Catalonia: The Day After

The issue of Catalonia secession is extremely complex. Neither white nor black, it has several nuances. The referendum was illegal according to Spanish Constitution and could not be held in these terms, basically because it had no guarantees and a matter of this scale cannot be decided unilaterally. That said, the use of violence that the whole world has witnessed is disproportionate. The image of police forces firing rubber bullets to disperse crowds showcases the ineptitude of the Central Government. As a friend of mine here in London just told me: “As an outsider, what I see is disheartening and quite shocking”. Besides the shameful image abroad what is more distressing is that right now society in Catalonia and in the rest of in Spain is completely polarised.

My opinion about this matter, however, is not important at all. As a journalist I think from October 2nd our duty is to call for a dialogue. This article from The Guardian shows some context and ask for a third way to solve this conflict.

“Solutions do exist, however, which do not involve Puigdemont separatism nor Rajoy’s intransigence. Although most Catalans have, until now, rejected independence, a large majority would like greater autonomy. Socialists believe that could be achieved with a proper, German-style federalisation of Spanish regions,” said the columnist.

The option of Federalism could be a solution - not necessarily the only one, but at least it is a base to start over a renewed discussion-. This article asks for a constructive debate. The million dollar question is are the politicians capable of responding to this strife? There are several formulas that could work, starting with new autonomic elections, followed by providing Catalonia with more autonomy but made by consensus and without submitting to political blackmail. Because the main challenge comes now and we have no other choice but solve it together.