REASONS FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF CATALONIA

Reason 31: The only way to get all products labelled in Catalan

2011-11-08T14:31:00.002+01:00

How many years have passed since the restoration of democracy. I remember in those times people spoke another type of Catalan. I remember that the first Catalan TV channel TV3 had to 'create' an artificial language, as so many years of linguistic oppression had brought a tremendous lack of vocabulary, since by law everthing had to be in foreign language (French in North Catalonia in Spanish in South Catalonia). Watching Catalan TV series was like watching to a utopian, non-existent and surprising Catalonia, in which you could see a robber speaking Catalan, where you could hear people talk about products in Catalan for the first time. Gradually the situation has changed, but not much. In Southern Catalonia (the Spanish side), one of the most serious causes of this deficiency of vocabulary are the 500 laws that require the labelling of products in Spanish language or the use of Spanish language in business and on the other hand, the almost total lack of resources or desire to get products tagged in Catalan.

What a relieve it was for me, in 1992, to move to a country where there are no such linguistic deficiencies, and what makes me sad seeing how Catalonia, after 20 years in Amsterdam, has hardly improved, it gets one step forward and two backwards.

I was very happy to discover businesses like supermarket chain Bon Preu, where the fancy brands of the chain are in Catalan, but if you want to buy any ‘A’ brand you practically won’t find any in Catalan at all.

If my conclusion, long ago, was already that only a Catalan state can get this situation to normality, now it is being enforced by a new EU law. The EU is looking to take a new measure that will make even more difficult to label in Catalan, and will even turn tagging only in Catalan into an illegal activity. The EU wants to force EU member states to label their products in one of the languages that are official in Europe. In the case of Spain it is definitely not the Catalan language, as Madrid blocks the access of Catalan language to have an official status in Europe. (Http://www.elsingulardigital.cat/cat/notices/2011/07/l_etiquetatge_en_catala_en_perill_70738.php)

As with the Catalan language at schools, the situation is precarious and uncertain as long as Catalonia is part of Spain (and France). The Catalan language, after 30 years of 'democracy' is still in a similar situation. Buy a car, medicine, shampoo, quince, cheese, condoms, or whatever you want. To find any product in Catalan is still a rare and surprising experience. This phenomenon is not only emotionally painful, is a constant weakening and impoverishment of our language; it is a constant free Spanish lesson for native and foreign citizens. Imagine a foreigner who wants to learn Catalan (and does not know Spanish). Going to the supermarket and all interested in how the products are called in Catalan. Well, what will she learn? pañuelos, lavavajillas, membrillo? Not a single Catalan word. No mocadors, rentavaixelles, codony.

Besides these inconveniences, Catalans still today have to snap to Spanish language when talking about certain products that in the public arena only exist in Spanish language as the Spanish law commands.

It is clear that without the protection of an own state Catalonia will never reach a normal labelling of products.
More information (in Catalan):

http://blogspersonals.ara.cat/elcatalasuma/2011/11/03/faktum-abstrakt-rationell/
http://blogspersonals.ara.cat/elcatalasuma/2011/10/06/etiquetatge-catala-llei-i-acompliment-ii-un-criteri-curios-en-l%e2%80%99aplicacio-de-les-lleis/
http://www.elsingulardigital.cat/cat/notices/2011/07/l_etiquetatge_en_catala_en_perill_70738.php

Reason 30: ONLY WAY TO ENSURE NORMALITY IN EDUCATION IN CATALAN LANGUAGE

2011-09-29T12:37:00.003+02:00

In a normal (sovereign) country nobody puts in doubt that every citizen must have the right and the obligation to learn and to be able to speak in the ‘national’ language. In the artificial creation of the 18th century nation states, such as France, the absolutist regimes (dictatorial monarchies, dictatorships so to speak) engaged a crusade to abolish any other culture and any other language in ‘their’ territory than theirs. They imposed the idea that their territory was ‘a nation’ and that it had to have only one language, theirs. But the territory they had in charge was not at all ‘a nation’ and was not at all monolingual.

Even though this phenomenon had happened already several times by several other authoritarian regimes before (such as the Romans, to remain in the same area of the globe), the beginning of the 18th century can be seen as a decisive turning point, in which languages and cultures that did not enjoy the protection of a monarch, started to suffer an unprecedented cultural genocide ever since the fall of the Roman empire. Not only the Catalan language, but also the Frisian, the Flemish, the Occitan, the Gaelic languages, the Basque language, and so on, they were all persecuted and sentenced to death. Their use was prohibited at schools, governments and churches, it was prohibited to right books in those languages and even to have a name in those languages.

Today, in democratic Europe, the scars are still open, and even though some moribund; many of these languages are still spoken. It is sad to say that the phenomenon and the mentality that thinks it is legitimate to destruct these languages is still there, alive and kicking; in France, in the Netherlands and of course in Spain.

The Spaniards prosecuted Catalan speakers in horrendous ways, with discrimination, punishments, and even imprisonment because they used Catalan language. The famous architect Gaudí was also imprisoned just because he spoke Catalan to a police officer. Just to be a Catalan has been for the last 300 years a constant disadvantage and a reason to be discriminated by the authorities imposed by the Spaniards. Official positions in Catalonia ever since the abolition of the Catalan state in 1714 were given only to Spaniards (in some cases to Catalans who turned themselves into ‘neat’ Spanish speakers, called botiflers). Officers never spoke a word of Catalan and showed such an aversion to you as Catalan that you tried to sound ‘as less Catalan as possible’ when needed to deal with authorities in order not to be discriminated. Something I have experienced myself and shall never forget. This is something nowadays still happens too often to Catalans who speak Catalan to police officers or even children who at hospital talk Catalan to a nurse that does not want to understand it. It is a very serious offense and very painful experience to be discriminated in your own country in this way.

Spain is very far away from the really democratic Zwitserland, where there are clear language borders in which every one respects the fact that it is a state with 4 languages and no language has the right to be imposed upon the others. Belgium is not Zwitserland, there we see a language collision, in which the French act in the Spanish role and the Flemish in the Catalan. The big difference is that Flanders already has got the autonomy of an independent state, as Belgium is a federation in which Flanders acts with full independence in all domestic politics and the French speakers would not even dear to demand French education for their children in Flemish schools.

But Spain is different. The persecution of Catalan language is still going on and the mentality that every Spanish citizen (read Castillian speaking citizen) should have the right and obligation to be educated in Spanish, even though Spain is not a monolingual state, is also still there. They cannot conceive that the Spanish state hasn’t become monolingual like France.
Catalonia has tried to bring the Catalan language to a normal situation, in which every citizen who grows in Catalonia has the right and obligation to learn and to be able to speak the language of the country, which is Catalan. This, next to the obligation and right to learn and to be able to speak Castillian (which is the language our neighbour country, imposed upon us). The Catalan policy wants to offer equal education to all, without discriminating anyone linguistically. It is easier to find a job is you speak both languages than if you only speak Castillian. The Catalan education system makes clear that in Catalonia the predominant language is the language of the country, Catalan, and some Spaniards cannot accept this. That’s why some Spaniards have brought the Catalan education system to the Spanish Constitutional Court. And this court has said that the Catalan educational system must offer the option to be educated in Castillian language, and that Catalan language cannot be the predominant language.

Spain will never be like Belgium or Zwitserland. Spaniards keep trying in many different and subtle ways to turn Catalan into a minority language and reinforce the supremacy of their language in the whole of ‘their’ territory. Spain is an unfinished and failed copy of the French model, which achieved a higher degree of homogenization, where all is left over are zombie languages scattered around the southern half of their territory (Breton, Occitan, Catalan, Basque) the existence of which is practically unknown by any other European citizen.

To me again one thing is clear, only with a Catalan state we can guarantee normal education in Catalan. A Catalan state would mean a more natural administration of Catalonia, a protection of Catalan rights, language, culture and economy, in own territory and abroad, the abolition of impositions from our neighbours, who clearly have another mentality and other interests than we. We don’t go to impose Catalan in Madrid, why don’t they leave us in peace?

Reason 29: ONLY WAY FOR CATALAN LANGUAGE BE OFICIAL AT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

2011-07-17T10:27:00.013+02:00

One of the advantages of being in the EU is that we keep much more in contact with each other than we ever did before. And thanks to this we can compare the rights all state members apply to their citizens. One can easily see how the different mentalities result in different approaches in the possibilities citizens have in different European states. For example, the reaction of the UK to Scotland willing to organize a referendum for independence (acceptance, open to the will of the peoples from Scotland, respect of human rights) very different than the Spanish reaction to a possible Basque or Catalan referendum, reaction that one wouldn’t expect from a European state, but rather from states with questionable democratic regimes such as Russia, China or Turkey (repression of fundamental democratic rights, denial of our cultural singularity and prohibition of the referendum).

Another example: one can see how Scotland is allowed by the UK to have own representation in the Olympic games and other international sports competitions, and Spain tries to block as much as possible Catalan participation to all international sports competitions.

For several years, Catalan politicians have been lobbying in the European parliament to make Catalan official language in the European parliament. The Spanish politicians block, over and over again, the acceptance of Catalan as official language.

Catalan is seen as a minority language, while if one sees the amount of speakers one shall understand that Catalan is not at all a minority language. Catalan is being kept as minority language, but in reality it is the 13th language in amount of speakers of the European community. One can count the amount of speakers per language world wide, or the amount of speakers on European soil. No matter how you count. Catalan is the 12th/ 13th language.

Catalans should be treated as the speakers of the 13th language in the European Union and not as a minority. But as one can see, it is not the amount of native speakers what counts. What counts is being the language that enjoys the protection of an independent state, no matter the inhabitants.

Two weeks ago PP and PSOE, after several times in the past years, voted against Catalan being an official language in the European Parliament, blocking the normalization of the Catalan language.

Conclusion: Only by being an independent state Catalan shall be official in the European Parliament. Besides this, I remind you that with an own state Catalonia shall have 17 parliamentarians, today we only have 7. (http://independentcatalonia.blogspot.com/2009/06/reason-18-european-sardana-or-only-way.html).

Here you can see the amount of speakers per language (official languages + Catalan) on European soil:

1. German: 95 million (Germany, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland)

2. French: 68,5 million (France 64,5 million, Wallonia 3,4 million, Luxembourg 0,5 million)

3. English: 66 million (UK: 60 million, Ireland 6 million, Malta 0,0065 million)

4. Italian: 62 million

5. Polish: 38 million

6. Spanish 31,9 million (Population in Spain is 46 million inhabitants, 10,5 million are Catalan speakers, 0,6 million are Basque native speakers, 3 million are Galician native speakers, so 31,9 million Spaniards can be considered to have Castilian Spanish as mother tongue).

7. Dutch: 22,1 million (Netherlands 16,6 million of which 0,5 million have Frisian as mother tongue, so 16,1 have Dutch as mother tongue, Flanders 6 million)

8. Hungarian: 16 million

9. Greek: 13 million

10. Bulgarian: 12 million

11. Czech: 12 million

12. Portuguese: 10,5 million

13. Catalan: 10,5 million

14. Swedish: 9,7 million

15. Slovakian: 7 million

16. Danish: 6 million

17. Finish: 6 million

18. Lithuanian: 3,5 million

19. Slovene: 2,5 million

20. Irish: 1,6 million

21. Latvian: 1,4 million

22. Estonian: 1 million

23. Maltese: 0,37 million

ARTICLES IN CATALAN:

http://www.naciodigital.cat/noticia/33095/psoe/sumen/forces/evitar/oficialitat/catala/europa

http://www.naciodigital.cat/noticia/12392/vicepresidenta/catala/oficial/europa/culpa/govern/espanyol

ARTICLES IN ENGLISH:

http://www.nationalia.info/en/news/655

http://www.euractiv.com/en/culture/meps-push-eu-recognition-catalan-welsh-languages-news-309487

Reason 28: ONLY WAY TO BUILD A CARGO RAILWAY FROM CATALONIA TO EUROPE

2011-07-02T17:17:00.009+02:00

During the past two decades, Spain has made evident, with most of its big investments, to make a policy based in the consolidation of a ‘Spanish nation’, without considering at all if these investments were profitable. The result is a state with an unsustainable infrastructure, that without the fiscal deficit of the Catalan countries shall go bank rupt even faster than Greece. The Spanish government invests over and over again in infrastructures in places where there isn’t enough commercial activity, not enough tourism, not enough industry, not enough passengers.
The new airport of León, recently opened, is already known as the desert airport. It was thought to accommodate 3 times more passengers and it has cost 80 million Euros. But where are the passengers? Well, the airport has capacity for 580 passengers per hour, but there are no more than 250 passengers in a DAY!
The company that holds the monopoly on airports in Spain, Aena, held a competition for entrepreneurs for the operation of all restoration services of the airport. After a month nobody had appeared. Entrepreneurs do make a research before making an investment. The result: no investors interested.
But it’s not only the initial investment, the maintenance of an empty airport shall be an unsustainable and lasting expense.
Another example is the unsustainable thousands of miles of high-speed railways. Spain is the European state with the most miles. Madrid seems obsessed with trying to extinguish its geographical isolation by the way it invests in transportation. Everybody says the same: they did not even consider the profitability of these high-speed railways. Well, the European directives confirm that none of the Spanish high-speed routes are profitable. A high-speed train needs 9 million passengers a year in order to be profitable. Madrid-Barcelona, the busiest of the routes, has 5,3 million passengers a year.
Yesterday, they closed the line from Toledo to Albacete, which is losing € 18.000,- every day! It is used by the huge amount of 9 passengers a day.
At this moment only 30% of the costs are covered with the sale of tickets. To be honest, the chance that any of the other lines than Madrid-Barcelona ever achieves 9 million passengers is zero. The Spanish high-speed railways is an unsustainable financial disaster.
The last example: Spain is building a new harbour in Algeciras (south of Spain) that shall be 3 times bigger than the harbour of Barcelona. This harbour shall have a cargo railroad from Algeciras to Europe. The cargo shall have to travel 1200 kilometres (745 miles) and be lifted up the mountains until 1000 meters of height before it arrives to Europe. Can this be profitable? impossible.

Images from the web site of the Spanish ministry on infrastructures:
The harbours of Spain today:

The harbours of Spain in 2020:

The Cargo Railroad in construction:

The cargo railroad Catalonia wants since the 80’s, never has come and as long as Catalonia remains part of Spain, never shall come. But this one could be profitable. From Barcelona to France there is a distance of only 155 kilometres (96 miles).
The Dutch made a similar cargo railroad from the harbour of Rotterdam to Germany. From the biggest harbour of Europe to Germany, most important client of Holland. With only 158 kms (98 miles) the Dutch made several studies before investing in such a cargo Railroad. During the first years it was far from profitable, but it seems lately it is starting to improve. The trains that carry goods to Germany are 500 meters long and substitute up to 15000 trailers a month. With this cargo railroad the Dutch save up to 200 kms (124 miles) of traffic jams every day. Analysts say the line shall only be profitable when the Germans finish the line in German soil. We are talking of only 158 kms (98 miles) on flat terrain versus 1200 kms (745 miles) being lifted up to 1000 meters of height.
The Spaniards are systematically diverting economical activity from Catalonia towards their territory (they do so also by prohibiting most intercontinental flights from and to Barcelona). The Catalan economy shall keep decreasing more and more as investors shall move to the better-communicated Algeciras, Madrid, and other parts of Spain.
Without an own state Catalonia shall never have the cargo Railroad to Europe.
Information in Catalan language:
http://www.directe.cat/noticia/160966/tremosa-denuncia-que-l-estat-espanyol-va-boicotejar-una-visita-d-eurodiputats-al-port-de-t
http://www.elpunt.cat/noticia/article/1-territori/12-infraestructures/375886-foment-evitara-prioritzar-leix-mediterrani-per-sobre-el-pirinenc.html
http://www.slideshare.net/pacoriviere/espanya-es-queda-cada-any-19177-meur-dels-impostos-pagats-pels-catalans
http://www.avui.cat/noticia/article/2-societat/5-societat/358163-el-que-fa-madrid-a-leix-mediterrani-es-molt-greu.html
http://www.avui.cat/noticia/article/2-societat/5-societat/279209--ave-la-ruina-de-lestat-.html
http://www.eltriangle.eu/cat/notices/2011/01/Es_rendible_l_ave_20436.php
http://quiron.wordpress.com/2010/10/16/lave-madrid-valencia-competencia-deslleial/

Information in Spanish language:
http://www.diariodeleon.es/noticias/noticia.asp?pkid=607090
http://www.quieroleon.com/index.php/2011/04/el-pal-muestra-su-preocupacion-por-la-situacion-del-aeropuerto-de-leon-al-que-tacha-de-mentira-politica/
http://www.albacity.org/horarios/tren/ave-toledo-cuenca-albacete.htm

Information in English:
http://allplane.blogspot.com/2010/12/spains-empty-airports-iii-leon.html

Information on the Dutch cargo Railroad in Dutch:
http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4324/Nieuws/article/detail/1204571/2008/11/27/Betuwelijn-begint-al-te-bloeien.dhtml

Reason 27: ONLY WAY TO ALLOW CATALAN IN BERNABEU

2011-05-25T00:15:00.006+02:00

Picture of Don Santiago Bernabeu and Don Francisco Franco. 7 december 1960.

In this web site (http://www.footballderbies.com/stadium/index.php?id=13) you can find this text:
“ Barça's Nou Camp stadium ('New Ground' in Catalan) is the biggest stadium in Europe. It's a Catalan monument, you could say it's the national stadium of Catalonia. In Franco's days this was the only place where people could speak Catalan (which was forbidden) and where they could show their flag. The Bernabeu is also among the biggest stadia in Europe.”
If during Franco’s dictatorship Catalan was only allowed in the stadium of FC Barcelona, today, in our ‘democratic’ Spain, Franco’s dream to prohibit Catalan has a rebirth as Catalan has been forbidden in the stadium of FC Madrid.
The fact is, that Santiago Bernabeu is the only Stadium of the Champions that prohibits Catalan language. Catalan citizens can hear Catalan announcements in their mother tongue in any other match in Italy, UK, Ucraine, or any other country.
The reasons given for this prohibition are quite interesting:
First they said that there was nobody in the Stadium who understood Catalan, which is simply incorrect, as in a match with FC Barcelona thousands of Catalans travel to Madrid to see the match.
Then they said as both clubs are Spanish, it is not necessary to use another language than Spanish. Well, technically speaking this is also incorrect. Spain has 5 official languages and none of them can technically be seen as THE Spanish language. It is as incorrect as to speak of THE European language. But well, if we have to accept that they mean their language (the Castillian language) it still is no reason to prohibit Catalan as they allow any other language, even foreign languages.
The last reason they gave proves the hatred in Spain against Catalonia, its language and its culture: Madrid pressed UEFA and warned them of the riots that could arise if the public would hear the Catalan language.
Not a single foreign language is prohibited in Bernabeu. Not a single other language could lead to riots. Spain shall only accept us if we are an independent country. As long as we are part of Spain they shall try to assimilate us, to destroy our language and our culture and to turn us into Spaniards. And I am not saying that there is anything wrong with being Spanish, but you cannot ask a French citizen in his own country to abandon his language, culture and identity and become a German or British citizen. Exactly in the same way you cannot expect a Catalan citizen to abandon his language, culture, identity and adopt one that is not his.
Therefore, and unfortunately, one can take the conclusion that only if Catalonia becomes an independent state Bernabeu will not prohibit the Catalan language.
It is difficult to understand how on earth something like this can occur in a European country in the year 2011.
If you understand Catalan you can read it here:
http://www.racocatala.cat/forums/fil/141780/catala-prohibit-bernabeu-catalanofobia-no-racisme-pura-quotidianitat
If you understand Spanish you can read it here:
http://www.blaugranas.com/liga_de_campeones_el_catalan_prohibido_en_el_bernabeu-noticias_del_f_c_barcelona-ispyp-166621.htm
I did not find any English information on this matter.

Reason 26: Only way to ensure the promotion of Catalan culture and language

2011-02-09T19:56:00.018+01:00

(In this image you can see the headquarters of Instituto Cervantes in Beijing, New York, Moscow, Belgrado, Vienna, and many other cities in the World).

An own state offers an excellent and stable base on which a country can promote its culture and its language (or languages). This stability gives support to thousands of artists, writers, singers, orchestras, theather groups, movie directors, etcetera.

One example is Spain. Spain, such as many other European countries, has a great institute to promote "Spanish culture and culture in Spanish language (see link 1). I must add to this sentence, that there isn't in fact such a thing as A Spanish language, as there isn't such a thing as A European language, or a Belgian language. It is not only wrong to speak of A Spanish language, it also shows the desire to assimilate all other cultures that are in this terrirory and make them disappear.
But the entire world believes them and they are satisfied with this misunderstanding they have created and keep alive.

With an own state, the Castillians and Castillian speaking communities of Spain, enjoy an amount of 103.000.000 euros a year to promote their language abroad.

This gives them great oportunities and supports thousands of their professionals all around the globe, only in their language and their culture, only to promote their language and their culture.

It would be reasonable, seen that 18% of the population of Spain speak Catalan, that 18% of this money would be spent to promote Catalan culture and language.

The Castillians enjoy with this institution huge buildings with headquarters in 78 cities around the globe.
Year after year they can support 3500 artists, writers, scientists, architects, etc.
They can finance every year:
2500 projections
500 cinema circles
450 concerts,
475 conferences,
375 exhibitions,
250 workshops on their culture,
and last but not least, a party called 'Dia del español', and with this they do not mean the day for the Spanish citizen, they mean it as a party for everyone who speaks their language. So, we catalans and our language are not invited. Nor are basque nor Galician.

The Spanish government increased last year Instituto Cervantes' budget. And this year, despite the serious financial crisis, they have ensured the same budget as last year.

Budget Instituto Cervantes the last 3 years in million euros:

2009 – 102,4
2010 – 103
2011 – 103

(links 2,3,and 4)

As you might know, Catalonia doesn't have a secure money source in order to support Catalan language and culture. Without an own state, every year we miss the oportunity to support and promote thousands of Catalan artists, writers, scientists, philosophers, actors, etc, who are interested to promote their culture and their language.

It is logical very few people know anything about Catalonia at all and come to Catalonia thinking they go to the country of Spanish language, Sangria and Flamenco.

The Catalan government has been able to spend 2,5 million euros a year in 2009 and also in 2010 for this purpose. (see link 5)

But this year this might be half of that if we are lucky. (link 6). The Catalan government must cut costs and they shall cut drastically on expenses on this matter. It is the world upside down that we are paying more than anyone in Spain, they get away with our money, we have to cut costs so that they can go on spending as if there was no crisis at all.

With an own state, we will be able to have our own cultural centres and promote our culture and language abroad. We shall be able to multiply at least 10 times our expenses on this matter.

This is a good reason, financial and cultural at the same time, to wish independence for Catalonia.

1
http://www.cervantes.es/sobre_instituto_cervantes/prensa/2011/noticias/discurso_plan_accion_cultural_2011.htm

2 “Instituto Cervantes no sufrirá recortes presupuestarios en 2011”
http://www.letralia.com/237/0722cervantes.htm

3
2009 - 102,4 milions d'euros
(source: http://www.finanzas.com/noticias/formacion/2008-10-06/48704_directora-instituto-cervantes-califica-presupuesto.html)

4
2010 – 103 milions d'euros
2011 – 103 milions d'euros
(source: http://noticierodiario.com.ar/el-instituto-cervantes-cumple-20-anos/).

5
Pressupost per a les comunitats a l'exterior (dedicades a promocionar la cultura i la llengua catalana)
2009 – 2,5
2010 – 2,5
2011 – ??
http://premsa.gencat.cat/pres_fsvp/AppJava/notapremsavw/detall.do?id=16373

6
http://www.directe.cat/noticia/114020/la-generalitat-comenca-les-retallades-per-les-comunitats-catalanes-a-l-exterior

Reason 25: Only way to have Tripadvisor in Catalan language

2011-01-01T15:02:00.014+01:00

Long time ago I wrote an article about the worst hotels in Amsterdam. I gave an advice to my readers to check a hotel at Tripadvisor before booking. When I did I didn't even think of the possibility (actually the impossibility) of having Tripadvisor in Catalan language or being allowed to write comments in Catalan.

Well, Tripadvisor does have a policy for Catalan. It is forbidden, and any comment written with care and dedication in Catalan language is deleted!

A writer of my blog (http://blogs.ccrtvi.com/catalanspelmon.php?itemid=34034&catid=1259, only in Catalan) told me that this happened to her.

So I went to check their website and checked the languages they have. Well, Tripadvisor does not make a distinction per language but per independent country, and has chosen for the language of dominance. Perhaps this is the reason why there isn't a Tripadvisor of Belgium of Switzerland, there is no such a thing as the dominant language and they don't know how to cope with this.

It is strange. If I speak English and live in the UK, why should I go to the website of the UK? Most probable is that I will travel outside of the UK, to any country BUT the UK. So what is the use of having a web site for the UK? Is it for the traveller who goes to the UK? No.
A Spanish traveller who goes to the UK shall use the Spanish Tripadvisor, not the one of the UK.
What shall a Canadian user from Quebec do? He/she speaks French. The Canadian Tripadvisor is only in English. He/she shall have to go to the Tripadvisor from France (!?)
It is strange. In a global world in which languages do not coincide with independent countries , in which people travel from any point in the world to any point in the world, a division in languages would be much more efficient and logical than the division per independent country they have made, which is much more complicated and does not offer a clear benefit for the traveller from a specific country to another specific country.

But the fact is that only independent countries and even with much less inhabitants than the Catalan speakers (9,5 million) do have the right to have an own version of Tripadvisor. Norway, for example, with only 4,5 million inhabitants and very few hotels does have an own Tripadvisor. Catalan citizens, who more than double the population of Norway, are not only excluded from Tripadvisors, our comments in Catalan language are DELETED!.

The conclusion is again: An own state would solve this injustice at once. Independent states even with much less inhabitants do get the privilege of having a version of Tripadvisor in own language.

Reason 24: ONLY WAY TO BAN BULLFIGHTS AND GUARANTEE ITS PROHIBITION SHALL STAY

2010-08-22T23:41:00.006+02:00

The Dutch press (and the press of most countries) often say that Catalonia already has a high degree of autonomy. This is a lie that must come from Madrid.
The Scots, the Greenlanders, the Quebecans... they have got real autonomy. Any time they wish to they can organize a referendum on the independence of their countries. The UK, Canada or Denmark don't ban their democratic rights as Spain is doing with Catalonia.

They are allowed to have their international sports federations and their athletes are allowed to participate under their national identities.
In Catalonia, we have nothing of this.

Now once again Spain shows that no law made in Catalonia is safe from the Spanish inquisition. Spain is planning to revoke the abolition of bullfights in Catalonia.
In 1991 they didn't seem to care when The Canary Islands banned bullfights. They tolerated the Canary Islands, but they do not tolerate Catalonia doing it.

Now again it is clearer and clearer: Catalonia does not have real autonomy, Spain revokes any law made in Catalonia if they don't like it and the abolition of bullfights in Catalonia won't be safe unless Catalonia becomes an independent country within the EU.

http://www.abc.es/20100728/cultura-toros/propondra-para-anular-prohibicion-201007281301.html

Reason 23: THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE (POST-ESTATUT FASE)

2010-06-30T13:10:00.007+02:00

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.
--

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.
--
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.

REASON 22: ONLY WAY FOR THE CATALAN FILM INDUSTRY TO EXIST

2010-06-12T23:42:00.004+02:00

One of the questions I ask to many people here when I explain why I want a Catalan state: Did you ever hear of the Catalan film industry? The answer is always NO.
If I ask them if they know anything on the Norwegian, Finish or Danish film industry the answer is always YES.
Why does a film industry of a region as Norway or Denmark with just 4,5 milion inhabitants international projection and the Catalan culture with 12 milion inhabitants has no international projection at all?
The only reason is that we do not have a state. And the states we are in (France and Spain) do not represent us, do not give us access to project our movies internationally. It all starts with asking for grants to make a movie. The Catalan film industry has a lack of access to the international platforms, but it already has disadvantage from the beginning: when asking for a grant for a movie in Spain it is forbiden to present the libreto in Catalan language, it must be in Spanish, even though 20% of the inhabitants of Spain speak Catalan at home.
Spain is not Switserland (who presents movies in all the languages that are spoken there) and it has no intentions to become like it. This year a Catalan actor tried to open the doors for the Oscars for Catalan movies without success.
I will only present here a reflection on one of the international platforms: The Oscars, but with all international platforms the same shit happens: no access for the Catalan film industry.
In theory if 20 % of the population of Spain speaks Catalan one on the 5 movies presented at The Oscars should be in Catalan language. We all know that never a Catalan movie has been presentedto represent Spain at the Oscars. And we all know this will never happen.
When Catalonia is an independent country:
we shall be able to send a movie to the Oscars every year!
We shall have a much higher amount of money to develop our own film industry, and nobody will question our right to spend this money in Catalan culture.
Catalan movie makers will not be in disadvantage any more to ask for grants.
The world will know about the Catalan film industry when we ask around the globe, as they know about something about the Danish or Finish movie industry.
Here is a list of the winners of the last 20 years for the best foreign movie. As you can see the spectrum of countries has changed ever since the USSR won in 1980.
Bosnia & Herzegovina would have never appeared in this list if it hadn't become an independent country, and the Czeck republic would still be together with Slovakia. Things change. They changed for Ireland, Finland, Norway, and later for several countries in Eastern Europe. More and more countries are becoming independent. This is the clear tendency we are going to.

1980 USSR
1981 HUNGARY
1982 SPAIN
1983 SWEDEN
1984 SWITSERLAND
1985 ARGENTINIA
1986 THE NETHERLANDS
1987 DENMARK
1988 DENMARK
1989 ITALY
1990 SWITSERLAND
1991 ITALY
1992 FRANCE
1993 SPAIN
1994 RUSSIA
1995 THE NETHERLANDS
1996 CZECH REPUBLIC
1997 THE NETHERLANDS
1998 ITALY
1999 SPAIN
2000 TAIWAN
2001 BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
2002 GERMANY
2003 CANADA
2004 SPAIN
2005 SOUTH AFRICA
2006 GERMANY
2007 AUSTRIA
2008 JAPAN
2009 ARGENTINA
2010 ARGENTINA
.
.
.
2014 CATALONIA?

Reason 21: THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE REGIONALISATION OF CATALONIA: INDEPENDENCE

2010-04-10T11:37:00.003+02:00

The Spanish government is planning to approve a new law that will avoid Spaniards to vote in the elections of their respective Autonomous Communitites. As this is a Spanish invention it is very difficult to translate and therefore difficult to understand for someone with little knowledge of Spain and of Catalonia. The concept of the ‘Autonomous Community’ -Comunitat Autonoma in Catalan- is a mix between a regional government and a separation of Spain into states, similar to the German Länder.
The problem of this system is that it is applied to all Spanish regions, no matter their own interest in having an own government and an own parliament. The interest in having an own parliament lies on the perception of your territory either as a region or as a nation.
And here lies the essence of the problem. Most Spaniards see their respective ‘Autonomous Communities’ as a region and the respective governments as regional governments without much interest.
Catalans, Basques or Galicians tend to see their Autonomous Communities as a nation, and their governments and parliaments as their national government, rather than a regional one.
As Catalan, Catalonia is the country I come from, where my people live, where my language is spoken, where my traditions are kept, where literature is made that corresponds to my culture, where they cook the food of my homeland, etc.
The only reason for me to keep a Spanish passport is that I can vote for the Catalan elections. Spain is not of my interest, not politically, not culturally. In no way Spain represents my culture or my language. The Spanish consulate and the Spanish cultural organisations in Holland do not represent who I am what so ever. And yet, Spain has the right to prohibit me my vote for Catalonia, my country.
Now the Spanish government is planning to apply a new law that will avoid us who live abroad to be able to vote for our Catalan elections (our national elections) we see this as a new measure in the process of regionalising Catalonia.
Such a measure would be unthinkable in Scotland or Quebec. But Spain is different. Spain is still miles away from a democratic country, still miles away from being a proper State of rights.
Not only because Spain is going to ban my right to vote in my homeland. Spain is far from being a State of rights because its judicial system is still today, several years after Franco’s death, not clean and impartial. All the contrary. In the highest Spanish judicial institutions you shall find, still today, several judges who were working under the fascist regime at Franco’s side, politicians who have direct liaisons with Franco’s party or other fascist organisations, and a judicial system directly ruled by the political parties, nothing as should be allowed in a proper State of rights.
And as a result of this Spain can go on prohibiting democracy and allowing fascism. This is happening in Spain today. Baltasar Garzón is a clear example of this. And Europe is doing nothing to stop this.
Again a new reason in favour of having an own Catalan state.

Reason 20: To break with Spanish fascism: independence (III)

2010-02-11T18:33:00.006+01:00

Unfortunately I have to add two articles concerning to reason Nr. 20 that explains that Spain still is today packed with fascists.
The newspaper ABC in Seville allows death notices of Spains' last dictators Franco and Primo de Rivera. Not only that, they allow text in them that dignifies them.
20th November 2009, on the day both dictators passed away.
Such a death notice would be banned in any other democratic country in the World.
It is not so in Spain.
http://www.sms25.cat/noticia/1859/Ledicio_de_Sevilla_del_diari_ABC_encara_fa_apologia_del_franquisme
----
Last but not least,
Just a couple of days ago, a journalist from The National Spanish TV and Cadena Ser, was present in a fascist demonstration in Madrid in honour to Azul division, a fascist military division of Franco's regime that fought next to Hitler . He sung the fascist hymn 'Cara al Sol' among other fascist songs and he often attends fascist lectures from the fascist party Falange de las J.O.N.S., the party of Franco himself.
This kind of people occupy important positions in the highest Spanish authorities and national institutions such as the National Spanish TV channel.
http://www.sms25.cat/noticia/2145/Un_periodista_de_TVE_i_la_SER,_entre_els_assistents_a_una_concentracio_falangista_a_Madrid

Reason 20: To break with Spanish fascism: independence (II)

2009-12-11T10:40:00.000+01:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B88l9QgB-zU

Reason 20: To break with Spanish fascism: independence

2009-11-01T15:20:00.005+01:00

I have never spoken about fascism because for me it seems something from the past, very far away from my life. Here in Holland, as well as in Catalonia, fascism merely exists in reduced groups of losers who try to find some kind of excitement in their lives by joining this kind of radical and anti-democratic ideas, but you will never find this kind of people in the power.

A year ago I was very shocked to see a documentary about German Nazis living in Fascist homes for elderly people in Madrid. I did not know that Franco welcomed Nazis in Spain after WW2, who found in Spain a fascist paradise and still today are living in their fascist paradise as if nothing had changed.

And unfortunately it seems that no so much has changed in Spain after all. During the last year I have encountered several news about people in power with either fascist ideas or a fascist past. Something you won’t find in any European country (with the exception of Austria).

They don’t say they are fascists, but act as fascist, have a fascist past and if you do a little search you discover several surprising connections with fascist organisations such as the political party of Franco himself, Falange de las JONS.

Some examples:

1. The king of Spain, Juan Carlos, was chosen by Franco himself. Still in 2005 he paid tribute to dictators Primo de Rivera and Franco in a lecture he gave. (article in Spanish: http://www.purnas.com/2009/08/13/agradeciendo-a-su-mentor-juan-carlos-i-y-el-generalisimo/)

2. The Spanish state was against the referendum for independence of Arenys the Munt (a village with only 8000 inhabitants) and wanted to prohibit it. They were not against the demonstration against the referendum organised by the fascist party of Francisco Franco himself, Falange de las J.O.N.S. So, in order to try to prohibit it they sent a lawyer from the government. This lawyer, Mr. Jorge Buxadé, has been, in the 90’s twice candidate of the fascist party Falange de las J.O.N.S.

(in Catalan: http://www.naciodigital.cat/?seccio=noticies&accio=veure&id=12003)

3. Still today Nazi Germans live in Spain in all freedom in Nazi homes. Franco welcomed them and they are still there.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/26/world/europe/26iht-nazi.html

4. The TSJC (Tribunal Superior Judicial de Catalunya), the highest judicial court of Catalonia, found it anti-democratic to want to prohibit a demonstration by the anti-democratic and fascist party Falange de las J.O.N.S. against the democratic referendum, organised by the people of Arenys the Munt and in which all citizens could vote yes or no (democracy). They did not find it anti-democratic that the Spanish government they represent tried to prohibit this peaceful referendum. This clearly explains the poor democratic vision of the Spanish authorities this court belongs to.

5. In Spain to burn a Spanish flag is prosecuted. To burn a Catalan flag is not prosecuted.

6. Also members of the Spanish Constitutional court (Tribunal Constitucional) appear to have important positions in the Franco regime as you can read here: (in Spanish: www.elplural.com, con el titular de "Un falangista en el Constitucional", el diario Público realizó ayer un extenso estudio sobre el pasado y el presente de uno de los jueces que conforman el Tribunal Constitucional. El magistrado Roberto García-Calvo destaca por su conservadurismo y su protagonismo en la provincia de Almería en la recta final de la Dictadura. De los duros Ultraconservador y reticente a la apertura del Régimen, García-Calvo se mantuvo en el cargo de Gobernador Civil entre abril de 1976 y marzo de 1977 en Almería –como también informó hace unos meses elplural.com. No obstante, en este breve período, García-Calvo dejó una fuerte impronta: varias huelgas reprimidas sin miramientos y un asesinato sin resolver, el del joven militante de la Joven Guardia Roja Javier Verdejo, abatido por la Guardia Civil cuando realizaba una pintada con espray. Represor Según puede leerse en el periódico dirigido por Nacho Escolar, cuando le dieron el aviso, el ahora juez del Constitucional García-Calvo estaba de cena en Cabo de Gata y se limitó a tomar otra copa. Sus reacciones posteriores se caracterizaron por la dureza de la represión contra las manifestaciones de protesta que tuvieron lugar en la provincia con motivo del asesinato del joven y su ciego apoyo a los guardias civiles implicados en el caso. "Más que negociar, amenazaba" Calificado por algunos sindicalistas de la época de "represor", el juez García-Calvo protagonizó más episodios violentos en las zonas más pobres de Almería, en una época durante la cual las huelgas se reproducían por toda España. Los tiempos comenzaban a cambiar, pero la evolución se detenía para algunos, como García-Calvo, que, "más que negociar, amenazaba". Ahora, "constitucionalista" Con un franquismo ya más que fenecido, García-Calvo se considera hoy "constitucionalista", al igual que muchos miembros del PP con un pasado ligado al régimen dictatorial. Un currículo que no levanta esperanzas de cara al futuro de las reformas progresistas emprendidas por el Ejecutivo de Zapatero, algunas de las cuales tendrán que pasar por el Tribunal Constitucional, al que el ex gobernador civil de Almería todavía pertenece.)

7. Partido Popular, the biggest right wing party of Spain, is either the first or the second biggest party in Spain. This party holds several pro-Franco members and it’s ideas are in line with fascism as a study shows here:

in Spanish: http://bgta.hollosite.com/blog/?p=685, explaining that the 14 main characteristics of fascism appear to be 14 main characteristics of the PP: http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.html

Another example: Franco was made as a symbolic gesture the Mayor of Salamanca for ever. And PP has decided not to abolish this Franco this honour, a clear gesture of pro-fascism and let Franco remain the Mayor of Salamanca for ever:
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Franco/continuara/alcalde/honorario/perpetuidad/Salamanca/elpepuesp/20070126elpepinac_12/Tes

PP was the only party not to condemn the fascist attacks made in Basque country agains war monuments that honour the victims of the Spanish civil war:
http://www2.noticiasdenavarra.com/ediciones/2009/08/25/sociedad/navarra/d25nav7.1699623.php

-------------------------------------------------------
No doubt there will be several more articles on this matter, but I think this is enough for now of this disgusting and bitter reality of who is in power in Spain.

The only country in Western Europe that has some similarities with Spain in this matter is Austria, country where fascism neither was punished properly in its time.

There is no doubt that to clean Spain from fascism is an almost impossible task. Almost impossible to realise by Spaniards themselves, completely impossible to achieve by Catalans or Basques.

The only and most effective way to get rid of fascism for us is independence. As long as Catalonia is under Spanish power, we will daily suffer under the fascist mentality that conditions our possibilities to grow and develop. Fascism is per definition an enemy of Catalonia and a friend of Spanish supremacy in Catalonia. Perhaps this is the reason why Spaniards are not interested in getting rid of it at all.
-------------------------------------------------------
Photos:
1. Franco with the Spanish king Juan Carlos
2. Jorge Buxadé, Spanish lawyer who was candidate for Falange de las J.O.N.S.
3. Hooligans of Real Madrid express their fascist ideas singing fascist songs, shouting against black football players and making fascist gestures with their arms.
http://draudesc.wordpress.com/2009/01/21/canticos-fascistas-en-el-bernabeu-y-3-latas-de-cerveza-en-el-camp-nou/

Reason 19: Only way to have 500 magazines in Catalan

2009-09-23T23:10:00.006+02:00

The picture you see here will be the normal situation in a Catalan magazine store in the future. Today this is fiction.

I was in the airport of Barcelona walking around and entered a magazine store. There were so many magazines. There are magazines for any aspect of human life, for each sport, for furniture, interior design, hair, fashion, crime, gossip, etc.
Seeking for magazines in my mother tongue I realized that 99,9% of the magazines in this store were all in Spanish language. I asked the cashier if she knew how many magazines there were in her shop but she did not know the answer. I only found two magazines in Catalan language. Hundreds in Spanish.
I made a picture with my mobile phone and left. I had found a new reason why Catalonia must become an independent state in Europe.
Once in Amsterdam I sat down behind my computer and made a search to find out how many Dutch magazines there are. 1859 magazines, all in Dutch language.
I have been in several countries and I know that independent states, even with less inhabitants than Catalonia, have several magazines, all in the state’s main language.
In the Netherlands (country that became independent from Spain in 1581 and as a result of that enjoyed an incredible prosperity during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries) there are 1859 maganizes, all in Dutch. With a population of 16 million and a similar size to Catalonia, it is compulsory to learn the Dutch language in order to become naturalized in the Netherlands . Sweden has about 460 magazines, a population of only 9 million inhabitants. In Sweden the Swedish language is even compulsory to get a job, even without getting naturalized. Obviously Catalonia does not enjoy the power of decision to protect its culture as independent states have. But even more important than this is the automatic status a culture gets once it ha the status of an independent country.
This because most multinationals divide the world markets by the states in which they operate and do not contemplate the stateless cultures unless they have a strong federal characer, such as Belgium. An clear example of this is Apple computers, that has its headquarters in Madrid and neglects repetedly Catalan consumer needs, even though more people speak Catalan than Norwegian or Finish. Companies that develop their markets from a cultural point of view will be more succesful and will do better business because they adapt better to the cultural realities of each cultural area. Unfortunately most multinationals don’t do that. They see us as part of the Spanish market. And as long as we purchase their magazines in Spanish language we are being our own enemy. Catalan people should not purchase maganizes or papers in Spanish language in order to protect and stimulate the development of magazines in Catalan language. As long as we act as part of the Spanish market we will never be able to develop a normal situation. On the other hand it is too easy to blame only the Catalans for this, after all, we want to live a normal life and enjoy life. Even though many of us might prefer a Catalan magazine or Catalan Wii games, we do end up purchasing them in Spanish language rather than not purchasing them at all.
This unfortunate situation affects badly the development of the Catalan language.
Magazines are automatic development language tools and a language without magazines is an unhealthy language. As a result of this many Catalans have to use Spanish for words they don’t know in Catalan because they simply never appear anywhere, car parts, all kind of specialised products are only labelled in Spanish language and the magazines that talk about these products are only in Spanish. This makes Catalan language poor and dependent on Spanish language (and French in north Catalonia).
The independence of Catalonia will solve this problem in just a day! The day we have an independent state we’ll be able to develop an own market with a Catalan point of view in which the Catalan language will be able to develop itself independently from the Spanish or French languages. And this will help the economy too.
Obviously nor Norway (that got independence from Sweden in 1905) or Finland (that got independence from Russia in 1917) would have as many magazines as today in own language if they still were regions of Sweden and Russia respectively. Only independence will save the Catalan language and its normal use in society.

Reason 18: EUROPEAN SARDANA or The only way to defend our interests in the European parliament as any other European country

2009-06-09T20:03:00.001+02:00

An independent state with 7 million inhabitants (Catalonia has 7,5 million from last week) has got approximately 17 parliamentarians.
Catalonia will have only 7 parliamentarians. This is way below what will belong to us when we are an independent state.
Not only if we compare the amount of parliamentarians with those of independent states we have a very low rate of representation in the European Chamber. Also if we compare Catalonia with other Spanish autonomous communities Catalonia has way too few.
You can check it out here (only in Catalan):

http://www.directe.cat/article/catalunya-estara-infrarepresentada-a-leurocambra-en-comparacio-amb-daltres-nacions-europee-14809

No wonder, all people who voted PSC-PSOE were actually voting for Spanish parliamentarians, not for Catalan parliamentarians, as the Spanish parliamentarians of PSC-PSOE have priority above the Catalan colleagues and so the Spanish ones are the ones who will actually move to Brussels.
Obviously this problem will only be solved the day that Catalonia becomes an independent state. 17 parliamentarians will defend our interests much better, not to mention that as an independent state we will have a voice with as much power as any other state. As for now, Catalonia is like a province and has no power what so ever in the decisions taken by the European Union, which is a union of states, and therefore Catalonia again does not exist.
Obviously this is a very important tool to defend our interests and with no doubt (unfortunately) I have to say that Spain never has and never will defend our interests, the contrary.

Reason 17: Only way to ensure normal distribution of all Catalan TV channels

2009-05-14T13:32:00.002+02:00

When I was little (around 25 years ago) people already said how nice it would be to be able to see all TV channels in Catalan language; not only our TV but also the TV from Valencia and the Balearic islands.
In the Netherlands, around 30 or 40 years ago they already could see the TV of their southern Flemish neighbours, who also speak the same language. To have the same mother tongue creates an emotional bond and it facilitates collaboration between both territories. Singers, writers, students and workers go back and forth and work in both territories and feel perfectly integrated without any effort. There are even possibilities to go to a Flemish hospital when Dutch hospitals have long waiting lists. All of this because we speak the same language. We all know how that in the Catalan countries (Països Catalans) singers from Mallorca or Valencia can become stars in Catalonia and that students come to Barcelona and can study in Catalan and feel perfectly ‘at home’ among the Catalans.
So, what’s wrong? Why, after 30 years of ‘democracy’ in Spain it is still not possible to arrange something as easy as to allow all Catalan speaking territories to see the TV channels of their neighbours? Well, this is Spain, and Spain is still different. Yes, we are in the European Union, yes we do have a kind of ‘democracy’. But in Spain, just like in Russia, the media are controlled by politicians. And they are Spanish nationalists who are at the power and whose interest is to ensure that the Catalan countries remain as separated as possible. They do this in different ways. One of them is by redirecting all possibilities of transport to Madrid and impoverishing the trans-Catalan connections (as they have been doing the last 15 years with all ways of transportation, train, highways and flight routes).
Another is by impeding that the Catalan territories talk or listen to each other by avoiding the development of a Pan Catalan confederation of communications (TV, radio). The last steps in this direction were to ban Catalan TV from Valencia (until last year Valencians could watch Catalan TV) and also to ban Catalan TV from North Catalonia (France).
But now the Spanish nationalists have a new tool to ensure that we don’t mingle much with our Catalan speaking neighbours: TDT.
TDT is the new digital TV, which soon will substitute the old analog system. It seems that this will give the Spanish nationalists even more power to avoid us watch the TV channels of our Catalan speaking neighbours.
The territories in which Catalan is being spoken is quite big. Most of them with own TV channels. Valencia, Catalonia, Balearic Islands, North Catalonia (France), Andorra and even Alghero in Italy has an own TV channel in Catalan language. With more than 9 million inhabitants who speak it, it is not the smallest language in Europe.
I am afraid that, here again I will be right: only the independence of Catalonia will give us the power to realise this.
Can you imagine how many TV channels we will have the day we are an independent country? We will have the tools to get all TV channels in Catalan language in the world without the interference of any anti Catalan politician.
For now we will have to go on the activist way, which is a lot of work and unfortunately it does not work very often. But this is the only tool we have.
If you agree with having as many as possible TV channels in Catalan here is a link in which you can send a letter to the Spanish minister of industry asking him to make it possible (only in Catalan).
http://www.indexcat.cat/somdeumilions/campanya.htm
To be honest, I don’t expect anything, but I just can’t sit and see how they keep applying all sorts of limitations to us and do nothing about it. I think it is important to let them know what we want, and that we are not happy with what they are doing. We also give them a chance to do something about it, to take away another reason to wish independence.
They don’t seem to be aware of the fact that by giving us the freedom to develop ourselves we would not see any benefits in becoming independent. Their wish to transform us into Spaniards is what feeds our wish to become independent.
Articles on this theme (in Catalan):
*http://www.directe.cat/article/obra-cultural-balear-adverteix-que-larribada-de-la-tdt-pot-significar-un-retroces-de-la-ll-12132
*http://www.directe.cat/article/lestat-frances-tanca-la-tdt-nordcatalana
*http://www.directe.cat/article/el-govern-intercedeix-perque-tvc-pugui-emetre-en-digital-a-la-catalunya-del-nord-12855

Reason16: THE ONLY WAY TO GUARANTEE FINANCIAL AID TO CATALAN ONG’S.

2009-03-05T12:36:00.002+01:00

According to Xarxanet.com, in 2007 Catalans paid 40 million euros of IRPF-tax for social purposes (for ONG’s). Only 13 came back to Catalonia.
According to Cercle d’Estudis Sobiranistes, in 2008 we paid 47 million euros and only 17 came back. The rest was given to Spanish ONG’s.

But this is not enough: The Spanish government is preparing a new law that will exclude any ONG that is not operating in the whole Spanish territory from this subsidies. If this law goes through SPANISH ONG’s WILL GET ALL THE MONEY, CATALAN ONG'S WILL GET NOTHING.
The Catalan government hasn’t got any power of decision to stop this and can only complain to the Spanish one, who has all power of decision. The Spanish government might not go on with it. Whether this new law goes on or not Catalan ONG’s are and will be in disadvantage.

Spain has impeded our development ever since they took our sovereignty from us in 1714. Nothing makes me think this attitude will ever change. They are constantly seeking for ways to unify Spain, to break us into smaller parts, so that we can be more easily assimilated, to weaken us, so that we don’t speak, and Catalan ONG’s obviously are another way of doing this. I can imagine if Catalan ONG’s have no money they can do very little. And I can imagine this is a very easy way to exclude any ONG that fights for Catalonia without having to mention a word about it. Spanish nationalists are getting smarter by the day.

Whether this new law goes on or not, the independence of Catalonia is the only way to guarantee Catalan ONG’s to get financial support for the present and the future.
Source (in Catalan only): http://www.xarxanet.org/xarxanet/novetatsDetall.xarxanet?nov_novetatId=187307

Reason 15: Independence, the only way to ever hear 'bon dia' out of the mouth of an Egyptian tourist guide: the only way to exist abroad

2009-02-05T00:00:00.012+01:00

Today reading a blog of a Catalan citizen who lives in Egypt I read:
“in Sharm al-Sheikh and in Cairo you can find some touristic guides who studied Spanish (Castillian is not used by anyone outside of our territory [the Catalan countries]). They say that for them, to learn the Catalan ‘dialect’ is of no use because it would not bring them any benefit”.*

Even though the Catalan language is ‘only’ spoken by 9 million inhabitants, the fact is that never anyone would say such a thing of the Swedish, Dutch or Danish language (other languages with more or less the same amount of speakers as Catalan).

I am positive that many Egyptian tourist guides have even learned some words of Dutch to impress the Dutch tourists. So why do they make an effort to impress Dutch citizens and don’t bother making any efforts for Catalan tourists?

As you can imagine, the answer to this question is very easy: Catalonia is not an independent state, the language of the state Catalans belong to is Spanish. This is the way foreigners all over the world see it. And this is the way most Spaniards see it too. This is also the way Spanish embassies function. There is no trace of any other language than the Spanish one.
The Catalan language, no matter what it is, outside of Catalonia has the status of a dialect (in Catalonia just a little bit more than that). Thousands of Dutch citizens go to Barcelona to learn ‘the language’, and when they say this they mean the Spanish language.
So, in Catalonia the state language is Spanish.
Without a state the Catalan language will always be very difficult to protect. It will always be a struggle.
The entire world sees the Catalan language (if they have any idea of it at all) as something useless that bothers them.

The day that Catalonia becomes an independent state, this day no one in the world will have any doubt about the importance of learning Catalan when coming to live in Catalonia or to learn some Catalan words to impress Catalan tourists. Being the language of an independent state, The Catalan language will enhance its status all over the world automatically. It will also increase its presence enormously. Catalan embassies with Catalan ambassadors will be located in capital cities around the world with its Catalan staff that will make them run. The international communication with Catalonia will be partially in Catalan language and no multinational will even think of not offering their products in the language of the Catalan people. They will speak and study the ‘Catalan market’, instead of neglecting us including us into the Spanish (=Castilian) market. Translators all around the world will be needed, to translate thousands of texts or to translate simultaneously conversations with citizens of the Catalan state. The Catalan literature, the film industry and other arts will get a lot more of attention, in Catalonia and abroad. Today Catalans are paying taxes to promote abroad the Spanish (=Castilian) culture. Catalan books, Catalan movies will participate to the constellation of movies and books of all other states and will be much more likely to win international prices.
The day we are independent the entire world will know that we exist. They will know that Barcelona is not the second city of Spain, but the capital of Catalonia. They will learn that the language of Catalonia is Catalan. Only this fact will change dramatically the efficiency of our (nowadays almost useless) struggle to survive.
Thousands of foreigners will come to Barcelona to study ‘the language’ (the Catalan language, of course!).
This day, when we go to Egypt on vacation they will not say to us “amygo” , “bienos dias”, “por fabor” to try to please us. They will say “amic”, “bon dia”, “si us plau” to make us feel welcome.

Today to hear an Egyptian tourist guide say something in Catalan to us sounds to us like science fiction. Tomorrow it will be a reality.

*Source is in Catalan: http://blogs.ccrtvi.com/catalanspelmon.php?itemid=17063#nucleus_cf

Reason 14: MORE SPANIARDS THAT ARE AGAINST CATALAN LANGUAGE

2008-12-19T17:54:00.002+01:00

It is difficult to imagine. But please try: Imagine being in a plane of Swiss air to Barcelona. When landing the welcome message and information is given in English, German, Spanish and then Catalan. What problem should that be for passengers who don’t speak Catalan? Non. As a matter of fact, most of the passengers will not understand one of the other languages either.

But still, there seem to be passengers (if we believe what Swiss air says) that have complained because the Catalan language was used in the plane.

I find it very, very difficult to imagine. That someone has so much hatred towards Catalan language, that someone finds it so irritating that the Catalan language is being used that he/she takes pen and paper to make a letter of complaint to Swiss air.
I also find it very difficult to understand how on earth an airline company listens to this people.
If you don’t understand Catalan, why do you care about it being spoken? What’s the problem? Why does it bother you?

Up till now Swiss air was using English, German, Spanish and Catalan when landing in or taking off from Barcelona. Now they have listened to these Spanish complaints and are doing it only in English, German and Spanish.

The only reason to make such a complaint is hatred. And it really hurts me to see that hatred is being listened to instead of love.
There are no practical reasons to stop using Catalan. When Swiss air lands in Brussels they also use 4 languages, English, French, German and Dutch. And nobody complaints about it.
EVERYBODY HAPPY! Why on earth would one of these communities not be happy with it?
The use of more languages is giving attention to everyone in an equal way. If we don’t speak French when landing in Brussels we are discriminating the French speaking Belgian people. If we don’t speak Dutch when landing in Brussels we are discriminating the Flemish.
Yes, the Flemish understand perfectly French and English and most of them German too, and still it is a matter of saying: You exist, we take care of you, welcome home, welcome to your own country.
Catalans understand perfectly Spanish, but it is not my language, and by not speaking in Catalan to me you are saying to me: You don’t exist, you don’t care, we don’t care about you, your language is worthless, you are worthless, fuck you!

So, it is not about respect, it is about hatred. So simple is this.
Here again I have an argument to stand for the independence of Catalonia from Spain.
As you can see, Spain is full of people who deliberately want to boycott us (21% of Madrid citizens boycott Catalan products according to the Spanish paper ABC), to avoid us to exist, to avoid us to participate in international sports competitions, and now who find it irritating that our language is spoken in air planes.
The only way to protect ourselves from people like this is independence.
Original article in Catalan only:
http://www.directe.cat/article/swiss-air-retira-el-catala-dels-seus-vols-per-pressions-dun-afiliat-del-partit-de-rosa-die-11360

Reason 13: THEY WILL NEVER STOP IMPOSING THEIR LANGUAGE UPON US, DAMAGING OURS AS A CONSEQUENCE

2008-11-20T10:11:00.004+01:00

I often say that the Spaniards are the ones who constantly give us reasons to want independence. I also often say that the Spaniards will never let us be. The multi-national Spain that some would like is be more difficult to achieve than independence.
Why?
Because independence we can get by our own will (without them wanting it) while a multi-national federal system can only be achieved with their collaboration and they will NEVER give away the power they’ve got over us voluntarily.
There are many signs that prove that the Spanish mentality in power today still is the imperialist one. A mentality that does not want to embrace the multi-cultural or multi-national reality of Spain.
Up till now there were 148 laws imposing the use of Spanish language in commerce. Only one law protects the Catalan language within the Catalan territory. But this law is not even being applied (perhaps because our politicians are afraid that by applying this law the hatred in Spain against Catalans would increase even more).
The fact is that the Spanish authorities this year have developed three new laws in order to reinforce and impose the hegemony of Spanish language in Spanish territory.
We all thought things would get better with democracy, but in the ‘democratic’ Spain of today this mentality hasn’t changed much. In fact the linguistic laws are pretty much the same as in times of the dictator. Everything must be in Spanish language. The other languages are not taken in consideration.
This mentality is causing a lot of trouble to develop a normal life in Catalan language; this attitude is a constant threat that is slowly bringing our mother tongue to extinction. I don’t have to say that the only and best way to get rid of this mentality is independence.

The three new laws are:
Reial Decret 1079/2008, 27 June to ensure labels in Spanish language on ham
Reial Decret 1644/2008, 10 October to ensure labels and instructions in Spanish language on machines
Reial Decret 1246/2008, 18 July to ensure that all official documents for products for veterinarians are in Spanish.

The original article on the two new laws for the Spanish language is here (Catalan only):
http://www.directe.cat/article/151-lleis-obliguen-a-etiquetar-en-castella-a-lestat-espanyol-10827

Reason 12: SPANISH DICTATORS WITH POWER TO DAMAGE CATALONIA

2008-11-11T23:34:00.001+01:00

Sometimes it is foreigners who open our eyes to see something we did not see of our own country. Mathew Tree is an English writer who lives and writes in Catalan language. In his blog he wrote why Apple computers still today have nothing at all in Catalan language, while a market of 9 million inhabitants is certainly big enough to take in consideration.
The reason lies in one man: the general director of Apple in Spain. This man seems to be a right wing Spanish nationalist dictator, who uses his power to impose the Spanish language to the Catalan market and blocks any developments for the Catalan language. 9 million of potential Catalan clients must switch to Spanish if they want to use a Mac. A Catalan version of the operating system is, just because of his will, blocked!
One man with the evil power to boycott the Catalan language. As you probably know this is not the only man who wants to force Catalan citizens to switch to another language than their mother tongue to purchase and use products.
Cars, computer games, chat boxes, shower gel, or even condoms. In fact the big majority of products are still not available in Catalan. For almost everything one must switch to this beautiful language that was never imposed upon us (as the Spanish king said).
Dear readers, as you know the solution I propose against this cultural torture that has been going on (and still is!) for hundreds of years is independence.
No Spanish nationalist will be ever have a chance of damaging our culture and our language from day 1 of our independence. No Spanish dictators will make a chance of forcing us to live in their language. And believe me, they won’t ever stop. They haven’t ever stopped since 1714 and they never will.
Independence is our only salvation.
Read here his article (in Catalan):
http://in.directe.cat/matthew-tree/bloc/viva-macspana

Reason 11: CATALANS: THE DONKEYS OF SPAIN? DOUBLE ROBBERY: NOT ONLY OUR TAXES, ALSO OUR SOCIAL SERVICES

2008-08-03T23:22:00.005+02:00

Over the last decades Spain has justified the robbery of 18 billion euros a year from Catalonia ‘to equally distribute social wealth in Spain’.
There is a Spanish refrain that says: the one who distributes is the ones who gets the biggest part. And indeed, the Spaniards are the ones who distribute the tax money in Spain (with the exception of Basque country) and what they didn’t tell us the past decades is that the purely Spanish speaking regions of Spain were getting indeed the biggest part.

Not at all equally distributed!
As a result of the robbery they are forcing us into, which they call ‘solidarity’, Spanish communities in Spain enjoy:
More doctors per inhabitant than Catalonia
Patients can count on more free treatments than Catalan patients (through the social health system), for example free dentists for children
Doctors in Spanish regions have a higher salaries than in doctors in Catalonia,
Smaller waiting lists for operations,
More schools
More computers per student
More freeways,
Cheaper railroad tickets (for the same distances) than in Catalonia,
More underground,
More scholarships for students,
---
The fact is that Catalonia has the lowest rate of civil servants per employee, just 9,8% of the Catalan employees are civil servants, while in Extremadura 28,7% of workers are civil servants.
This explains why in Catalonia doctors are working to their limits, while they earn less than doctors elsewhere in Spain.

On top of this, the last years many matters are now competence of the autonomous governments. But this hasn’t lead to a reduction of civil servants in Madrid. So, what do these civil servants do nowadays? Well, golf, tennis, having lunch all day I suppose. Because basically they have nothing to do!

Do you recognize here the stereotypes of the ‘lazy Spaniard’ and the ‘Catalan workoholic’? I am sorry to say so but I do. I wish it wasn’t like this.

In Catalonia we are given the left overs, while we pay more than anybody else.
This situation is resulting in a poorer Catalonia. Catalonia is loosing wealth. It is becomming poorer, while Spain is getting richer (purely by stealing our money and taking political action clearly against the development of Catalonia, such as with the Catalan airports, harbour of Barcelona or the industrial railroad from the harbour of Barcelona to Europe that never came).

My partner always says to me: why don’t the Catalan politicians go to the European Union and complain? Could the Catalan politicians complain at the European Parliament or somewhere else about this discrimination?

I just would like to ask all Catalans to be well informed about what Spain is doing to us.
I would like to make clear to all Catalans that as long as Catalonia is part of Spain we will be in a dificult situation, we will be daily attacked in this subtle way, we will loose wealth, loose the ability to grow and develop, we will loose culture and language.
Spain is killing us, and we are allowing this to happen!
Catalans wake up!
Catalans: let’s not be the donkeys of Spain!
Independence is the only way out.

Related articles (only in Catalan):
Catalunya és la comunitat que paga pitjors salaris als metges
http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAT&idnoticia_PK=424580&idseccio_PK=1021
Catalunya és la comunitat amb menys professionals sanitaris per cada malalt
http://www.lamalla.net/societat/salut/article?id=194947
ESPANA LADRONA, SEGONS LOPEZ TENA
http://www.radiocatalunya.ca/noticia/8722/
http://www.cercleestudissobiranistes.cat/enten/xifres

Reason 10: INDEPENDENCE, the only way to get rid of foreign anti-Catalanism

2008-06-15T13:36:00.007+02:00

Foreigners react to the Catalan reality in different ways. It is funny to read that a Danish citizen, interested by the Catalan language, came to Catalonia to study the language. He struggled in Catalonia, over and over again, to defend his language choice. Catalans and Spaniards asked him several times why he chose for Catalan and not for Spanish. In an article he wrote to Catalan people: Haven’t you got any sense of self-esteem?
Obviously very little: a Catalan friend of mine started to laugh out loud when he heard that my partner (who doesn’t speak a word of Spanish) was learning Catalan.

Thank God not all Catalans are like that: a French man married a Catalan woman (from the Spanish side of Catalonia) and went to live together with him in France. He once commented to her how handy it would be that their children would be raised in French and Spanish. The woman, shocked, answered: No way I’ll speak Spanish to my own children, they will be raised in French and Catalan!

It is true that Catalans ought to get more self esteem towards their own language and their own culture. 9 million Catalan speakers is not nothing. I also remember a Ukrainian woman telling me she couldn’t understand why Ukrainians were doing everything in Ukrainian language instead of Russian. Her argument was that the Russian language is much bigger and many more people understand it.
Then I asked her how many inhabitants Ukraine has, thinking that she was going to say something like several hundreds of thousands. The answer was nearly 50 million inhabitants.
This woman was treating Ukrainian language as if it was some kind of forgotten dialect spoken by very few people.
Catalans do the same all the time. They compare the smaller number of speakers of their own language to the bigger numbers of speakers of the imposed language. According to this argument we should all forget Spanish and all speak English, language many more people around the globe will understand.

I understand that in France, the Catalan speaking area is very small. There aren’t enough inhabitants to fill in Catalan speaking universities. But in Spain, with 9 million inhabitants that speak Catalan the territory has got more than enough citizens to have a fully in Catalan operating society.

The fact is that the Catalan language is quite unknown among Europeans. Many see it as a dialect of Spanish. Still today you can find articles in which they speak of Catalan-Spanish, as if it were a dialect. Other people just don’t even know Catalan exists at all. Many foreigners who come to Catalonia neglect it and even hate it. They come to Catalonia or to Catalan universities thinking they come to a Spanish speaking country and are disappointed when they realize it isn’t. Most Italian and French neglect Catalan completely. (As a matter of fact many Italian and French citizens who live in The Netherlands don’t speak a word of Dutch even after living here for several years). Lately we are seeing also reactions of disgust from German citizens who long to the situation Franco imposed upon us, in which Spanish was the only language allowed. Imagine going to Switzerland (Italian side) to learn German. It would be quite frustrating to go out to the street and find everything in Italian. I think that’s how they feel. The fact is that Switzerland does not sell itself as a German speaking country. Spain, as well as Switzerland, is a state with 4 different languages, with different cultures. 'A' Spanish culture does not exist. Neither thus a Spanish language. In fact, to say ‘I speak Spanish’ should sound as weird as to say ‘I speak Swiss’.

The problem here is that nobody is saying to the world that Catalonia is a Catalan speaking land. Spain counts all its citizens as Spanish speakers and sells this false idea to the world. Catalonia doesn’t have the political power to change this.

This situation leads to several conflicts. The latest conflict was an article at Air Berlin magazine, in which a director of Air Berlin in Spain showed his anti-Catalan attitude.

As long as Catalonia is not an independent country, we Catalans will have to be wasting our time defending ourselves with the tools we’ve got, blogs, complaint letters, etc.
It is a big personal effort of many citizens like me to ask for respect and claim our rights. Respect and rights any independent state gets by default. This is why I am positive we should be independent. Also to resolve these constant disappointments foreigners have. Disappointments the ones who only want to learn Catalan have as well as the ones who only want to speak and understand Spanish. If Catalonia were independent everybody would come to Catalonia understanding and accepting to become part of the Catalan culture, to learn the Catalan language. It would be so clear, so easy. No disappointments any more. The situation we have today is chaotic, unclear and unhandy.

Here follows my letter to Joachim Humbold’s article:

LETTER TO JOACHIM HUMBOLD
Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG
Saatwinkler Damm 42-43
D-13627 Berlin
Duitsland

Amsterdam, 14 June 2008

Subject: Answer to article published by Joachim Humbold in Air Berlin Magazin on the Catalan language.

Hi,
I would like to answer the questions Joachim Humbold made in an article in Air Berlin Magazine:

J. Humbold: 1 Do I have to teach Catalan to my staff?

My answer: YES. The ground stewards should speak Catalan in Catalonia, Balearic Islands and Valencia to communicate and connect with 9 million Catalan speakers.

J. Humbold: 2 And the ones who fly to Galicia of Basque country will want that we speak Galician of Basque language to them?

It is logic that one cannot learn all the languages of the world. The ground staff should speak at least the local languages + English. You cannot ask that to Flying staff.
What Air Berlin could do is to use tapes. KLM does it.
If you fly to Basque country you switch a tape on with Basque spoken instructions. If you fly to Galicia you use the Galician tape. If you fly to Catalan speaking areas you use the Catalan tape. We are in the XXI century. This is very easy to do.

J. Humbold: 3 Don’t they speak Spanish any more?

General Francisco Franco, with the help of Hitler and Mussolini won the civil war. He was the last dictator who prohibited Catalan language, who rejected it and forced us even to adopt Spanish names. He did everything in Spanish and forced us to do so.
Joachim Humbold is in the same line of General Francisco Franco with his anti-Catalan position. He should understand that. So, is Air Berlin on the Fascist side of participating to destroy and neglect Catalan language and culture? Or is Air Berlin on the side of democracy, making friends and showing respect and love towards everybody in the planet?
(I remind you that 9 million inhabitants speak the Catalan language, it is not a small dialect).
Thus, my answer is No. I stopped speaking Spanish 2 years ago. Spanish has been imposed since 1714. It has been imposed by military oppression and that’s why I hate it.
It is a very beautiful language, but because all the oppression, pain and humiliation we have to see from the Spaniards I do not wish to speak it.

J. Humbold: 4 The division of Spain into regional nationalisms brings us back to the medieval states

No. The division of Spain into regional nationalisms is the future. It is an organic, natural and democratic step, initiated by the society itself towards feeling respected, and loving and taking care of each other instead of the oppression and absolutistic regimes Spain has had since 1714. Catalans want to feel loved and respected. Catalans want to live fully in Catalan as you can live fully in German in your own country.
I want to go to the supermarket and I want to be able to buy everything without having to switch to Spanish.
The Spanish language is the biggest threat to my own language and therefore I don’t want to use it any longer.

J. Humbold: 5. I thought we lived in a Europe without frontiers.

You are wrong. We live in a Europe without commercial borders. You can sell your goods in any country within the EU. But you must obey the local laws, decided because there are borders. That’s why when you sell your products in Belgium you are not allowed to neglect the Flemish language, even though the Flemish understand perfectly the French language that it is imposed upon them. The Flemish have a local law (so there is a border) that protects their language.

J. Humbold: 6. If the Catalans came to Bavaria they would have to speak Bavarian!

Stop treating the Catalan language as if it were a dialect of Spanish.
Catalan is a Latin language, such as Italian or French, spoken by 9 million inhabitants.
It is spoken in Spain: Valencia, Catalonia, Balearic Islands; in France (Roussillon) and in the island of Sardinia, Italy (in the village of Alghero).

I can tell you one thing: go to Bavaria and try to find a Catalan citizen who lives there and doesn’t speak Bavarian and I’ll invite you to eat Sauerbraten with Allioli in my house.

Thank you for your time,
Yours Truly,
Miquel Marzabal i Galano

Reason 9: Even with Zapatero we are in permanent danger of loosing our language

2008-03-05T13:49:00.006+01:00

There are many Spanish politicians (and not only from PP) that fight for Spanish education in Catalonia. With which hundreds of thousand children would only speak Spanish and not Catalan. Spanish speakers tend to speak Spanish even if they have learned Catalan because they can express themselves better. Only total education in Catalan language improves the situation of Catalan language in Catalonia.
For the first time in my life I hear young second generation immigrants speaking to me in Catalan when they notice I am Catalan. If they had gone to a Spanish speaking school they would never do that. The so called ‘inversió lingüística’ has helped improve the situation of the Catalan language among young people.
Several times I have had encounters with Spanish speakers who deny that the Catalan language is in danger. We know that unfortunately the numbers don’t lie: the percentage of Catalan speakers in Catalonia has decreased, the territory where Catalan language is spoken has decreased, etc.
Many Spaniards say our language protection laws are fascist laws. Well, I can assure you that in civilized countries such as Switzerland, Belgium or Canada this kind of laws are accepted by everyone and nobody is making associations with a fascist regime. First of all because they have been chosen democratically.

In Belgium and Switzerland the territory is divided by linguistic zones. Each zone has only one official language: its own!
In Belgium, as well as in Catalonia, it is allowed to fund private schools in any language you like. But the state schools must give lessons only in the local official language. And nobody tells them they are fascists.

The situation of the Flemish language is very different than ours. They don’t have the necessity to protect by Law the labels of products, shops or restaurant menus. They don’t have 30% of French speakers in their territory. And where there is a mix of French speakers and Flemish they have a bizarre volunteer apartheid. Flemish costumers never go to French speaking shops. And you won’t find any French speakers in a Flemish shop either. Can you imagine if this was the situation in Catalonia? What would then happen?

In Quebec the situation is much more similar to ours. The Québécois had to take more measures to protect their language. Quebec does have a big minority of foreigners who only speak English. The Québécois are like the Catalans, if they go to a shop where they only speak English they think: “It’s OK, I understand them and I speak their language”. This is very noble, but very bad if you want your language to survive from extinction.
And without any protective laws companies would do as they do in Catalonia: forget the French language and label only in English.
And that’s why in Quebec there is a law that says that it is compulsory to label in French language all products, shops, restaurants, etc.

It is now clear that a majority of Spanish politicians think that it should be possible to live anywhere in Spain by using the Spanish language. That’s why they see our linguistic policy as a threat. They don’t understand (and will never do) that this would be like to force the Flemish to accept French schools in the Flemish territory, or to force the Swiss to all learn and use the German language. Well, this sounds as fascist to me!

At the moment we are obliged at school to learn a language that is not ours. A language that does not belong to this land. They see this as normal. And I think many Catalans see this as normal too.
But this is not normal. This is just the result of an absolutist regime, imposed by absolutist kings and dictators.
If ‘democratic’ politicians as today’s PP and PSOE politicians still have this mentality, the only way to avoid for ever this kind of attacks and be sure we can protect and develop our culture and our economy without obstacles is total independence from Spain.

information in Dutch language source:
http://www2.vlaanderen.be/taalwetgeving/taalgrens_en_taalgebieden.html
information in Catalan language source:
http://www.directe.cat

Reason 8: Spain doesn't allow us to exist III

2007-12-22T22:36:00.000+01:00

Again, The Spanish government is not allowing Catalonia to exist. Not only in the material world but also in the virtual world. The Spanish Congress voted with a big majority against Catalonia having an own country code for the internet. Country codes with two letters are reserved only to independent nations, they say. Therefore PSOE as well as PP are against Catalonia having the country code ".ct"
Today Catalonia has got the code ".cat" (codes with more than two characters are not reserved to independent countries).
Again a reason to vote for and support the independence of Catalonia.
If Spaniards in Madrid are deciding that we are not allowed to have an own country code (.ct) because we are not an independent country, let's become independent and we won't have to ask for permission for such futile things. Things that one by one are perhals futile, but as a whole they all enforce and form our national identity and the projection of Catalonia as a nation.
I don't want foreign people in Madrid to decide for us if we are or not allowed to have an own country code.
I want my own people, my own politicians to decide that.
If we want it, what is wrong with it?

Reason 7: Spain does not allow us to exist II

2007-11-15T23:22:00.000+01:00

If one compares the Catalan and the Scottish autonomy one can see that many of the reasons I mention here are already solved for the Scottish autonomy:
Scotland has got own international sports federations and can compete independently from the UK. Scotland hasn’t got the problems Catalonia has got of a blurred and unclear distinction of political competences; the British government doesn’t have any financial secrets to hide. Scotland is allowed to organize a referendum for independence (forbidden for Catalonia by an antidemocratic Spanish law). They also have own number plates with own Scottish identity.
As you can see Catalonia has got many more reasons to wish independence than Scotland.

Xavier solano is a Catalan living in Scotland. He is political adviser to the Scottish National Party and he he’s got an own blog in Catalan language: http://xaviersolano.blogspot.com/

He is also the author of the book ‘El mirall escocès’ (The Scottish mirror).

As he states in his blog, the Spanish government, once again, has decided to hide the multicultural reality of Spain. They know many Catalan and Basque people would like to have an own number plate for their car with their own Catalan or Basque identity. In fact, the past few years many people already placed illegally a sticker covering the ‘E’ of Spain.

You can read at e-noticies the bad excuse the Spanish government gave:
http://www.e-noticies.com/actualitat/zapatero-enterra-el-cat-a-les-matr%edcules-definitivament-30166.html

The fact is that once again you can see a concrete example of what the PSOE government Spain is willing to give us: nothing. Not even an insignificant sign of our existence, a Catalan number plate.
And here you see that Catalonia has many more reasons than Scotland to choose for independence.

Reason 6: Competence WAR. A waste of time

2007-11-11T15:11:00.000+01:00

(Image source*)

The development of the new Catalan mini constitution called ‘Estatut’ has proven that Spanish and Catalan politicians are not doing their work properly. It is unclear what concerns the Catalan government and what is the competence of the Spanish government. Last year the Spanish government imposed to Catalonia an extra hour of Spanish lessons to Catalan schools. A discussion about whether this should be decided by the Catalan government or the Spanish one followed. The last news I heard from the Catalan government was that it is both governments’ competence.

The fact is that the Spanish government can decide anything they want for Catalonia and their decisions are always above the ones made by the Catalan government. This situation has become clear to me the last months with the developments around the ‘estatut’.

Conclusion: Catalonia hasn’t got an own government. What we thought was our ‘own’ government is totally subordinate to the Spanish government.

There are other examples of this phenomenon. But I won’t enter in more details.

Half of the time our politicians are arguing about what is their competence and what isn’t. I haven’t read the entire Estatut and I am not an expert in the making of laws. Is the Estatut unclear about who does what? Can it be interpreted in different ways?
It seems that Madrid’s interpretation of the Estatut is a different one than the Catalan one.
Even worse than these discussions is the power game Madrid is playing with Catalonia. Some politicians (mostly from the PP party) are trying to put obstacles to its development by bringing it to court. Others are simply neglecting it, avoiding its implantation. The Spanish government committed itself to apply the Catalan Estatut in a certain amount of time. And they are not doing that. First they agreed to do so and now they always have an excuse not to do so. For example, not so long ago I heard a Spanish politician saying that he doesn’t want to do anything as long as the Estatut hasn’t been fully approved by the Spanish Constitution tribunal (which is formed by a majority of anti-Catalan PP, right wing members).
The Spanish Constitution tribunal is impartial and the chances are pretty small that they will approve the Estatut as it is right now.
This makes me think: Is Spain a serious constitutional monarchy or is it a banana republic? To me it does not look like a serious country at all.

In any case the vague distinction of competences between the Catalan toy-government and the Spanish banana republic is for me a very good reason to choose for independence. If Catalonia were an independent country our politicians would have all power of decision and would not spend any more half of their time arguing with the Spaniards about what is there competence and what isn’t.
And the Catalan government would be fully responsible. It would be much more efficient and the citizens would know who is really in charge and who has the responsibility in all cases. We would decide what we want for our country and there wouldn’t be any more power games such as the ones mentioned above. It would all be much simpler and clearer for us all.

* Image source: http://fransiworld.blogcindario.com/2005/10/00100-hasta-los-webos.html

Reason 5: No power of decision = economic decline

2007-10-06T19:18:00.001+02:00

The development of the new Catalan constitution (Estatut) has clarified many things about the subordinate situation of the Catalan government.

In order to fully represent and defend the interests of Catalonia we need a government with full power of decision, not what we have now, which looks more like a secondary agent of the Spanish government, a regional government.

At this moment the Catalan government is not allowed to organize a referendum for anything. What kind of a democracy is this?
The Catalan government is not allowed to decide anything of importance without permission of the Spanish government, and this brings us to a core problem:
Many Catalans see Catalonia as our country. We want to decide by ourselves how we want to organize our country. We don’t think it is fare that other people 500 kilometres away decide for us. We don’t think this because the past 400 years we have suffered from this very badly. Since the sixteenth century, several unfair measures have been taken. I won’t enter in details. But still today we suffer of a lack of power of decision, and Spain is deciding for us. They see Catalonia as any other Spanish region, not as a country. And they don’t think we should have a government with more power of decision than any other region.
But the results of this are a real disaster:

1. The local railroad system (rodalies) is still in Spanish hands. And Spain has punished Catalonia for years by not investing in maintenance in Catalonia. As a result of this several delays and accidents have occurred. In the meanwhile, our railroad system has remained as it was in the 1980’s while in the rest of Spain there have been generous investments.

2. The airport of Barcelona is also in Spanish hands. This week they have decided who will get to work in the new terminal. Two groups that have Iberia and Spanair as partners will run it. With this decision the airport in Barcelona won’t be able to fully compete with Madrid in intercontinental business. Madrid keeps the monopoly of intercontinental flights in Spain. Barcelona is not able to compete on the same level. The Spanish minister Magdalena Álvarez promised that there will be intercontinental flights. But the reality is that we over and over again have to fight to get what belongs to us. And they don’t just give it away, they rather keep it for themselves.

3. At this moment Catalonia is the autonomy that pays more taxes in Spain. Nearly 20.000 million euros (that is € 20.000.000.000!!!) are taken away from Catalonia and never come back. The Catalan government is not able to change this situation.

4. As a result of the same punishment by not investing in Catalonia you can see that the underground in Madrid has grown from 100 to more than 300 kilometres the past years while Barcelona didn’t grow much. The investments in Madrid were 3 times higher than in Barcelona.

5. Also the roads didn’t change much. We have a majority of toll highways in Catalonia, while in Madrid they have all free ways. The last years the Spanish government has invested millions on free ways in Madrid. In Catalonia nothing. You can see the difference on the picture above.

As a result of all these developments the economy in Catalonia is not growing properly. Multinationals prefer to choose a location near an airport with intercontinental flights. The public investments on roads, public transport, schools and all necessary infrastructures are efficient ways of promoting a place over another. Catalonia has been left aside for many years now, and over and over again we have to see today that the Spanish government is suffocating Catalonia. The economic growth of Catalonia is decreasing. Obviously a deteriorated infrastructure, lack of public investments and protectionist measures in Madrid are today quelling and will keep quelling the development of Catalonia unless we choose for independence. Besides, the effort Catalonia has to do to get justice is so much, if Catalonia was independent we could use our time for more constructive things.

For this very important reason I am positive that Catalonia should become an independent country as soon as possible.

Reason 4: unfair situation of Catalan language.

2007-09-26T11:39:00.000+02:00

Nobody can deny that Spanish (=Castilian) culture thinks to have the right to impose itself over Catalan culture.
They always did it using the military forces and absolutist regimes. The first time they prohibited our language and they forced us to study their language was in 1714 with the help of the French absolutist kingdom. With what right? NONE!

Dictator Franco, with the help of Mussolini and Hitler, till only 30 years ago, won the Spanish civil war and imposed again upon us a language that is not ours.

They forced us to be part of a concept of nation-state, of which we had chosen by democratic means not to be part of as the Catalan democracy had chosen to be an independent federal state.
Spaniards (=non Catalans) got used to this for them convenient situation. They didn’t have to learn Catalan while living in Catalonia.
Even most Catalans got used to this painful situation. Because of this, many people in Spain see this situation as normal.

Spaniards find it normal that we are obliged to speak their language. Spaniards would not find it normal if we Catalans would force them to speak Catalan while not living in Catalonia. If we forced people in Madrid to study, write and speak in Catalan.

They think it should be normal to come to Catalonia and be able to speak Spanish. But they would see it as an insult if Catalans would go to Madrid and would speak in Catalan language. But why?
Why do we have to learn their language while not living in a Spanish speaking territory, and they do not have to learn our language?
There is no reason.
In fact, if I want or not learn Spanish it should be my problem.

In the same way that a Flemish citizen is free to speak or not the French language, a Catalan citizen should be free to speak or not Spanish.
It is not possible to force a Wallonian citizen to learn Flemish, it is not possible to force a German speaking Swiss citizen to learn Italian, but still today Spain is forcing Catalans by law to learn and speak their language.

The problem is even worse. They don’t only find it insulting if Catalans would force Spaniards outside of Catalonia to learn Catalan, they find it insulting and even fascist that Catalonia wants to force everybody who lives in Catalonia to learn Catalan.

They believe we impose Catalan language in Catalonia, while the only language that has been imposed in Catalonia is Spanish.
Of course people who come to live to Catalonia should be forced to learn Catalan!
Of course Catalan should be compulsory in Catalonia, and not Spanish.

It is for me clear that Spain will never accept a relation with Catalonia with equal rights. I don’t think this unequal situation that was born out of military dominance will ever change.

As long as Catalans are forced to learn Spanish, companies will not see the need to use Catalan language at all, Spaniards, South Americans and the big majority of foreigners who come to live in Catalonia will not see the need to learn a language that is not necessary. And as long Catalan language is not necessary it will become less and less spoken. No doubt about it.

I was in a ski resort in Catalonia last winter. The Spanish waitress had lived for some months in Italy. She was proud to speak Italian and did her best to help Italian costumers in Italian language. When it was my turn she told me not to speak Catalan because she did not understand me.
She just not even did an effort to understand me. And anyway, if you understand Spanish and Italian, is it so difficult to understand Catalan? We are speaking here of coffee with milk and sandwiches!
She knew I am obliged to understand her mother language. So why understand Catalan?
No need. Why make an effort for Catalan if it is not necessary?

This all tells me again one thing: independence from Spain is essential in order to get out of this unfair situation.

Reason 3: A forced marriage without love.

2007-09-04T00:29:00.000+02:00

Once I thought of Catalonia as a badly treated wife that had to get married without wanting it.
No one could say that the union of the Catalan and Spanish cultures has been a peaceful and voluntary one.
The Spanish forces crashed into Catalonia (more than once), prohibited our culture and language and we were forced to speak and write only in Spanish language. Whoever who would oppose to this would be punished. Even children who were caught speaking Catalan at school would be punished.

For the rest of my life I will have the bitter taste in my mouth of these horrible measures against us the results of which, still today, are tangible in many ways.

How can Spanish people (=not Catalan), after so many years of oppression, expect us to feel happy to belong to Spain?
A man cannot hit his wife and at the same time expect her to feel happy with him.

And at the same time that Spain oppressed Catalonia, the Spanish authorities expected us to join the Spanish army, to kiss and swear for the Spanish flag, to sing their anthem. They don’t seem understand why we cannot feel comfortable with it. In fact (with all my respect) I find it revolting!

Even though Spain managed to impose their language and to smash ours into pieces I sense more aversion from Spaniards towards Catalans than the other way around.

But, why is there so much hatred towards us? What have we done? Perhaps Some Spaniards cannot stand that they never turned us into proud Spaniards. I don’t know. Why do they care so much that we speak their language correctly or not?
I will never have the same level in Spanish language as them. It is not my mother tongue and I don’t enjoy speaking it. As kid I was forced to learn it and forced by the fascist authorities to speak it. Still today I am forced to speak Spanish in the Spanish consulate. They don’t have any options to speak the other official languages of Spain. And their argument is that Catalonia is Spain and therefore I am forced to be able to speak their language. This is a colonial situation. They can force us to speak their language, but cannot force us to like it. They can force us to kiss their flag and sing their anthem, but not to feel it as ours and be proud. We cannot force people in Castile to learn Catalan! Not that I would like to, it’s just to show the injustice.

If I compare European relationships between countries I think our situation is most similar to Wallonia and Flanders. Wallonia tried to turn Belgium into a French speaking country. They didn’t succeed. The aversion and intolerance of some Wallonian people to the Dutch language and the Flemish culture is very similar to our situation.

These days the political situation in Belgium is impossible. 300 days after the elections there is no government. The Wallonian and Flemish politicians are not able to agree in anything. Here there is an essential difference between Belgium and Spain. In Belgium there are 3 separate states with equal democratic rights.
In Spain we have an autonomic system that was thought to give back some autonomy to the historic areas that used to have autonomy. But the autonomy we have today is the same for us as for regions that never felt any need to have autonomy at all. And in reality the Catalan government cannot take any relevant decisions.

Next to the hatred we have to see from a part of the Spanish population, Catalonia finds itself in a defenceless political and economical situation. Catalonia is not able to decide how much money is going to be invested in Catalonia (the money of our taxes is taken away and we never see it again). Catalonia has been neglected and abandoned by the Spanish government on purpose (stated on the Spanish news in July). And there is nothing we can do. We are not even able to decide if we want our airport to fly intercontinental. “Our” airport is in Spanish hands and they don’t want Barcelona to compete with Madrid. So they pull our economy artificially down to enrich themselves. Two months ago I heard of a company that prefers to open a new office in Madrid because they can fly directly to South America.

I don’t see why Catalonia has to be part of a state that still today does not show any kind of affection. To me it’s all very clear. The only way out of this is independence.

Reason 2: Still today Spain doesn't allow us to exist

2007-08-23T11:51:00.000+02:00

Sport is a great phenomenon that strengthens the common spirit of cultures. When sports are played internationally people defend the motherland they belong to.

But what is my motherland? I don’t see Spain as my motherland. Is Russia the motherland of the Chechen people? Is Sweden the motherland of the Sami people? Is Turkey or Iran the motherland of the Kurds?

Several imperialistic countries have taken the land of smaller countries and have tried to destroy these cultures in order to enlarge their own. One would think this was the rule in the ancient times. Unfortunately still today many countries suffer the injustice of such nationalistic arrogance. And one of them is Catalonia.
Spain has tried to destroy Catalan culture for 300 years several times and still today it is trying to do so. During the Franco dictatorship Catalan language was forbidden, it was also forbidden to have a Catalan name, so my parents had to give me a Spanish name instead. Now it is finally changed into Catalan, but many Catalan people died and their official names where in Spanish language. Today there are Spanish politicians that are avoiding the normal development of the Catalan language. They are against Catalan being an official language in the European parliament (a language spoken by 10 million inhabitants!), they want to impede Catalan TV to reach the Catalan speaking citizens of Valencia, etc. Catalan is spoken by 18,5% of the Spanish citizens and yet Catalan language is not allowed in the Spanish parliament.
A huge list of incidents against our culture and language are tangible prove of Spanish nationalism.

I guess it is clear enough why Catalan people cannot be happy and proud to belong to Spain. How can Catalans feel close to a country that is showing so much hatred and aversion towards us?

Obviously the feeling of a motherland for Catalan people is Catalonia. Catalonia is my motherland. Catalonia loves me. And I love Catalonia.
Spain does not love me and therefore I don’t love Spain.

So, Catalans want to be represented by Catalan teams at international competitions. At this moment we don’t feel represented, we cannot participate, we cannot shout for our sportsmen and women. We cannot hear our anthem when a Catalan sportsman wins. And we feel neglected.
If Catalonia were an independent country our people would represent us. And when a Catalan sportswoman would win we would hear our anthem and not an anthem that represents all these people who does not tolerate us and wants us to disappear. Only in some unknown sports we have international teams. But even when we win the international organizations mention Spain, not Catalonia.

Reason 1: only independent cultures are taken into account

2007-08-09T20:39:00.000+02:00

In Catalonia not one car brand sells its products in Catalan language. And that, while Catalan is the 9th most spoken language in Europe. I found out that neither the only car brand in Spain (SEAT) writes to its Catalan costumers in their own language. I sent an e-mail asking them Catalan information. They told me that SEAT means Spanish Society for Automobiles. And therefore they only sold their cars in Spanish language. Not in Catalan.

SEAT says no to Catalan costumers in Spain. If we go to their web site we will only find information in a language that is not ours. But then I thought: what do they do in Andorra?

I went to the SEAT web site and discovered that for an independent country with only 70.000 inhabitants they do have a Catalan web site. In Spain, where there 18% of the population speak Catalan at home (± 10 million inhabitants) they don’t!

The conclusion is simple: If we want to be taken into account by companies Catalonia will have to be an sovereign country.