THANKS TO THE SPANISH INTOLERANCE WE HAVE FINALLY ONLY TWO CLEAR OPTIONS, WE EITHER ACCEPT TO BECOME SWALLOWED BY SPAIN OR WE CHOOSE FOR INDEPENDENCE
The story of the actual Catalan constitutional law (Estatut) is long. It all started in 2004. The former Catalan government felt the need to create a new constitutional law of Catalonia (Estatut), in which Catalans would describe how they want their country to be and what they want for their country.
The essential problem here is that Spain sees Catalonia as a mere region, not as a country. They will say just like any other region, in reality they see it a region to endlessly punish. Spain does not want Catalonia to be any different, neither to have any differences. They want to decide in what way Catalonia is being treated different, and they do not want us to decide, they decide.
The result has been 5 years of negotiations. The Estatut was first approved by the Catalan Parliament. The Spanish government did not agree with it and changed some things. Then there came a referendum. The Catalan citizens voted yes to this changed Estatut.
Right after that the PP (Spanish right wing party) and the figure of the defender of the people (read defender of the Castillian people, as he never has defended any Catalan people) brought the Estatut to court as they thought that it was against the Spanish constitution.
Now the Spanish Constitution Court has begun to show the results of the verdict:
1. Catalonia is not allowed to call itself a nation,
2. The Catalan language is not allowed to have any kind of preference in Catalonia,
3. Catalonia is not allowed to have an entity to control independently the laws created by the Catalan Parliament, they are always subject to Spanish supervision.
4. Catalonia loses the competence on the Catalan banks, only the Spanish government has control over banks.
5. Catalonia cannot take any decisions on the creation and supervision of Taxes. The Spanish government decides.
6. The historical rights of Catalonia are neglected. As Catalonia is not allowed to be a nation it can neither posess any national symbols such as a national flag or a national anthem.
7. Catalonia is not allowed to have any control or supervision on immigration and how to deal with it (the last 15 years the population of Catalonia has increased by 16%, from 6 to more than 7 million inhabitants, all thanks to a massive and uncontrolled immigration).
8. The Spanish government decides how Catalonia shall be structured in regions and councils.
9. Parents who want their children to fully study in Spanish language in Catalonia must be able to study in Spanish language (but if Catalan children in Spain want to study in Catalan that is not necessary).
There are more verdicts on the way, as the process is still ongoing. But the Catalan Estatut must include a text saying that Spain is indivisible. Apparently they are kind of sensing a tendency to secession, otherwise they would not force us to add this article.
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The fact is that lately the spectrum of options were:
1. To stay and 'develop' Catalonia whitin Spain and the actual system of Autonomies.
2. To try to develop a federation of states whitin the Kingdom of Spain.
3. To try to get the so called 'Concert econòmic', status which Basque Country enjoys, in which the local Basque government is allowed to collect directly all taxes.
4. Independence.
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Now the sentence by the Constitution Court has made things clear:
1. The actual system with regional autonomy governments is obsolete. Catalonia cannot go forward whitin this system, we are actually going backwards!
2. Catalan politicians who said that a Federal Spain would be a good idea have lost their credibility. Spain does not even want to give more autonomy within the actual regional system, so a Federal Spain is just impossible.
3. The Concert Econòmic is also impossible. If we are not allowed to even advance a millimeter in financial issues within the actual regional system to try to achieve full independent autonomy in the collection of taxes is unthinkable.
So, we either accept that Catalonia cannot be more than a discriminated Spanish region, and a region that is spoliated and mistreated, that our language cannot be fully recognized, that we are simply not allowed to participate to the Global economy as there are several laws that limit our range of possibilities, we either accept that we are Spaniards of a lower class, who pay more to get less, with no access to international competitions as Catalans in any cultural or sports events. We either accept all of this or we choose for independence.
Up till now there seemed to be (for some people, not for me) different options.
Today there are only two options left: The actual and total defeat or independence.
The clarity this has given is great, and the defeat of the autonomic system is also a great tool to show that Catalonia does not fit in Spain. No matter how hard we try.
