Is it Bye-Bye to Barcelona?
Source: Vitor Monteiro on Unsplash
Catalonia votes on independence from Spain
This weekend, 700,000 people in Catalonia are eligible to vote in the region's first ever referendum on independence from Spain.Organised by activists and volunteers, the vote is not officially binding but it is taking place at a tense time in relations with Madrid.
Supporters hope it is the first step towards a formal ballot for a separate state.
Deep in the nationalist heartland of Catalonia, campaigners have been drumming up support for the vote.
In the medieval town of Vic, hundreds of residents have already cast an early ballot at a tent in a corner of the main square.
Many say the autonomy Catalonia already has is not enough, and they are voting "Yes" to independence.
"More and more people think we have no room in the Spanish house, so we need a house of our own," organiser Alfons Lopez Tema says.
"[The Spanish] don't want us, they don't love us, they don't give us what we want. So the best thing is to vote and decide."
'Subversive'
Almost 170 Catalan towns and villages are holding ballots, staffed by thousands of volunteers.
Vic has traditionally favoured independence but the vote will be a first indication of whether views here are spreading.
The referendum has been the topic of daily debate on local radio.
Speaking Catalan on air was forbidden as subversive during General Franco's dictatorship.
Today, it is an official language, used in schools and government, and Catalonia itself has broad autonomy.
But three years ago, people across Catalonia voted for more. They approved a new statute - the law that sets out the relationship between Catalonia and the Spanish state - which defined this part of eastern Spain as a distinct nation.
It gave more jurisdiction to the local authorities and what many believe is a fairer share of the revenue collected.
For the moderate-minded majority of Catalans, that was enough.
The law was approved in a referendum, passed by the Catalan and Spanish parliaments and signed by the king.
But Spain's main opposition party is contesting the statute in the Constitutional Court and many Catalans fear key provisions of the law will soon be overturned.
"People are disillusioned by what's happened. They're fed up. That's why so many are involved in organising this vote," Vic Radio presenter Joan Turro explains during a break in the schedule.
"People here in the interior of Catalonia have always wanted independence. We want this vote to show that it's not just us now."
Many people in Catalonia say they feel different from the rest of Spain, with their own distinct language, culture and history.
Sunday's referendum will test how far that feeling translates into actual support for a separate state.
Economic help
But frustrations about the relationship with Madrid are as much about money as identity.
Home to some 7m people, Catalonia is a prosperous place.
The pretty cobbled streets of medieval Vic are lined with boutiques and alluring delicatessens - industry and agriculture are both strong here.
But many complain that too much of that local wealth is drained away subsidising poorer parts of Spain and the return investment from Madrid is minimal.
A key provision of the new statute adjusted the balance but the improved system has not been implemented yet.
One pig farmer told me he believed breaking away from Spain would help the local economy.
"If you add everything up, we support the rest of Spain and they don't support us," he said, though like many people he struggled to name anything specific Catalonia has missed out on.
National identity
The Catalan government agrees that the balance of payments to Madrid was deeply unjust.
But Finance Minister Antoni Castells says that the new statute does correct that, adding more than 2 billion euros to the local budget this year.
He *points out that only one in five Catalans usually express support for independence.
Still, he says, the fight over the statute has frustrated many and left "a strong feeling of disappointment".
For the minister, the thing to watch at this weekend's unofficial referendum is the turnout.
"If it's high, that suggests an increased number of people think the relationship between Catalonia and Spain should be reconsidered, that too many things are not going in a good way and that a lot of people think Spain is not respecting our self-government and our national identity," Mr Castells explains.
Catalans are certainly passionate about their identity.
Back in a smoky bar in Vic, most of the young crowd watching a Barcelona football match on TV have draped themselves in yellow and red Catalan flags.
Their songs in Catalan are a mixture of swearing at Spain and their own national anthem. There is a map of Catalonia on the wall, with the rest of Spain blanked out.
Most voters in this town will clearly say "Yes" to independence.
What will be interesting is to see how many more moderate Catalans now share their passion.
Phrasal Verbs:
"He points out that only one in five Catalans usually express support for independence."
If you point something out, you tell someone about some information, often because you believe they do not know it or have forgotten it (destacar, llamar la atención sobre algo)
Examples:
- He pointed out that I only had two weeks to finish everything.
- I should point out that it wasn't his fault.
#PV POINT OUT - to direct attention to sth, to tell sb a fact (señalar)
— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) June 6, 2020
e.g. He always POINTS OUT my MISTAKES immediately.
e.g. I POINTED OUT the advantages of the proposal.
- to show sb who a person is or where sth is
e.g. Who is Tom? Can you POINT HIM OUT to me? pic.twitter.com/oIvuFDVWs3
Comments
Bye bye to Barcelona?
I’m so sorry, but I don’t agree with this post. It’s rubbish. LOL
It wasn’t true that 700.000 people voted, that it organized by volunteers, that many people said that autonomy wasn’t enough, that more and more people have no room in the Spanish house, that the Spanish don’t want them, that were thousands of volunteers, that the local wealth is drained away subsidizing poorer parts of Spain, that Mr. Castell was Minister and so on.
Have passed almost 8 years and the supporter of independence movement goes on with their trick and goes on deceiving modest people. They want to achieve political advantage and that nobody can discover their rackets. They have done nothing to improve Catalan society and people can see every day that they only seek their interest.
I don’t know some country wants to divide its territory and its people. Will the example of País Vasco serve to demonstrate that only the law and the agreement are useful?
I mean that I wouldn’t say anything if it treated about another country but it’s my own country where my family and my friends live. I’m implicated with the defence of my country, my family and my friends.
See you.
You know that I sympathise with those Catalans who want independence. Few madrileños speak highly of Catalonia and I think that is unfair.
The national government refuses to allow a referendum, saying it is unconstitutional. The constitution is very convenient for politicians who don't want to address problems.
... It wasn’t true that 700.000 people voted, that it was organized by volunteers, that many people said that autonomy wasn’t enough, that more and more people have no room in the Spanish house (not sure what you mean here), that the Spanish don’t want them, that there were thousands of volunteers, that the local wealth is drained away subsidizing poorer parts of Spain, that Mr. Castell was Minister and so on.
Almost/Nearly 8 years have passed and the supporter of independence movement goes on with their trick and goes on deceiving modest people. They want to gain political advantage and that nobody can discover their rackets. They have done nothing to improve Catalan society and people can see every day that they only seek their interest.
I don’t know of any country which wants to divide its territory and its people. Will the example of País Vasco serve to demonstrate that only law and agreement are useful?
I mean that I wouldn’t say anything if we were dealing with another country but it’s my own country where my family and my friends live. I’m *implicated with the defence of my country, my family and my friends.
*I'm not sure if implicated is the right word here. Implicated = involved in (a crime). I've just looked it up and it can have a meaning of "entwined" though it is "archaic" LOL
I think you made a mistake because you said: “Few madrileños speak highly of Catalonia and I think that is unfair”, when you meant that few madrileños don’t speak highly of Catalonia. Is it correct?
On the other hand, I know that you speak a lot of languages but I didn’t know that you speak Catalonian. We say Cataluña, no Catalonia. Cataluña is Spanish language, no Catalonia. You must write Cataluña in English, because is a Spanish word. LOL
I don’t understand you sympathise with those Catalans who want independence, because they only want to gain political advantage and increase his bank account in Andorra. We have talked that the case of Cataluña is completely different of Scotland. Spanish Government has said that Spain doesn’t be against Scotland goes into the UE.
The Spanish Constitution doesn’t allow referendums for split Spain. It’s true. The constitution is law and everyone must obey it. Who doesn’t obey it is a delinquent.
Spain is like Germany, Italy, France, U.S.A. and so on in this sense. If we did 17 referendums in Spain we wouldn’t know who would do the recount, because we would be suddenly 17 new countries in the EU and Spain would disappear.
See you.
Make a mistake? Me? No way.
Few people speak highly of Catalonia = Most people don't speak highly
I rarely hear a madrileño say a good word about the Catalans.
...
On the other hand, I know that you speak a lot of languages but I didn’t know that you speak Catalonian. We say Cataluña, not Catalonia. Cataluña is Spanish, Catalonia isn´t. You must write Cataluña in English, because it is a Spanish word. LOL
I don’t understand why you sympathise with those Catalans who want independence, because they only want to gain political advantage and increase their bank account in Andorra. We have said that the case of Cataluña is completely different from Scotland. The Spanish Government has said that Spain isn't against Scotland joining the UE.
The Spanish Constitution doesn’t allow referendums to break up Spain. It’s true. The constitution is law and everyone must obey it. Who doesn’t obey it is a delinquent.
Spain is like Germany, Italy, France, U.S.A. and so on in this sense. If we had 17 referendums in Spain, we wouldn’t know who would do the recount, because we would suddenly have 17 new countries in the EU and Spain would disappear.