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After Catalonia's leader missed a deadline to clarify the government's stance on an independence referendum, and missed another deadline (Thursday calling for an unambiguous renouncement of the independence referendum, the Spanish government plans to strip Catalonia of its autonomous status:
Spain was preparing to impose direct rule over semi-autonomous Catalonia after the region's leader Carles Puigdemont declined to categorically renounce an independence referendum, the prime minister's office announced Thursday.
Spain's government said it would hold a special Cabinet meeting and "approve the measures that will be sent to the Senate to protect the general interest of all Spaniards."
At the Cabinet meeting, the government would invoke Article 155 of Spain's constitution allowing it to strip Catalonia of its self-governance. That would take effect on Saturday, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's office said in a statement.
Madrid had given Puigdemont a 10 a.m. (4 a.m. ET) deadline to clarify his government's stance on a non-binding declaration of independence passed by the regional legislature following a successful referendum on secession. But the Catalan leader insisted on keeping his options open, but that wasn't good enough for Spain's government, which had insisted on an unambiguous "no."
Bloomberg reports "Merkel and Macron Have Spain's Back as Catalan Crisis Escalates":
European Union leaders offered their support for Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy as he prepares to suspend the powers of the Catalan administration to clamp down on its push for independence. EU chiefs arriving for a summit in Brussels on Thursday said they backed Madrid and stressed that the issue of Catalonia's independence was a domestic one for Spain.
"We're looking at this very closely and support the position of the Spanish government, which is also a position that's been adopted across parties," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "Of course this preoccupies us, and we hope that there can be a resolution on the basis of the Spanish constitution." Asked whether he supported the Spanish government, French President Emmanuel Macron said "always," adding that "this summit will be marked by a message of unity of its members in regards to Spain."
Also at BBC, The Guardian, and EUObserver (opinion).
Previously: Spain Trying to Stop Catalonia Independence Referendum
Police and Voters Clash During Catalan Independence Referendum
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Arik on Friday October 20 2017, @04:24PM (3 children)
I'm certainly no expert but having done a little research it seems that support for independence was on the decline until the reaction from the central government drove most of the fence sitters and even a few former supporters to the sí side. They pretty much proved all the negative suspicions and stereotypes about Madrid true.
There are clearly serious issues in the relationship between Catalonia and Castile, issues that go back centuries but also issues that are relevant today. The fact that they elected a secessionist government sworn to carry out this referendum shows that clearly. Rather than examine the issues, Madrid's response was to turn first to the Spanish Supreme Court and then to the militarized national police, while refusing to have any sort of dialogue with that elected Catalonian government.
Now were the Spanish Supreme Court a body that commanded universal respect in Spain, this might have been a decent idea. But it's not. It's reviled in large portions of the country, Catalonia being one of them, because of the history going back to 2006 and before. It's seen as corrupt and politicized, and the ruling they gave in this case did nothing to improve that perception in Catalonia. It might conceivably have re-affirmed that the referendum had no legal force while not actually forbidding it from taking place, for instance, which would have done so, but no, they simply gave Madrid whatever it asked for, yet again.
And it almost seems like Madrid deliberately pours gasoline on the fire. Most observers seem to credit this to incompetence, but do you really rise to the top of a decent sized western-european nation with this level of political incompetence? It beggars belief.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday October 20 2017, @06:57PM (1 child)
(Score: 2) by Arik on Friday October 20 2017, @08:01PM
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 21 2017, @05:39AM
I've seen conflicting poll reports. Some showed 40% in favor of indep., but others showed it at around 50%.
AP: https://apnews.com/1facb692b40a45c78007258417206028/Catalan-separatist-urges-unity-as-pressure-builds-in-Spain [apnews.com]
Time Magazine: (I can't find it, but I'm sure I read it in a Time article somewhere putting it at 50%. And their website sucks, so I'm sorry but I can't keep surfing that shit)
I haven't seen any polls since the referendum, but I've seen a lot of televised interviews with people on the street saying they were on the fence, and the crackdown drove them towards independence