Reason 38: Only with the independence we will be able to decide by ourselves a proper abortion law

Late 1936, the Government of Catalonia created the first abortion law in the Iberian peninsula and one of the first in the world. 

With the abolition of the Republic, due to the coup d'etat of General Franco and the fascist victory at the Spanish Civil War, the Catalan law was abolished. 

It was not until 1985, with Act 9/1985 , abortion was allowed in Spain, but only in three cases: serious physical or mental health problem of the mother, rape or malformations of the fetus. 

In 2010 they created the new Act 2 /2010, which expanded the possibilities for abortion.

Now, in 2013, the Spanish government wants to create a new law that will restrict abortion even more than it was in 1985.

Catalonia was one of the most advanced countries in the world in this regard. Spain forced us, against our wish to remain in the nineteenth century for most of the twentieth century.  

This is another example that it is too difficult to improve too many things as long as we stay under Spanish rule. We Catalans cannot decide almost anything. There is clearly a cultural difference between Catalan and Castilian mentality. This difference makes us want to decide by ourselves how we want to organise ourselves, and Spain will not allow it. They do this with our education system, with our cultural activities, and also by revoking any law they don't like, such as the Catalan prohibition of bull fights. 

We Catalans want to decide by ourselves instead of being subordinated to the mentality of the neighbour country (Spain), that do not (want to) understand us and think in a different way than us. This difference has nothing to do with being better or worse. We are just different. 

This difference is reflected in the difference between the Catalan and the Spanish political spectrum. 

Therefore, my conclusion remains : we need a state of our own in order to normalise what we already did in 1936. 

More information (Catalan):

Més informació: 

http://www.academia.edu/3214856/Lavortament_legal_una_historia_sense_final

http://www.elperiodico.cat/ca/noticias/politica/oriol-junqueras-leleccio-sera-entre-pais-nou-lespanya-dels-2965392 

(image source: http://cortobert.cat/2013-05-31-no-a-retallades-en-drets-de-les-dones-a-lavortament/)

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

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 25: Only way to have Tripadvisor in Catalan language

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 12: SPANISH DICTATORS WITH POWER TO DAMAGE CATALONIA

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

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

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

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 6: Competence WAR. A waste of time

(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

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 3: A forced marriage without love.

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

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.