Catalonia: autonomy or independence
Alex Larretxi
I have the impression that the GENERAL STRIKE was like the one that took place in May 2009. With the exception of certain specific regions, there has been no general strike, much less at the level of the Southern Basque Country. But that, as it was then, is now known. The specific objective was to oppose the labor reform promoted by the Spanish government and the more general objective was to continue defending the public interest and the most vulnerable sectors in the face of the crisis.
The strong protest has again been, along with the previous strike, the largest social mobilization in the Basque Country in years. Gather all the workers who went on strike, gather the citizens of all the demonstrations in the towns and capitals and compare them with all the other mobilizations of recent years. The calls for strikes rarely solve anything of the moment, that is not their goal. But those who do not take them into account are wrong. You may agree or disagree, but whoever despises the strike, despises what was an important stimulus and achievement of the welfare society in the last century.
THE CATALAN SOCIETY will once again protest strongly against the ruling handed down by the Spanish Constitutional Court next Saturday. But in addition to rejecting it, this time it will also be a mirror of the competition that is taking place in Catalan society itself in this manifestation: autonomy or independence? This new hairstyle of the Constitution favors those who see Spain more and more distant.
Two decades ago the independence movement was very fragmented and politically quite marginal in Catalan society. Today, on the other hand, through symbolic consultations, 600,000 people have managed to get close to voting for independence. The consultations of the following months aim to overcome the participation of a million people.
The constitutional has left the lovers of Catalan autonomy in a very precarious situation. The ruling leaves the autonomism and especially the PSC with no bargaining power. In the face of autonomous elections, the CiU is the one that can get the most out of this situation and is most organized for it. Although independentism has more social repercussions than ever, it is fragmented: In addition to the Reagrupament party that emerged from the split of the ERC, the former president of the Barcelona football team, Joan Laporta, has just created Catalan Democracy.
The ERC, Reagrupament and Catalan Democracy are the three main options of the independence camp, when the independence movement is stronger than ever. Either way, it is quite possible that the two forces of Laporta and Joan Carretero finally form a coalition. Many independentists, however, want more and are demanding an understanding between Laporta and the ERC, among other things because this would ensure that the issue of the Consultation is brought to the new Parliament by force. The director of Vilaweb, Vicent Partal, for example, has written an open letter to Puigcercos and Laporta to confront the “popular model of PSC and CiU” in a unified way the independentists.
The results of the elections will have to be seen first, but then with the consultation we can relive what happened to the consultation of President Ibarretxe in Catalonia. In anticipation of this, the field of consultations and referendums is one of the areas that the Spanish Constitution has touched on in the Statt, making it clear that this field is within the competence of Madrid.
LITIGATION OF MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY begins next week, July 15 and as a result 22 people will sit in the National Court, all of them sued for their work in municipal activities. The usual activities that are carried out in the municipalities, but in the opinion of the National Court “ordered by ETA”. It will also be very clear in this case that the whole indictment has been constructed without evidence, again giving the highest level of evidence to the pure police reports. The lack of justice and “everything is ETA” one more blow to the judicial hammer.
The strong protest has again been, along with the previous strike, the largest social mobilization in the Basque Country in years. Gather all the workers who went on strike, gather the citizens of all the demonstrations in the towns and capitals and compare them with all the other mobilizations of recent years. The calls for strikes rarely solve anything of the moment, that is not their goal. But those who do not take them into account are wrong. You may agree or disagree, but whoever despises the strike, despises what was an important stimulus and achievement of the welfare society in the last century.
THE CATALAN SOCIETY will once again protest strongly against the ruling handed down by the Spanish Constitutional Court next Saturday. But in addition to rejecting it, this time it will also be a mirror of the competition that is taking place in Catalan society itself in this manifestation: autonomy or independence? This new hairstyle of the Constitution favors those who see Spain more and more distant.
Two decades ago the independence movement was very fragmented and politically quite marginal in Catalan society. Today, on the other hand, through symbolic consultations, 600,000 people have managed to get close to voting for independence. The consultations of the following months aim to overcome the participation of a million people.
The constitutional has left the lovers of Catalan autonomy in a very precarious situation. The ruling leaves the autonomism and especially the PSC with no bargaining power. In the face of autonomous elections, the CiU is the one that can get the most out of this situation and is most organized for it. Although independentism has more social repercussions than ever, it is fragmented: In addition to the Reagrupament party that emerged from the split of the ERC, the former president of the Barcelona football team, Joan Laporta, has just created Catalan Democracy.
The ERC, Reagrupament and Catalan Democracy are the three main options of the independence camp, when the independence movement is stronger than ever. Either way, it is quite possible that the two forces of Laporta and Joan Carretero finally form a coalition. Many independentists, however, want more and are demanding an understanding between Laporta and the ERC, among other things because this would ensure that the issue of the Consultation is brought to the new Parliament by force. The director of Vilaweb, Vicent Partal, for example, has written an open letter to Puigcercos and Laporta to confront the “popular model of PSC and CiU” in a unified way the independentists.
The results of the elections will have to be seen first, but then with the consultation we can relive what happened to the consultation of President Ibarretxe in Catalonia. In anticipation of this, the field of consultations and referendums is one of the areas that the Spanish Constitution has touched on in the Statt, making it clear that this field is within the competence of Madrid.
LITIGATION OF MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY begins next week, July 15 and as a result 22 people will sit in the National Court, all of them sued for their work in municipal activities. The usual activities that are carried out in the municipalities, but in the opinion of the National Court “ordered by ETA”. It will also be very clear in this case that the whole indictment has been constructed without evidence, again giving the highest level of evidence to the pure police reports. The lack of justice and “everything is ETA” one more blow to the judicial hammer.