The speed of the sovereign process in Catalonia is unbelievable for almost all, even for the Catalan independentists, even though they are dragging their eddies further. Two decades ago, when independence was barely 20 per cent of the population, today half of the population is independent according to surveys prior to the September 11 demonstration. It probably now made it higher. On November 25, we will see the first big meter in the regional elections.

Independence parties will win easily, and from that point on the situation will begin to become more complicated. In this great mandate for citizenship, the new Parliament will convene a consultation, and it is unknown whether or not it can be carried out. In other words, what is Spain going to do? It has two important tools: The suspension of the statute of autonomy of Catalonia and the interruption of the consultation by force. In any case, it is very possible to suspend autonomy, or some competences… The

use of the FORCE in today’s Europe cannot be imagined, you cannot see the Spanish army in the streets of Barcelona. And yes, it is not easy to imagine that picture, but looking at the past, it should not be forgotten that in all the historic shortcuts so far, Spain has resolved with the army any question of its territorial unity. Always. But that too may be the first thing not to be the case. It must also be acknowledged that seeing the controls of the Civil Guard in the upper Kanpanzar, on the border with Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, or on the Zuasti motorway in Navarre, provides a new perspective on the use of force in Spain.

On the other hand, Artur Mas and CIU on the path of disobedience? Let us imagine that the referendum or consultation takes place in 2013 or 2014. The fear that Spain will dispel against the liberating illusion of the independentists. To sum up, that would be a face-to-face one, and if the consultation had taken place in 2001, at the summit of the economic bubble in Spain, the influence of fear would be very great. But now it is quite the opposite, the possibility of moving away from Spain incites independence, especially in Catalonia, but also in the Basque lands.

This is called independence of well-being, patriotism rooted in economic reasons, which sometimes diminishes Basque nationalism rooted in identity, but which, to the extent that it is a mirror of the will of the citizens, is as respectable as that of identity and perhaps more decisive.

Looking from EUSKAL HERRIA, it is difficult to forget how Spain frustrated the Ibarretxe Plan, first in the Congress of Spain and then in the prohibition of consultation. For several reasons, nothing happened in the CAV, despite the fact that Madrid used its strength, there was no reaction either in society, in institutions, or in the Basque parties.

Yes, on the one hand, the situations and the cases are very different: the roadmap of independence has great support from Catalan society, there is no armed struggle that affects this process, the division of the Basque Government was evident in the CAV, the internal tension of the PNV… Evidently, Catalan society is much more cohesive in the path of the current process. The November season will see how clear each party, but fundamentally CIU, is presenting its message in favour of independence.

Meanwhile, the vicelehendakari of the European Union, Viviane Reding, has once again frustrated the greatest fear message of the Spanish leaders and media and, in an interview in the Journal of Seville, made it clear that there is no law saying that Catalonia should leave the EU if it becomes independent.