Agence Bretagne Presse: 'Catalonia Fights for its Independence' #news #usa #eu #politics

Agence Bretagne Presse

Election results in Catalonia last week have given further support to
the Catalan nationalist cause and increased the likelihood that a
referendum on independence will be called in the country at some point
in the future. But, as the general secretary (GS) of the League
explores in the article below, the Spanish state is doing all it can
to resist attempts of the Catalans to exercise their democratic right
to self-determination. The GS argues that Catalonia?s fight for
independence is part of a growing movement of the peoples of Europe
who have the potential to redraw the European Union (EU) and shift the
balance of power to a more equal footing. The Spanish state have
argued that a referendum on independence in Catalonia is
unconstitutional and successive Spanish governments have repeated time
and again that they are not willing to amend the constitution to allow
the people a right to self-determination.

The Spanish Parliament is so concerned that the people of Catalonia
want to run their own affairs that Spanish military leaders have even
publically threatened the Catalans in recent years with violence if
they continue to pursue this particular political goal. The concerns
of the Spanish authorities that Catalans do want independence are more
than justified. There have been several highly organised, privately
sponsored and voluntarily run referendums over the last few years that
have shown the potential support for independence among the Catalan
people. In a recent poll, the Barcelona-based Centre d'Estudis
d'Opinio, showed that 51 per cent of Catalans would vote in favour of
full independence. The results of the poll was a motivating factor for
the Catalan parliament to vote in favour of holding a referendum on
independence for the first time in its history, but whether the
Catalan parliament will realise this aim in an official capacity
remains to be seen.

The Catalan elections that were called last month, two years before
the elections were due to take place, was an attempt by the Catalan
president Artur Mas of the ruling right of centre Convergència i Unió
(CiU) political party, to capture the popular support that the
independence debate is attracting among the general population,
especially since the deep economic crisis that Spain currently finds
itself in. However, the CiU actually lost 12 seats in the election
showing that independence is not a political football that can be used
by political parties as and when convenient. The CiU has not always
advocated independence (and Mas has previously stated that he is not
in favour of full independence for Catalonia), but Esquerra
Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) who saw their representation almost
double in the election, has always been a strong supporter of
independence. CiU remains the largest bloc in the parliament, winning
50 seats out of the 135 available, but the ERC has achieved an
enviable second place and are in a position to start demanding
concessions of their own, if the CiU want their parliamentary support,
which may be necessary.

The Catalans are resentful that their request for greater financial
autonomy -similar to what the Basques enjoy - has been rejected by the
Spanish government. Similarly a request by the Catalans for a greater
share of the 18bn-euro (£14bn) Regional Liquidity Fund that was given
to Spain by the EU to cushion its economic down turn earlier this year
was also refused. In protest a massive 2 million people marched
through the streets of Barcelona, the Catalan capital, in September
2012 demanding independence. Soon after the march the Catalans voted
to hold a referendum on independence. The Catalans argue that a
disproportionate share of its wealth, through taxes, goes to Madrid
than is received from central government spending in return, which has
affected their economic growth.

Catalonia is a country of 7.5 million people, a 200 billion euro
(£161bn) economy and its own police force. Catalonia is bigger than
Belgium and richer than Portugal and Andorra combined, which are all
independent states recognised by the European Union. If Catalonia
became independent, the effect on the Spanish economy would be
significant. If preparations for a Catalan referendum took place there
would be a risk that the Spanish authorities would attempt to block
it, either through the courts or with force. The Catalans could
attempt to take the case to an international court to get justice or
appeal to the EU, but the EU is unlikely to give much support. The
issue of 'internal enlargement' for the EU could turn into a huge
political headache, triggering as it could a domino effect in Italy,
Belgium and the UK. The EU will want to avoid discontentment among
many member states and, despite its 'richness in diversity' motto, may
want to make independence as unattractive an option as possible for
countries exercising their right to self-determination.

EU states are not ethnically homogenous and comprise at least one
national minority group. If each national minority decided to pursue
their right to self-determination, the EU of the future will be a very
different place to the EU of today. Suggestions last month from Jose
Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, were that
Catalonia as an independent state will not be automatically granted
membership of the EU nor the monetary union, but this has not yet been
stated categorically. The SNP will be watching closely as events
unfold in Catalonia and similarly Catalan nationalists have been
enviously following the developments in Scotland. It was rumoured that
president Mas wanted to emulate the success of the Scottish National
Party (SNP) by calling early elections, even if the tactic did not pay
off for the CiU. In Scotland the terms of the referendum may be agreed
between the Scottish and UK government for 2014, but the Yes campaign
has still to convince the majority of the electorate that an
independent Scotland is preferable. It is not just Catalonia and
Scotland that are perusing political independence. Support for greater
autonomy among the peoples of Europe has been steadily growing over
the last decade, with moves towards self-determination gathering pace
over the last few years year.

The islands of Guernsey and Jersey both toyed with the idea of
declaring their independence last summer with Jersey's assistant chief
minister saying in June that the island is ready to become independent
if it were necessary. Rumours abound that the Flemish parliament will
soon hold a referendum with the Flemish nationalist Nieuw-Vlaamse
Alliantie (N-VA) party retaining a strong political position following
the provincial and municipal elections in October 2012, which included
the significant win of the Mayorship of Antwerpen. In addition
Süd-Tirol is hoping to organise a referendum on independence in 2013
and the Veneto regional parliament plans to vote soon on whether to
hold an independence referendum of their own. It seems inevitable that
at some point one of these European territories will declare
independence, but nobody knows what will follow. If a territory in
Western Europe declared its independence in the same way as Kosovo did
recently, its impact would reverberate throughout the EU and the rest
of the world. The peoples of Europe are on the move and hold the
future in their hands. Their fight is older than that of the EU member
states to which they currently belong and their voice is steadily
growing and won't go away.

The fight for political independence for the historic nations of
Europe is no longer a nationalist dream of progressive democrats, but
a serious political goal that cannot be kicked into touch anymore for
minor political gain. The political, social and economic needs of the
peoples of Europe need to be addressed fairly and thoroughly and if
this right is being denied by the governments of EU member states then
they should be shown up to be the bullies they are. The key to a
fairer and more democratic EU lies with the peoples who comprise
Europe and not with artificial political states that hold all the
power in too few hands. If the EU cannot exist within a more
democratic model then change needs to occur or the system needs to be
confined to the scrap heap of history. It is the responsibility of the
people to address the balance and that is precisely what the Catalans,
Scottish, Basque, Welsh, South Tyrolean's, Cornish, Venetians,
Bavarians, Bretons, Kaszubians, Manx, Corsicans, etc. are trying to
achieve.

http://www.agencebretagnepresse.com/fetch.php?id=28421&title=Catalonia%20Fights%20for%20its%20Independence

ERC pide una "Constitución catalana": Cataluña necesita normas propias #news #eu #politics #usa

El diputado de ERC en el Congreso Alfred Bosch ha defendido hoy una
"Constitución catalana", ya que Cataluña necesita sus propias normas
porque con las leyes que "se imponen desde Madrid nosotros no tenemos
nada que hacer", ha dicho.

Bosch, que ha participado en un acto de la Juventudes de Esquerra
Republicana de Catalunya (JERC), también ha dicho que si la ley contra
el catalán del ministro de Educación español, José Ignacio Wert, entra
dentro de esta Constitución, "nosotros no cabemos", según afirma en un
comunicado de los republicanos.

Ha afirmado que hay que hablar del presente y, sobre todo, del futuro,
y ha insistido en que es evidente que Cataluña necesita sus propias
normas. Con motivo del Día de la Constitución española, las JERC han
realizado una acción en Barcelona durante la que han echado al correo
un sobre con un ejemplar de la Constitución y un borrador del
anteproyecto de ley educativa y, de esta manera, "la han devuelto a
España porque aquí no la queremos y no nos sirve", han señalado.

El portavoz de las JERC, Gerard Gómez, ha afirmado que la Constitución
española coarta "nuestras libertades y nuestros derechos", por lo que
las juventudes de Esquerra quieren que vuelva a España para poder
redactar una Constitución catalana propia.

La constitución de las juventudes del PNV

Por su parte, la organización juvenil del PNV, EGI, ha redactado una
Constitución Política de los Territorios Vascos Unidos de Euskadi,
como prueba de su apuesta por la consecución de un Estado propio
"dentro de la realidad Europea". En una nota, EGI explica que ha
decidido presentar este texto cuando hoy se celebra el Día de la
Constitución Española, porque su objetivo es "la creación de un Estado
vasco que se afinque en el marco europeo al mismo nivel" que España y
Francia. "Estamos convencidos de que el Estado vasco es viable y
beneficioso para todos los vascos", recalca el comunicado de EGI.

http://ecodiario.eleconomista.es/interstitial/volver/acierto/politica/noticias/4453069/12/12/ERC-pide-una-Constitucion-catalana-Cataluna-necesita-normas-propias.html

Gran Rifla en benefici de l'ensenyament en català a les escoles de Perpinyà #catnord #somescola

Gran Rifla en benefici de l'ensenyament en català a les escoles de
Perpinyà. El Casal us convida a participar a les activitats a favor de
l'ensenyament en català a les escoles de Perpinyà.

Dissabte 8 a 20 h 30 - Satèl·lit . Palau de les exposicions -
Perpinyà. Gran rifla en català en benefici de l'ensenyament en català
a les escoles de Perpinyà. 25 partides : amb cambajons, vi, banastes
de productes catalans, diversos lots.

http://elcasaldeperpinya.cat/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=158:gran-rifla-en-catala&catid=28:activitats

Telegraph: 'Catalans protest 'return to Franco' as schools are told to teach more Spanish' #eu #usa #politics #news

By Fiona Govan | The Telegraph

Catalan have warned of a "return to the Franco era" in a deepening row
over education reform that will see Castilian Spanish given the same
priority as catalan language in schools.

Jose Ignacio Wert, Spain's education minister, unveiled a
wide-reaching educational reform bill on Tuesday that demands Spanish
be used as the main teaching language for those families that choose
it. The new reform reverses a policy in place since Spain's transition
to democracy on the death of dictator Francisco Franco, that has
allowed regional languages such as Basque, Catalan, and Galician to be
given priority in schools. The proposed reform by the conservative and
spanish nationalist government of Mariano Rajoy has enraged the
independent-minded region of Catalonia, further deepening tensions
with Madrid.

The Catalan language, banned during the dictatorship, has been
promoted in schools across the northeastern region of Catalonia.
Catalonia's regional president Artur Mas, who was re-elected on
November 25 with a mandate to stage a referendum on independence from
Madrid within his next term, said his government will refuse to
implement the new directive. He and the regional Basque leader have
vowed to challenge the new law in Spain's Constitutional Court,
arguing it violates regional powers.

Meanwhile the Catalan education platform, Somescola, a collective of
parents and teachers associations, has slammed the reform and called
for its members to take to the streets in protest on December 13.
"This law takes us back to a pre-democratic past," Somescola said in a
statement. "It proposes wiping out thirty-five years of Catalan
democratic schooling". Pere Farriol, the chairman of the Federation of
Secondary School Parents Associations in Catalonia, warned that "This
attack upon Catalonia, our language and our customs cannot be
tolerated".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/9724392/Catalans-protest-return-to-Franco-as-schools-are-told-to-teach-more-Spanish.html

ABC News: 'Barcelona Soccer Club Defends Use of Catalan' #eu #usa #news #politics

By Harold Heckle | Associated Press

Long a symbol of Catalan identity, Barcelona soccer club added its
voice Wednesday to a simmering political dispute between the region of
Catalonia and Spain's central government. Weeks after Spain's
education minister said he was drafting a proposal to make the
teaching of Castilian Spanish obligatory in schools throughout the
country, Barcelona defended the use of the Catalan language and how it
is being taught in the region.

"Our language, like our club, is an element of integration which
permits us to identify with our country (Catalonia)," the club said.
Catalonia uses a system called "immersion teaching" to propagate the
use of its language, and the club said it "energetically asserts its
right to use the Catalan language and the model of language immersion
that has been in force in Catalonia over the last 34 years."

In the current system, there are separate Spanish classes in
Catalonia's state schools, but they are not obligatory. Barcelona has
an important match Wednesday night at its Camp Nou stadium in the
city, where it hosts Portuguese team Benfica in a Champions League
match. Matches are often used as colorful occasions where Catalan
nationalist sentiments are vented.


The statement also comes at a politically sensitive time for Spain. A
financial crisis has left the country on the verge of requesting an
international bailout, and the government has been forced to pass
unpopular austerity measures. This has fueled long-simmering
separatist sentiments in Catalonia, where many believe the region can
thrive if it breaks away from Spain and becomes an independent nation
within the European Union.

That notion was put to the test in Catalonia's regional parliamentary
elections on Nov. 25 in which the central issue was whether to hold a
referendum on separating from Spain. Pro-referendum voters obtained a
majority of seats in the legislature. The proposed referendum has
caused tensions with the central government led by Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy which maintains that Spain's regions cannot hold
individual referendums because that would be unconstitutional.

The dispute grew more heated when Rajoy's minister for education,
culture and sport, Jose Ignacio Wert, said he was drafting a proposal
that would change current education legislation to ensure that
Castilian was taught in schools throughout the country. On Monday,
Catalonia's regional education counselor, Irene Rigau, stormed out of
a meeting at Wert's ministry in Madrid saying his proposal was
unacceptable.

And on Wednesday, Barcelona team captain Carles Puyol used his Twitter
account to post hash tag keywords critical of Wert. Calls to Wert's
ministry on Wednesday afternoon did not immediately yield a comment.
The Barcelona soccer team, whose motto is "more than a club," is seen
as a bastion of Catalan identity dating back to Spain's 1936-39 civil
war and the subsequent military dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco.
A former club president, Josep Sunyol, was executed in 1936 by
Franco's forces, and during the dictatorship, the use of Catalan was
forbidden and many books in the language were burned.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/barcelona-soccer-club-defends-catalan-17886069#.UL_dFYPK4Zg

Europe1: 'Le Barça défend le catalan' #news #eu #politics #usa

Par Nicolas Rouyer

Le Barça, élément fort d'identité régionale, a pris la défense de la
langue catalane, mercredi, dans un communiqué publié sur son site
Internet. "Le FC Barcelone souhaite défendre avec énergie la langue
catalane et le modèle d'immersion linguistique présent en Catalogne
depuis 34 ans", écrit le club blaugrana. "La langue, comme notre Club,
est un élément d'intégration qui permet de s'identifier avec le pays,
sans tenir compte des origines et des opinions. La langue catalane et
son enseignement à l'école fait partie de notre identité et est un
élément indispensable pour la cohésion sociale et la vie de la
population."

Un projet de réforme scolaire contesté

Ce message intervient dans un contexte de tension entre le
gouvernement espagnol et la région autonome de Catalogne autour d'un
texte sur l'enseignement des langues à l'école. Ce projet de réforme
porté par le ministre de l'Education et des Sports José Ignacio Wert
obligerait le gouvernement de Catalogne à financer, selon ses
détracteurs, un enseignement en castillan aux élèves qui en seraient
privés. La représentante de l'Education catalane Irene Rigau a
récemment quitté une réunion avec le ministre, affirmant qu'elle était
prête à attaquer devant le Tribunal constitutionnel ce texte qui
"remet en question le statut de la langue catalane".

Le 7 octobre dernier, lors du clasico face au Real Madrid (2-2), le
club catalan avait déjà accordé l'autorisation à ses supporters de
déployer une immense "senyera" (drapeau catalan) au Camp Nou, quelques
semaines après la fête de l'identité catalane du 11 septembre qui
avait donné lieu à une démonstration de force en faveur de
l'indépendance. Le 25 novembre dernier, les indépendantistes ont
confirmé leur forte implantation en obtenant deux tiers des sièges au
parlement de Catalogne lors d'élections régionales anticipées.

Le club n'est pas le seul à avoir réagi à cette polémique sur les
langues. Certains joueurs l'ont également fait sur Twitter, à l'instar
de Carles Puyol qui, sur sa messagerie Twitter, a repris le jeu de
mots "Wertgonya", associant le nom du ministre du Parti populaire
"Wert" et le terme "vergonya", qui signifie "honte" en catalan.

http://www.europe1.fr/Sport/Football/Articles/Le-Barca-defend-le-catalan-1336671/

Manresa insta les escoles a desobeir la llei Wert contra el català #wertgonya #somescola

L'ajuntament critica la "voluntat de retorn a l'època predemocràtica"
i advoca per "esdevenir un estat"El portaveu del govern i regidor
d'Ensenyament, Toni Llobet en una imatge d'arxiu. Foto: AjM Davant de
la proposta de nova llei educativa que pretén aprovar el govern
espanyol, el portaveu i regidor d'Ensenyament de l'Ajuntament de
Manresa (el Bages), Antoni Llobet, en nom de tot l'equip de govern, ha
emès un comunicat en que constata que "la proposta del govern espanyol
és la materialització de la voluntat" ja expressada "d'espanyolitzar
els alumnes catalans". El govern de Manresa considera que "amb una
clara voluntat de retorn a l'època predemocràtica", es pretén
"extirpar la llengua catalana del tronc central dels aprenentatges i
de l'avaluació".

Davant de la intenció manifesta "de matar el nervi principal que
configura la realitat nacional catalana", el consistori insta el
govern de Catalunya i totes les forces socials i polítiques del país
"que rebutgin de manera inequívoca aquest nou atac del govern
espanyol".

Així mateix, des del govern municipal es considera que "cada cop es fa
més evident la necessitat de començar a prendre decisions" d'acord amb
la voluntat "d'esdevenir un estat". "Així", continua, "si la llei
acaba fructificant" i s'estableix una "doble legalitat
contradictòria", caldrà actuar d'acord "amb la legislació catalana,
basada especialment en l'Estatut i la Llei d'educació de Catalunya
aprovats pel Parlament".

http://www.naciodigital.cat/noticia/49559/manresa/insta/escoles/desobeir/nova/llei/wert

Des de l'equip de govern s'instarà "sempre" les escoles de la ciutat
per tal que "mantinguin tant el model d'immersió lingüística com la
consideració de matèria troncal i principal la llengua catalana i ens
tindran plenament a la seva disposició".

FÈNIX 11·23 arriba als 50.000 espectadors i es manté en els Top 20

Ens fa especial il·lusió comunicar-vos que FÈNIX 11·23, de Joel Joan i Sergi
Lara, ha arribat a la xifra de 50.000 espectadors. El film que es va
estrenar el passat 9 de novembre, es manté amb prop de 20 còpies a quasi un
mes de la seva estrena i es manté també dins el TOP 20 del rànquing segons
les xifres de recaptació.

FÈNIX 11·23 està dirigida per Joel Joan i Sergi Lara, escrita per Albert
Plans Soriano i Hèctor Hernández Vicens i protagonitzada per Nil Cardoner,
(Polseres vermelles) en el paper de Èric Bertran. El repartiment també
compta amb Àlex Casanovas, Rosa Gàmiz, Lluís Villanueva, Roberto Álamo (La
piel que habito) i amb la col·laboració especial d'Ana Wagener (La voz
dormida, Biutiful).

Fènix 11·23 porta a la gran pantalla la història real de l'Èric Bertran, un
nen de 14 anys que el 2004 va crear una pàgina web per defensar la llengua
catalana inspirada en un llibre de Harry Potter. Una nit, trenta guàrdies
civils de la brigada antiterrorista de Madrid van irrompre a casa seva
acusant-lo de terrorista informàtic. El seu crim: enviar un correu
electrònic a una cadena de supermercats demanant l'etiquetatge en català.

És la pel·lícula distribuïda en versió original catalana que ha sortit amb
major nombre de còpies.

Catalan separatists protest against Spanish language plan #eu #usa #politics #news

by Sinikka Tarvainen | Europe Online Magazine

A row erupted in Spain on Tuesday over the government's plans to
extend the teaching of Spanish in schools, with Catalan separatists
and Basques seeing them as an attack on their rights. Education
Minister Jose Ignacio Wert wants Spanish to be "sufficiently"
available everywhere in Spain as the main teaching language for
families which choose it.

North-eastern Catalonia currently favours Catalan, while Basque
schools offer different combinations between Spanish, Basque and
English. Catalan Prime Minister Artur Mas, who is defying Madrid with
plans to stage a referendum on independence, announced a regional
party summit against what a spokesman termed the Spanish cultural
"offensive."

The Basque caretaker government said it would take legal action
against the reform, which it saw as violating regional powers. The
October elections ousted a Socialist government in the Basque region,
which is about to get a new government headed by the PNV, a Basque
nationalist party with separatist currents. Wert still needs a green
light from parliament, where Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's
conservatives have an absolute majority.

http://en.europeonline-magazine.eu/catalan-separatists-protest-against-spanish-language-plan_253002.html

Le Parti Breton se félicite de la dynamique souverainiste en Catalogne #news #politics #eu #usa

Jean Christophe Chorlay | Porte Parole du Parti Breton

L'élection anticipée au Parlement catalan du dimanche 25 novembre a
donné 64% des sièges aux partis politiques catalans favorables à
l'indépendance, soit 87 sièges sur 135. Il s'agit d'une victoire
écrasante pour le projet de souveraineté catalane, n'en déplaise à une
certaine presse française. Les partis espagnols sont réduits à 48
sièges, avec un recul sévère du Parti Socialiste Catalan (PSC, filiale
du parti socialiste espagnol) qui perd 8 sièges sur 28. Ceux-ci se
reportent notamment sur l'ERC (Parti Républicain Catalan) parti à la
revendication indépendantiste ancienne qui s'est illustré dans son
opposition à la dictature de Franco.

Face à ce résultat, on peut s'étonner de l'analyse des médias
français, car les chiffres sont têtus et c'est bien l'idée de
souveraineté qui l'emporte largement. Certes la CiU (Centre droit) et
son leader M. Arthur MAS enregistrent une perte de 10 sièges, au
profit d'autres partis catalans, et ne remportent pas le succès
escompté. Pourtant, ce recul s'explique facilement par les difficultés
que rencontrent tous les partis politiques au pouvoir réalisant une
politique courageuse de bonne gestion en temps de crise économique.
L'ancien chancelier allemand Gerhard Schröder (SPD) pourrait en
témoigner.

Mais, avec plus de 30% des voix et en conservant 50 sièges, la CiU
reste, et de loin, le plus grand parti politique de Catalogne! Le
Parti Breton se félicite du résultat global de l'élection au Parlement
catalan, le choix courageux d'Artur Mas de consulter la population
dans des temps difficiles a payé. Désormais, la voie vers la
souveraineté catalane est largement ouverte, le Parti Breton fait
confiance aux partis catalans et au peuple catalan pour porter haut
les valeurs humanistes qui nous sont communes.

http://www.agencebretagnepresse.com/fetch.php?id=28372&title=Le%20Parti%20Breton%20se%20f%C3%A9licite%20de%20la%20dynamique%20souverainiste%20en%20Catalogne

The China Post: 'Can Spain survive loss of Catalonia?' #eu #usa #news #politics

By David Williams | The China Post

Catalonia's leader Artur Mas says the powerful region's economy can
stand tall in Europe without Spain. But could Spain survive without
Catalonia? The prospect of an independent Catalonia of 7.5 million
people lying to the northeast of Spain seems distant with Prime
Minister Mariano Rajoy's government vowing to block any referendum.

In a snap election Sunday, voters slashed the majority held by Mas'
conservative alliance, Convergence and Union, but boosted support for
left-wing pro-independence forces. Despite having its wings clipped,
Mas' alliance promised to seek a popular consultation on
self-determination.

The question of statehood overwhelmed any debate of the Catalan
economy and its more than 40-billion-euro (US$50 billion) debt, but it
also highlighted Catalonia's importance to the rest of Spain. "We
could get along quite well," Mas boasted on Spanish public television
two days ahead of the election, defying some analysts' forecasts of an
economic catastrophe if Catalonia splits from Spain.

As a separate nation, Catalonia would rank seventh in the 27-member
European Union in terms of wealth creation and ninth in terms of its
trade capacity, the Catalan chief said. But for the rest of Spain,
already sunk in recession, its banks in crisis and one in four workers
unemployed, analysts warn the outlook could be even grimmer without
Catalonia.

Independence for Catalonia is a "very unlikely outcome," said Raj
Badiani, London-based analyst at IHS Global Insight, a research group.
But if it eventually did occur, the first impact would be a loss of
tax receipts, he said in an interview.

Indeed, many Catalans complain Madrid collects far more in taxes from
the region than it returns. It estimates the "fiscal deficit" at 16
billion euros (US$21 billion) a year, a figure Madrid disputes.

"There would obviously be a net impact on the rest of Spain's tax
receipts," Badiani said.

"Given that it is already facing the likelihood of missed fiscal
targets both this year and next, and tax receipts are already being
squeezed by a recession that is exhibiting depression-like qualities,
that would be a fatal blow in terms of it being able to deliver its
fiscal goals over the next two to three years.".

But the loss of Catalonia, which accounts for one-fifth of Spain's
total economic output and more than one-quarter of its exports, would
also hurt the broader economy, he said.
"If Catalonia was suddenly to disappear I think you would be talking
about a deeper and far more prolonged recession in the rest of Spain,"
Badiani said.

Perhaps more dangerously, a breakup of Spain would give the sense that
Madrid was losing control of the nation.

"And then you are pretty much in the dark. Nobody really knows what
the impact would be on the rest of Spain. That is what obviously
spooks bond markets," he said.

Xavier Cuadras Morato, an economist at Barcelona's Universitat Pompeu
Fabra, agreed that a divorce between Catalonia and Spain would hit the
Madrid taxman in the pocket.

"If the Spanish economy already needs to make adjustments, those
adjustments especially in the public sector would be somewhat more
serious, somewhat larger," Morato said.

In any divorce agreement, Spain would likely insist that Catalonia
pick up a share of Spain's 685-billion-euro sovereign debt, said a
report by think tank Instituto de Estudios Economics.It estimated the
Catalan share at 128 billion euros.

But other economists warned creditors would be unwilling to swap from
holding Spanish debt to holding a Catalan junk bond.

Spain would suffer, too, from the loss of Catalan exports.

"It would be very difficult because they would lose 30 percent of
their export capacity, they would lose one of the parts of Spain that
has been most dynamic in modern times," warned Edward Hugh, an
economist based in Barcelona.

"If they have got problems implementing reforms and going forward
anyway, what would it be like without the Catalans?" he asked.

"How would Madrid survive supporting all the rest of the regions that
don't work?"

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/commentary/afp/2012/11/27/362245/p1/Can-Spain.htm

The New York Times: 'Catalonia: A Time for More Nations' #news #usa #politics #eu

By Casey B. Mulligan | The New York Times

Casey B. Mulligan is an economics professor at the University of Chicago. He is the author of "The Redistribution Recession: How Labor Market Distortions Contracted the Economy."

Catalonia, which includes Barcelona, has long been a part of Spain, but its peaceful residents increasingly talk about being an independent country again. In elections over the weekend, where independence was one of the most discussed campaign issues, a majority of offices were won by parties that support more Catalan independence, in one form or another.

An independent Catalonia would reinforce a worldwide trend. The world's economics and demography are changing, and economic theory predicts that national borders will change with them (see "The Size of Nations," by Alberto Alesina and Enrico Spolaore or "A Theory of the Size and Shape of Nations," by David Friedman in The Journal of Political Economy ).

The number of countries has grown since World War II, especially since 1990. The Soviet Union broke into multiple nations. Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia; Yugoslavia dissolved.

In most cases, many citizens of the parts wanted independence from the larger whole. The large countries were often divided by language or ethnicity and were often held together by nondemocratic leadership. The new independent countries emerged as democracy took hold, or shortly after.

In a few instances, countries combined. East Germany and West Germany unified. North and South Vietnam became one when North Vietnam won the Vietnam War. North Yemen and South Yemen were unified. As their names suggest, they have some common language, culture and history, more so than many former Soviet republics did.

Catalonia has its own language, Catalan, and a long history. Under Franco, Spain suppressed many Catalan institutions. And labor was mobile in Spain during the Franco regime, with many Spanish-speakers moving to Catalonia, Spain's most prosperous region. The prevalence of Spanish in Catalonia, as well as the heavy hand of Franco, may have undercut an independence movement. But Franco's death in 1975 and the emergence of democracy in Spain did not foster an independent Catalonia.

New generations have been learning Catalan, however, and that may be tipping the balance toward independence.

Catalonia objects to the amount of taxes it pays Spain's central government, compared with the benefits it receives. One potential step would be to address that situation without full independence, by having Spain's central government "charge" Catalonia less for being part of Spain by providing tax breaks or more public services.

As governments and redistribution grow, richer regions find taxes to be increasingly burdensome. With the cold war over, ethnically unique regions no longer perceive the same national security benefits of being part of a larger nation.

Catalonia's situation is worth watching, as it may hold lessons for Libya, Iraq and even the United States, where regions sometimes diverge in terms of culture, language and preferences for governing. A small nation can be established peacefully and may prove to have long-term benefits.

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/28/a-time-for-more-nations/

Fabregas, Pique, Xavi and a Potential Independent Catalan XI #sports #news #eu #usa #politics

Catalan flags out for the team in last year's friendly vs. Tunisia.

By Kieran Sobels

Catalonia has always produced fine footballing talents. From legends like Samitier and Zamora to the modern day greats Guardiola, Puyol and Xavi. The region continues to be the most fruitful breeding ground for Spanish nationals, and is home to the world's best team and youth academy in FC Barcelona.

The desire for self-determination and eventual independence is no secret in the north of Spain, but recently the cries for secession from Spain have been getting louder. The independence movement in recent months has culminated in Artur Mas, the president of the Catalan parliament, promising to call for a referendum on Catalonia's independence.

So what does this have to do with football?

It means we could be seeing a Catalan national team in FIFA and UEFA tournaments at some point in the future, possibly even the near future. So how would a Catalan team look on paper?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1426190-fabregas-pique-and-a-potential-independent-catalan-xi

Reading the Elections in Catalonia: Will This Mean the End of Spain? #news #politics #eu #usa

In Catalonia, the region of Spain that includes Barcelona, parties
seeking independence have won a majority of seats in the regional
parliament. I spoke about the outcome with Ferran Requejo, a professor
of political science at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.

What do the regional election results in Catalonia mean in terms of a
mandate for a referendum on independence?

The referendum issue was the most important issue that was at stake in
this election. The final results show that parties which backed this
process to call for a referendum are a stable majority. They have 87
MPs out of 135. That means that 64.4 percent of the Catalan MPs
support [the idea] that the government must call for a referendum for
a potential Catalan independent state within Europe.

But the loser within this election has been the main Catalan political
party, which is called Convergencia i Unio [Convergence and Union].
They have lost 12 seats -- from 62 to 50. And that means that
[Catalonian President Artur Mas and] the leadership of this
secessionist party has been weakened.


Can the parties which favor an independence referendum put aside their
differences on other issues long enough to form a government and call
for an independence referendum?

Now the most probable outcome is that the new government must be a
coalition government of Convergencia i Unio as the first party plus a
second party -- and they can choose between three parties. Esquerra
Republicana de Catalunya [Republican Left of Catalonia], which is a
leftist and independent party, is the most probable coalition
[partner]. That is, a coalition between the first and second political
parties. And they probably will maintain the objective to call for a
referendum within the next four years.

What are the legal issues in Spain that make it complicated for
Catalonia's regional parliament to call a referendum on independence?

To call for a referendum, a secessionist referendum, in Spain is
illegal. It is against the constitutional framework. [But] there is a
way according to the Spanish rules -- the Catalan parliament and the
Catalan government must ask permission from the central power -- the
president of the Spanish government [Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy] --
to call for this referendum. But probably the answer will be "No, this
is illegal; this is impossible."

A second way is that the Catalan parliament approves a new law calling
for a referendum. But if they do that, immediately the central
government in Madrid will appeal to the Constitutional Court and the
Constitutional Court will say, "No. This is illegal."

Then the way the Catalan government has is to go to the international
framework -- mainly to the European Union but also to the United
Nations and the Council of Europe -- in order to say, "Look, there is
a clear demand of the Catalan population which is peaceful, which is
democratic, which is pro-European. And under the Spanish state, the
way is completely closed. What should we do to demand and to claim a
transnational legal framework with international observers and to
implement this referendum in the next four years with this legal
international framework?"

Do these legal complications make a referendum on independence less
likely for Catalonia?

It is less likely if we look at this issue from the Spanish side. The
Spanish side says, "Look, the main political leader who supported this
referendum has been weakened because he has lost 12 seats." But
looking at the same issue, the Catalan side says: "Look, we have a
clear majority to call for this referendum because 64 percent of our
representatives are in favor of that. Only 30-something percent is
against that." Here there is tension. Probably, this issue will be
permanent and with more intensive tension in the years to come.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/11/reading-the-elections-in-catalonia-will-this-mean-the-end-of-spain/265614/

Catalonia Votes For Independence From Spain #news #politics #eu #usa

By: Ron_Holland

On Sunday, pro-independence voters in Catalonia captured almost
two-thirds of the regional parliament. While the establishment press
attempts to hide the secession victory by mentioning that the largest
pro-independence party lost parliamentary seats, this, too, was a
major victory for independence forces.

There is a reason the global elites and politicians are terrified of
secession. All "sanctioned" history lessons and political messages
attempt to cover up the fact that most national and tax-jurisdictional
boundaries are constantly changing, around the world. The elites want
you to believe that all governments are permanent and hence, you, the
citizen, have no alternatives. But take a look back at any map of
Europe 25 years ago, 50 years ago and then each previous century and
you'll see the actual situation is far different.

Actually, during its long history Catalonia has been incorporated into
or controlled by Greece, Carthage, Rome, the Visigoths, Moorish or
Muslims, the Franks, the nation of Aragon, the Habsburgs and finally,
Spain.

Read this typical Associated Press announcement on the vote: The
headline reads "Independence Drive for Spain's Catalonia Falters" and
the first paragraph states: "The push for an independence referendum
for Spain's Catalonia region has been thrown into doubt after the
referendum's main supporter was punished at the polls and forced into
the difficult position of having to seek alliances with other
parties."

This is because Catalan President Artur Mas and his Convergence and
Union Alliance Party, or CiU, lost seats to more radical secessionist
parties, as they should have. Actually, Mas and the CiU are
Johnny-come-lately independence supporters and previously actively
supported EU and bank-mandated austerity measures which only hurt the
economy, cut benefits and impoverish Catalonians through higher taxes.

The four independence parties still have to develop plans for a future
referendum on secession that will likely be supported by a majority of
the citizens of Catalonia. Although separatist movements are spreading
across Europe, here at The Daily Bell first we question why restored
nations should assume a burdensome share of illegitimate sovereign
debt when they exit existing unions and nation-states.

Most of the debt was created by distant banking elites buying
"encouraging" parliaments to increase national debt loads that can
never be paid off. With economies collapsing due to the debt load from
foreign-imposed debt never approved by the citizens, why should new
nations shoulder this illegitimate and destructive sovereign load?

Second, of course, all tax-feeding central governments like Spain warn
of a constitutional crisis and vow to block secession and independence
efforts. But an excellent counter to this draconian argument and
Lincoln-like threat is to say the following: "Either you allow us to
leave voluntarily and we will take a percentage of your sovereign debt
or use force and we will leave debt-free and bring down your
government. The choice is yours!"

It looks like the productive, hard-working people of Catalonia are
growing weary of funding the Spanish central government. I suggest
that they will eventually gain their independence. The leaders of
Spain would do well to consider their options of allowing a peaceful
and friendly transition to independence lest they face the
alternative, which could take down Spain and many other central
governments across Europe.

http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article37773.html

Katalonien wählt die Unabhängigkeit #news #eu #usa #politics

von Ralf Streck

Kataloniens Regierungschef Artur Mas gibt nicht auf. Bei der
vorgezogenen Neuwahl in der nordostspanischen Region hat die
regierende „Konvergenz und Einheit" (CiU) am Sonntag ihr Ziel klar
verpasst. Sie wollte eine „außerordentliche Mehrheit" erhalten, um ein
Referendum über die Unabhängigkeit von Spanien auf den Weg zu bringen.
Trotzdem hält Mas an dem Kurs fest. „Der Prozess muss vorangehen, ohne
Abstriche, aber im klaren Bewusstsein, dass die Mehrheiten ausgeweitet
werden müssen", sagte er.

Damit meint er vor allem die Mehrheit für seine moderaten
Katalanisten. Viele CiU-Wähler haben lieber das linksnationalistische
Original, die Republikanischen Linken (ERC), gewählt, anstatt auf die
unsicherere Kopie CiU zu setzen. Statt 62 Sitze kam sie nur noch auf
50, weil sie von gut 38 auf knapp 31 Prozent absackte. Die
Unabhängigkeitsbewegung, die im September 1,5 Millionen Menschen für
einen „neuen Staat in

Europa" mobilisiert hatte, akzeptiert Mas auf dem Fahrersitz des Zuges
nur geschwächt und abhängig von den Parteien, die diese Forderung
traditionell aufgestellt haben. Mas hatte sich mit der CiU erst an die
Spitze der Bewegung gestellt, nachdem die Verhandlungen mit dem
rechten spanischen Ministerpräsidenten Mariano Rajoy gescheitert
waren. Mas hatte von Rajoy ein eigenes Finanzierungssystem nach
baskischem Vorbild für das unterfinanzierte Katalonien gefordert. Denn
es ist paradox, dass die wirtschaftlich stärkste Region gleichzeitig
die am höchsten verschuldete ist, weil viele Milliarden nach Madrid
abfließen.

Die Wahlbeteiligung war mit fast 70 Prozent beinahe elf Prozent höher
als 2010. Die katalanischen Parteien, die für eine Loslösung vom
spanischen Zentralstaat eintreten, kommen auf knapp 66 Prozent der
Stimmen und auf 87 Sitze. Dass linke und radikalere Vertreter einer
Unabhängigkeit zweitstärkste Kraft wurden, macht die Stimmung in
Katalonien deutlich. Die ERC war die große Überraschung. Sie erreichte
mit knapp 14 Prozent 21 Sitze und ist mehr als doppelt so stark im
Parlament in Barcelona vertreten wie bisher.

http://www.maerkischeallgemeine.de/cms/beitrag/12430886/492531/Zwei-Drittel-der-Waehler-fuer-Separatisten-Katalonien-waehlt.html

Bloomberg: 'Catalan pro-independence parties win regional vote' #news #politics #usa #eu

By Ben Sills

Election gains by Catalan separatists spurred their independence drive
in a setback for regional President Artur Mas that may deepen his
stand-off with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. Mas, who called
early elections to force the debate on independence, lost a dozen
seats in the 135-member regional assembly, getting 50 for his
Convergencia i Unio party in yesterday's vote. The separatist Catalan
Republican Left, known as ERC, more than doubled its seats to 21 from
10. Almost two- thirds of the seats went to parties that back a
referendum.

The setback for Mas showed his bid for a mandate backfired, leaving
him dependent on anti-austerity separatists to govern Spain's largest
regional economy. Rajoy, hurt by recession and speculation that Spain
needs a European bailout, says a referendum on secession is
unconstitutional.

"Once Rajoy gets over dancing about the fact that Mas has not had a
good result, he's going to realize that this is not a good result for
him at all," Ken Dubin, a political scientist at Carlos III University
and IE business school in Madrid, said in an interview. "It's going to
be hard for him to argue that this is not something that the Catalan
population supports. And CiU will have to put the brakes on their
austerity."

Rajoy's People's Party won 19 seats, a gain of one. The Socialists
took 20 seats, down from 28. Mas, who had not made independence a core
issue until the campaign, has pledged a referendum within four years.

Catalan Separatists

In contrast, ERC, which has always defined itself in terms of Catalan
separatism, wants a vote by 2014 at the latest. Failing that, it would
be willing to declare independence unilaterally. While Mas's
traditional voters include Catalonia's business elite, ERC calls
itself leftist. It proposes new taxes on banking and wealth and
opposes austerity.

Catalan bonds were little changed after the vote and the extra yield
investors demand on Catalonia's 2018 notes compared with Spanish
equivalents narrowed 3 basis points to 526 basis points. Spain's
benchmark 10-year bond yield was unchanged at 5.62 percent.

Conceited Intruders

"Those who have come out of this most strengthened are those who spoke
most explicitly of independence," ERC leader Oriol Junqueras told
cheering supporters in Barcelona. At the ERC's headquarters, Junqueras
was greeted last night with cheers and chants of "In-de-pen-dence."
After his address, the crowd raised their clenched fists as he led
them in a rendition of the Catalan anthem, which is about driving away
"conceited and contemptful" intruders.

Mas has blamed tax transfers to the rest of Spain for the area's
financial woes and has pushed for independent tax collection. The
region transfers 15 billion euros ($19 billion), or 8 percent of its
output.

Like nationalist leaders before him, Mas wove past heroism with
present adversity into a campaign narrative that portrayed Catalonia
escaping from a Spanish state that is holding it back. In a speech on
the eve of the national celebration Sept. 11 that drew 1.5 million
people, he urged Catalans to draw inspiration from their history in
tackling the financial crisis.

"It's backfired for Convergencia, but the project of independence is
still pretty much alive," Alejandro Quiroga, senior lecturer in
Spanish history at Newcastle University in England, said in a
telephone interview.

Chastened after the results, Mas said he won't be able to govern
alone. He will talk to ERC and the Socialist party to seek to form a
"strong government," whether that's a coalition or a minority
administration with "clear" support from other lawmakers in
Parliament, he told reporters today. A government may be formed in
December or early January, he said.

While the result was far from what the party expected and wanted, it
"hasn't occurred" to Mas to resign and the party wouldn't let him if
it had, Josep Duran i Lleida, his deputy, said at the same news
conference.

The 7.5 million Catalans make up 16 percent of the Spanish population
and last year contributed 19 percent of the country's economic output.
Madrid is the second-biggest regional economy, with 18 percent of
national output. Catalonia is the country's most-indebted region, with
total borrowing of 48.5 billion euros.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-25/catalan-pro-independence-parties-win-exit-poll-shows

'La Catalogne en marche vers l'autodétermination' #news #eu #usa #politics

par Julien Marion

Jamais dans l'histoire récente, la Catalogne ne s'est autant éloignée
de Madrid". Hier soir à la Casa de la Generalitat, plus d'une centaine
de Perpignanais - dont Jean-Marc Pujol, premier magistrat - s'était
déplacée pour vivre en direct les résultats des élections en
Catalogne. Et à 20 h, les sourires et les applaudissements se sont
fait entendre alors que les premières estimations donnaient en tête le
CIU et l'ERC*, deux partis en faveur de l'autodétermination de la
Catalogne.

Première étape avant un référendum

Pour Rose-Marie, d'origine Catalane et fille de républicains
espagnols, l'émotion était au rendez-vous. "Loin de la crise
économique des deux côtés de la frontière, on est heureux de voir
comment un peuple affirme sa volonté indépendantiste d'une manière
pacifique et démocratique". Un avis que partageait Marithé, Catalane
d'adoption depuis 1958. "Même si la France est mon pays,
politiquement, ce serait une très bonne chose que la Catalogne
devienne indépendante. Ce soir, c'était une première étape et les
Catalans ont clairement mis l'histoire en marche". Un avis largement
partagé dans l'assistance où se mêlaient citoyens anonymes, militants
associatifs et élus politiques. Pour Pierre Becque, président de
l'association dels Amics de Catalunya, "c'est une bonne surprise de
voir autant de monde à Perpignan s'intéresser à cette élection,
surtout qu'il n'y a pas que des Catalanistes traditionnels.

Après, concernant les résultats, c'est très intéressant avec plus de
cent députés en faveur de l'autodétermination de la Catalogne. Deux
partis, CIU et l'ERC, arrivent en tête. S'ils sont différents d'un
point de vue politique, ils se rejoignent sur l'avenir démocratique de
la Catalogne. La volonté indépendantiste est très majoritaire avec
l'effondrement des partis centraux. Il reste maintenant à suivre
comment vont se dérouler les négociations pour l'organisation du
référendum". Du côté du CDC, pendant au nord du CIU d'Arthur Mas, son
représentant Jordi Vera apparaissait tendu à l'annonce des résultats.
En effet, sa formation politique, si elle arrive largement en tête,
était en recul par rapport aux derniers scrutins avec 14 sièges de
députés en moins. Pour Pierre Becque, ce résultat était attendu. "Le
CIU, au pouvoir depuis 2010, a mené une politique de rigueur qu'il
paye aujourd'hui dans les urnes. Mais malgré cela, Arthur Mas a fait
preuve d'un grand courage en convoquant ces élections et le CIU reste
largement la première force politique en Catalogne". Mais pour les
nombreux Perpignanais qui ont vécu la soirée, cette question des
rapports de force était bien secondaire et tous n'avaient qu'une
question en tête : quand la Catalogne deviendra-t'elle un Etat
souverain ? CIU : Convergència i Unió (centre droit), ERC : Esquerra
Republicana de Catalunya (centre gauche). Plus de cent Perpignanais
ont suivi hier les élections en Catalogne. De nombreuses personnalités
de Perpignan s'étaient donné rendez-vous hier soir.

http://www.lindependant.fr/2012/11/26/la-catalogne-en-marche-vers-l-autodetermination,1705536.php

EUoberserver: 'All eyes on Catalan election' #news #politics #eu #usa

By Helena Spongenberg | EUobserver

Catalans will cast their vote for a new regional assembly on Sunday
(25 November) in an election that could have considerable consequences
for Catalonia and the rest of Spain.

Catalan separatist parties wishing to split from Spain are set to win
most of the seats in the Catalan Parliament and current Catalan
President Artur Mas is expected to continue on his post. His
centre-right alliance party Convergència i Unió (CiU) will most likely
regain majority ahead of the left-wing independentist Esquerra party,
but short of the absolute majority they had hoped for.

The election campaign has been ugly with Mas accusing the conservative
Partido Popular government in Madrid of standing behind a personal
smear campaign and of scaremongering to dissuade Catalans from voting
for CiU.

Madrid, on the other hand, has said the Catalan government is unjustly
blaming Madrid for Catalonia's economic woes.

A recent convert to independence, Mas called for early elections last
September after Barcelona and Madrid failed to reach agreement on a
new fiscal pact. The Catalan government wanted the right to collect
and decide on the region's own taxes instead of passing them on to
Madrid, as it currently does.

Spanish President Mariano Rajoy opposed the move. This prompted Mas to
state that the Catalans would be better off creating "a state of their
own". If the new Catalan Parliament, as expected, has pro-separatist
parliamentarians making up two thirds of its ranks, this will pave the
way for a referendum on the independence of Catalonia – despite strong
resistance from Madrid.

One of Spain's 17 regions, Catalonia is responsible for a fifth of the
Spanish economy, which in turn is the 4th largest economy in the
eurozone. European capitals will therefore also take note of the
Catalan election results as Rajoy is trying to avoid a bailout from
Europe despite a severe recession in Spain.

Catalans have long complained that despite the Catalan region being
one of the biggest contributors to the Spanish budget, they get much
less back in funding for services and public works. The deficit lies
at around €15 billion, according to the Catalan government. The north
eastern region is also a heavily indebted region.

They also complain that the rest of Spain does not respect their
different Catalan identity and language. Catalans were outraged two
years ago when the Spanish Constitutional Court eliminated some
aspects of their autonomy in an updated regional statute despite it
being approved by the Spanish Parliament four years before.

The worsening economic situation and the high unemployment numbers in
Spain has only amplified the separatist feeling in Catalonia. This
came to a climax on Catalan national day on 11 September this year
when more than one million of Catalonia's 7.5 million citizens took to
the streets of Barcelona to call for independence.

Meanwhile, an eventual referendum on Catalonian independence would
raise many awkward questions in Brussels - not least whether the
would-be independent region would have to re-apply for EU membership.

http://euobserver.com/institutional/118310