DOCSLIB.ORG

Hollow Victory

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Hollow Victory FINANCIAL TIMES TUESDAY NOVEMBER 27 2012 ★ 11 ANALYSIS Hollow victory ish regions. In his abortive September meeting with Mr Rajoy to renegotiate terms, Mr Mas offered to continue a Spain high level of budgetary transfers in exchange for fiscal autonomy. The prime minister refused even to dis- cuss it, officials on both sides say. he Catalan business commu- nity, though nervous of seces- A record turnout sion, backed Mr Mas on this, resentful at what it saw as has given the Tdeliberate attempts by Madrid to stifle competition from Barcelona by, for Catalan parliament example, withholding investment in vital infrastructure. The scotching of a separatist a merger between Catalan utility Gas Natural and Endesa, now under con- trol of Enel of Italy, also rankles. “I majority, but the would hope to live in a world where the Spanish preferred Endesa’s head- chances of a quarters to be in Barcelona rather than Rome,” says Andreu Mas-Colell, referendum on the Catalan government’s finance chief. A Spanish diplomat adds: independence from “Madrid used to be the political capi- tal and Barcelona the commercial cap- ital, but now Madrid wants to be both Spain have faded and they resent it, and feel [Madrid] wants to make sure that Barcelona is By David Gardner always in second place.” One Catalan business leader says local companies have lost faith that things can improve under present rules, especially now the PP has an very year in Catalonia, there absolute majority in Madrid. “Before, is a fiercely contested and we got transfers [of power] and invest- passionately followed contest ment because the party in office in to build the highest human Madrid needed outside support, not Ecastle – castells of people piling up in because there was a dynamic concept giddy layers towards the sky, sus- of an evolving state.” tained by a mass of humanity bound Dealing with this accumulation of tightly together underneath. It is an grievances and resentment now enterprise that requires extraordinary requires leadership, on both sides. Mr levels of collective confidence and Mas has left himself wiggle room, common purpose and a mix of daring never using the word independence, and derangement – qualities, perhaps, preferring to say that Catalonia needs of a people determined to become the its “own state” – a formula that in nation they feel they are. theory fits inside a reformed constitu- That is what Catalans had to con- tion that offers Catalans more of what sider as they voted on Sunday in a the Basques already have. But if Mr historic election to decide on their Rajoy refuses to budge from the sta- new parliament and home-rule gov- tus quo, the road to independence – ernment, the first step on the road lengthened by Sunday’s election local nationalist leaders have been results – will stay open. mapping towards secession from “Mas would do a deal, if only he Spain – and a constitutional clash could get one”, says a veteran politi- with the central government in cian with ties to Madrid and Barce- Madrid. lona. “What makes this unresolvable In the event, though voters have is not Catalonia, it’s that there is no returned a separatist majority to the Common purpose: Catalans may not have given Artur Mas a majority, but they did vote overwhelmingly for secessionist parties leadership.” Catalan parliament, both secessionists and unionists have done well enough to dig in further, and catch in their results, we will just have to keep CiU rather than the ERC – the repub- crossfire those, such as the Socialists, working.” Mr Rajoy, who went out lican party of the Catalan government who are arguing for a federal outcome four times on the Catalan campaign of the 1936-39 civil war era – would to a problem that may have abated trail, will rightly feel he can now con- lead the surge, even if many main- but has in no sense been resolved. front the wrenching economic and stream nationalists, notably the Chris- Despite a surge in separatist senti- financial crises engulfing Spain with- tian Democrats inside the CiU, won- ment in recent months, voters denied out immediate fear of a constitutional dered whether independence was a anything like an absolute majority to stand-off – an outcome his fellow EU leap in the dark. In the end, the seces- Artur Mas, president of the Generali- leaders will welcome. sionist republicans of the ERC have tat and leader of Convergència i Unió The question now is whether the reaped the bigger harvest, doubling (CiU), the centre-right ruling national- prime minister and his party – which their seats. ists, instead propelling the secession- arrived in power a year ago with the Another reason Mr Mas did not get ist Esquerra Republicana de Cat- ambition to reverse aspects of the dev- his way was that his CiU government alunya (ERC) into second place for olution settlement that underpinned presided over three packages of deep the first time. budgetary cuts and sought a €5.4bn Mr Mas and the CiU won, despite fiscal bailout from Madrid. His gov- losing 12 seats. But their attempt to ‘What the independence ernment, furthermore, had relied on secure an “indestructible majority” to of Catalonia really PP votes for 16 out of the 18 legisla- legitimise a referendum on independ- tive measures it passed in two years. ence backfired – much to the glee of means is the The stated goal of making Catalonia Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime a “new state in Europe” sounded less minister, and his centre-right Partido disappearance of thrilling, moreover, once the penny Popular, whose partisans declaimed Spain as a nation’ started to drop that it would have to the Catalan leader had made a fool of seek readmission to the EU after inde- himself and should now leave politics. pendence and that Spain would have Things are unlikely to prove that the transition from the Franco dicta- a veto. A dossier of dubious prove- simple. torship to democracy more than nance that appeared in the rightwing The result has certainly taken the 30 years ago – will use this opportu- Madrid press in recent days, alleging wind out of the Catalan leader’s sails. nity to seek solutions to old Catalan that Mr Mas and his allies had secret After a huge rally of separatists all grievances. Swiss bank accounts, may also have but occupied the Catalan capital of If they gloat rather than negotiate, influenced voters. Barcelona in September, and Mr the pressure for Catalan independence Rajoy rebuffed his demand for greater will only build, as it will in the ut while all these factors may fiscal autonomy, Mr Mas sought and Basque Country, where the devolved have blunted the Mas offen- expected a “very clear majority in parliament also has a majority in sive for now, the question of favour of sovereignty” to give him the favour of independence following how to accommodate Catalo- legitimacy to convene a plebiscite on home rule elections last month. Bnia in a more plurinational Spain Catalonia’s relationship with Spain. The Catalan secessionist surge has remains. The status quo is no longer He, personally, did not get it. awakened some in the Partido Popu- tenable. The September demonstra- Yet the mainstream nationalist CiU, lar to the real dangers of a break-up. tion in Barcelona, says a veteran along with the centre-left ERC and “What the independence of Catalonia Spanish statesman, was a “tsunami secessionist leftwing forces, amount really means is the disappearance of that has changed the contours of the to a “majority in favour of sover- Spain as a nation,” said Alberto Ruiz- country”. Though it was entirely eignty”, on top of which parts of the Gallardón, Spain’s justice minister peaceful, he adds, it was presented in Catalan Socialist party and the Left- and a leading figure in the party, in Madrid as a “fascist rally” – a meas- Green alliance defend Catalans’ right an interview this month. Alicia ure of the gulf to be bridged. to decide their own future. The pros- Sánchez-Camacho, PP leader in Cata- That abyss opened before the onset pect of a referendum – which Mr lonia, came out strongly in defence of of the eurozone crisis, even though Rajoy says he will use the full force of devolution and against a call for the the fiscal row between Madrid and constitutional law to prevent – has recentralisation of power by José Barcelona has made the atmosphere receded, but not disappeared. María Aznar, the former prime minis- much more toxic – and drawn Catalan Looking grim but determined after ter. Mr Aznar is still influential on the business into the separatist camp. the result, Mr Mas said “one thing is right of the party and through his The tipping point was the thwarted, the right to decide, but another is FAES think-tank, which calls for a socialist-led attempt to enhance Cata- [our] own state; to get that, with these rollback of home rule. lonia’s statute of autonomy, launched José Ignacio Wert, the education in 2003 and endorsed by the parlia- minister who was formerly at FAES, ments in Barcelona and Madrid and touched raw nerves in October when voted through almost by acclamation he told parliament he intended to in a Catalan referendum. But in 2010, Speed read “Spanish-ise” Catalan pupils. He sug- the constitutional court in Madrid, gested they were being brainwashed despite having offered no previous ●Continental relief EU leaders will be into separatism by the Catalan lan- guidance on the legality of the reform, relieved that Mariano Rajoy can finally guage, which is taught alongside eviscerated it after representations confront the country’s financial crisis.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Critical Discourse Analysis of Artur Mas's Selected
    Raymond Echitchi “Catalunya no és Espanya”: A critical discourse... 7 “CATALUNYA NO ÉS ESPANYA”: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF ARTUR MAS’S SELECTED SPEECHES Raymond Echitchi, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia E-mail: [email protected] Abstract: This article is a Critical Discourse Analysis of secessionist discourse in Catalonia in the light of a selection of speeches given by Artur Mas. This work aims at deciphering the linguistic strategies used by Mas to construct a separate Catalan identity in three of his speeches, namely his acceptance, inauguration and 2014 referendum speeches. The analysis of these speeches was carried out in the light of Ruth Wodak’s Discourse-historical Approach to Critical Discourse and yielded the identification of three sets strategies to which Artur Mas mostly resorts; singularisation and autonomisation strategies, assimilation and cohesivation strategies and finally continuation strategies. Keywords: Catalonia, sub-state nationalism, secessionism, Critical Discourse Analysis. Resumen: Este artículo analiza, mediante el Análisis Crítico del Discurso, las disertaciones secesionistas en Cataluña de los discursos de Artur Mas. En este trabajo, se pretende captar las estrategias lingüísticas utilizadas por Mas para construir una identidad catalana separada en tres discursos que presentó; en su investidura, su toma de posesión y antes de celebrar el referéndum de 2014. El análisis de estos discursos se llevó a cabo a la luz de la aproximación histórica discursiva de Ruth Wodak y dio lugar a la identificación de tres tipos de estrategias en estos discursos: las estrategias de singularización y autonomización, las estrategias de asimilación y cohesión y las estrategias de continuidad. Palabras clave: Cataluña, nacionalimo sub-estatal, secesionismo, Análisis Crítico del Discurso.
    [Show full text]
  • Catalonia, Spain and Europe on the Brink: Background, Facts, And
    Catalonia, Spain and Europe on the brink: background, facts, and consequences of the failed independence referendum, the Declaration of Independence, the arrest and jailing of Catalan leaders, the application of art 155 of the Spanish Constitution and the calling for elections on December 21 A series of first in history. Examples of “what is news” • On Sunday, October 1, Football Club Barcelona, world-known as “Barça”, multiple champion in Spanish, European and world competitions in the last decade, played for the first time since its foundation in 1899 at its Camp Nou stadium, • Catalan independence leaders were taken into custody in “sedition and rebellion” probe • Heads of grassroots pro-secession groups ANC and Omnium were investigated over September incidents Results • Imprisonment of Catalan independence leaders gives movement new momentum: • Asamblea Nacional Catalana (Jordi Sànchez) and • Òmnium Cultural (Jordi Cuixart), • Thousands march against decision to jail them • Spain’s Constitutional Court strikes down Catalan referendum law • Key background: • The Catalan Parliament had passed two laws • One would attempt to “disengage” the Catalan political system from Spain’s constitutional order • The second would outline the bases for a “Republican Constitution” of an independent Catalonia The Catalan Parliament factions • In the Parliament of Catalonia, parties explicitly supporting independence are: • Partit Demòcrata Europeu Català (Catalan European Democratic Party; PDeCAT), formerly named Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya
    [Show full text]
  • In Focus CIDOB 03
    CIDOB • Barcelona Centre for International 2012 for September Affairs. Centre CIDOB • Barcelona in focusThe Barcelona Centre for International Affairs Brief 03 Spain’s territorial tensions: OCTOBER A turning point? 2012 Francesc Badia and Oleguer Sarsanedas, CIDOB t is said that the late Don Juan, Count of Barcelona and father of King Juan Carlos I, gave his son a piece of advice the day he abdicated the crown (so as to confer dynastic legitimacy on the Spanish Monarchy reinstated by Franco): Imake sure the Catalans feel comfortable, because you cannot run Spain without the Catalans. Now, thirty-five years later, among the many things the current cri- sis is erasing in Spain, the comfort level of the Catalans ranks high on the list. On September 11 (Catalonia’s National Day), a massive pro-independence rally collapsed central Barcelona for many hours. Citizens of all ages and conditions (families with small children, senior citizens, young people) arrived, a substantial number of them in rented coaches, from all over Catalonia. They marched carry- ing flags and shouting “Independència!” behind a giant banner that read: “Catalo- nia, the next state in Europe”. Never before had the case for Catalan independ- ence rallied so many people in a party-like mood, chanting, celebrating, as if in an American-style parade. It was perhaps the largest demonstration ever in Barcelo- na, initially convened by civic and grass-root groups -which have been mobilising for the cause of independence since at least 2009, holding informal polls in most towns and villages throughout Catalonia. These groups had been preparing for a big demonstration for months, and only as D-day approached, and in the light of the momentum it was gathering, did the mainstream media (national TV, radio stations, pro-government newspapers) decided to fully back it.
    [Show full text]
  • Play It Again, Artur O Per a Aquells Que Els Viuen Com a Períodes Parlamentaris
    Editorial La Veu Un pas per davant Butlletí de Reagrupament Independentista L’arribada de les vacances d’estiu és una època que convida a fer balanç -especialment per a aquells que vivim els anys repartits en cursos escolars Play it again, Artur o per a aquells que els viuen com a períodes parlamentaris. El balanç El president de la Generalitat vol tornar a començar amb de com ens ha anat personalment l’eterna cançó de l’enfadós de regenerar Espanya per feina, família, amistats o salut, o el balanç, per a aquells que estem més preocupats per la política i les llibertats, de com ha anat tot plegat des d’un punt de vista polític. I, en aquest aspecte, ara que ha fet un any de la gran manifestació del 10 de juliol, he de dir que ha estat un any on els ciutadans col·lectivament han crescut i s’han fet sentir de moltes formes diferents a part de manifestar-se. Hem demostrat que, de forma pacífica, valenta i organitzada, es poden canviar les coses. El procés de les consultes per L’actual president de la Generalitat premi com a espanyol de l’any per la independència ha tingut un fort de Catalunya, Artur Mas, ha part d’un diari més que conservador impacte cívic i ha estat un èxit a aconseguit allò tan provincià i, espanyol. Barcelona i també el debat per la alhora, tan preuat a les nostres En el darrers temps, el mateix Jordi regeneració democràtica ha arribat al Pujol ha fet avinent que els seus contrades, que és fer una entrevista carrer, especialment entre els joves.
    [Show full text]
  • “Si El Tripartit No Beneficia El País, Tampoc Beneficiarà Els Qui Som Al Govern” Josepbargalló
    UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA Desembre 2004 Any VIII. 2,4 30 Per Nadal, matem Josep el gall? Reportatge sobre com Bargalló: han canviat els nostres hàbits alimentaris. p. 12 “Si el tripartit no beneficia el país, tampoc beneficiarà Setge a els qui som la malària al Govern.” Pedro Alonso explica el camí “El mapa cap a una universitari vacuna eficaç. Tot sobre català està tancat, aquesta malaltia. no hi ha lloc p. 20 per a cap altra El curs que ve universitat.” començo a la Universitat. Què trio? p. 30 Sumari núm. 30 Carta del rector Europa més a prop Ara sembla que sí. Ara sembla que la norma- tiva bàsica reguladora dels nous graus i post- graus adaptats al marc europeu d'educació superior (la "Universitat a la Bolonyesa" com en diuen alguns) és aquí. Sempre he pensat –i he dit repetida- ment– que la incorporació al "marc Bolonya" constitueix un moment significatiu que hem d'aprofitar per introduir a la Universitat les innovacions requerides per adequar-nos a les noves necessitats de la societat, i que aquests canvis són neces- saris amb o sense Bolonya, que esdevé ara una "coartada" potencialment molt positiva per a l'aggiornamento de la institu- ció universitària. Per cert, la UB fa 555 anys el proper 2005. Entrevista a Josep Bargalló Hem de superar dos tipus d'obstacles per aprofitar aquesta opor- "Trobo a faltar aquest esperit tunitat. El primer el trobem al país mateix: cal reordenar el mapa transgressor que tota universitat universitari català per garantir un ús adequat dels recursos públics hauria de tenir".........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • CATALONIA, YEAR 2016 Joaquín Tornos Mas Tenured Professor Of
    CATALONIA, YEAR 2016 Joaquín Tornos Mas Tenured Professor of Administrative Law Universitat de Barcelona On 15 March, the Instituto de Derecho Público presented its yearly Report on the Autonomous Communities in the Senate. The Report includes amongst others the assessment of the political and institutional activity carried out in Catalonia in 2016. Some highlights: As regards political activity, the following should be underlined. On 10 January Carles Puigdemont was appointed President of the Government of Catalonia by a vote of 70-63 thanks to two pro-independence parties, more specifically, to the 62 deputies of Junts pel Sí (Together for Yes) and eight deputies of CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy, two of which abstained from voting). After months of negotiating the new budgets proposed by the Government, however, CUP refused them over and over again and in June they had not still been adopted. In order to overcome the political crisis arising from this situation, a motion of no-confidence was presented against the Catalan President. On 27 September the motion of no-confidence did not succeed thanks to the votes of Junts pel Sí and CUP. CUP voted for the President in exchange for the Government’s promise to hold a referendum on the independence of Catalonia in 2017. However, they did not guarantee they would vote for the new budget as well. As a consequence, President Puigdemont was forced to launch, on 23 December, the National Referendum Pact and confirm he would hold a referendum in 2017, whether agreed with the national Government or unilateral (“the Catalan response to the national Government is ‘referendum or referendum’”).
    [Show full text]
  • Artur Mas: on Són Els Meus Diners? Marta Sibina I Camps • Albano Dante Fachin Per Aunarevista Esfinança Gràcies Alapubli Que Gratuïta Van Concepte Serde3.500Euros
    El 23 d’octubre de 2012 els editors de la revista cafèambllet van ser condemnats a pagar qüestió gran part del sistema sanitari català. Tampoc podíem un multa de 10.000€ per haver «danyat l’honor» de Josep Maria Via, un assessor del pre- imaginar que destapar tot això ens portaria a la banqueta sident Artur Mas. La sentència concloïa que el vídeo sobre l’opacitat al sistema sanitari dels acusats, a ser jutjats i condemnats, a rebre el suport de fet per cafèambllet —titulat «El major robatori de la història de Catalunya »— lesionava el milers de periodistes i ciutadans d’arreu del món, ni que la «dret a l’honor» de l’assessor de Mas. nostra revista, feta a una habitació a Breda i a un pas de la fallida, acabaria sortint a les planes del Washington Post. La condemna va posar la revista i els seus dos editors —la Marta i l’Albano— prop del tancament i la ruïna econòmica. Quan el veredicte es va fer públic milers de persones Aquella nit no sabíem res de tot això. Només sabíem que arreu del món van reaccionar i es van oferir a ajudar a pagar la multa per evitar el tanca- això de l’anunci d’Assistència Sanitària Col·legial no podia ment de la revista. Però la Marta i l’Albano tenien uns altres plans: «Fer una col·lecta per quedar d’aquesta manera. Així va ser com va començar pagar la multa és un acte de defensa quan el que cal és passar a l’atac». Així, van propo- aquesta història: asseguts al sofà davant la tele».
    [Show full text]
  • Inside Spain Nr 124 16 December 2015 - 20 January 2016
    Inside Spain Nr 124 16 December 2015 - 20 January 2016 William Chislett Summary Fresh election on the cards as parties fail to bury differences and form new government. Catalan acting Prime Minister Artur Mas quits to avert new elections. King Felipe’s sister the Infanta Cristina on trial for tax fraud. Registered jobless drops to lowest level since 2010. Santander acquires Portugal’s Banco Banif. Domestic Scene Fresh election on the cards as parties fail to bury differences and form new government… One month after an inconclusive election, parties struggled to form a new government, raising the prospect of a fresh election. The anti-austerity Podemos and the centrist Ciudadanos broke the hegemony of the conservative Popular Party (PP) and the centre-left Socialists (PSOE), the two parties that have alternated in power since 1982, but the results of the election on 20 December created a very fragmented parliament with few coherent options to form a government. The PP of Mariano Rajoy won 123 of the 350 seats in parliament on close to 30% of the vote, way down on the absolute majority of 186 it obtained in the 2011 election and its lowest number (107) since 1989 (see Figure 1). The Socialists captured 90 seats, their worst performance since 1988 (118). Podemos captured 69 seats (27 of them won by its affiliated offshoots in Catalonia, Valencia and Galicia which went under different names) and Ciudadanos 40. 1 Inside Spain Nr 124 16 December 2015 - 16 January 2016 Figure 1. Results of general elections, 2015 and 2011 (seats, millions of
    [Show full text]
  • Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
    ___________________________________________________________________ Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Application against Spain by Carles Puigdemont, President-Elect of Catalonia Lodged 1 March 2018 __________________________________________________________________ PUIGDEMONT -v- SPAIN SUMMARY: In this application Mr. Carles PUIGDEMONT alleges that Spain is guilty of violating its international treaty obligations through the cumulative imposition of disproportionate and unjustified restrictions with the exercise of his political rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (“UDHR”), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (“ICCPR”). Spain is a State Party to both treaties. It is also a signatory, without relevant reservations, to the Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, which provides for the right of individual petition. Spain has not notified any relevant derogation to the provisions of the ICCPR which thus remain fully in force. It is legally bound by treaty obligation to secure the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the ICCPR, throughout the territory of Spain, and to all those who fall within its jurisdiction. Mr. PUIGDEMONT brings this individual petition to the United Nations Human Rights Committee in order to vindicate his right to stand for elections (article 25, ICCPR); his right to freedom of association with other secessionist politicians and political parties in pursuit of a common goal of securing independence from Spain for Catalonia (article 22, ICCPR); and his right to freedom of peaceful political expression in support of the cause of independence for Catalonia (article 19, ICCPR). He invites the Committee to hold that these rights have been violated by cumulative and continuing conduct of the Kingdom of Spain.
    [Show full text]
  • Experts React: Catalan Elections
    blogs.lse.ac.uk http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2015/09/28/experts-react-catalan-elections/ Experts react: Catalan elections Catalonia held elections on 27 September, with the poll being framed by several parties as a de facto vote on Catalan independence. The final result produced a majority of seats in the Catalan Parliament for pro-independence parties, with these parties securing 47.8 per cent of the votes cast. We asked some of EUROPP’s contributors for their reaction to the result and what it means for Catalonia and Spain going forward. Jonathan Hopkin: “The elections have produced a very complex outcome ” Luis Moreno: “The Spanish elections in December will be crucial in determining what happens next ” Alejandro Quiroga: “Artur Mas might have more pressing issues than the declaration of independence in the short term” Jose Javier Olivas: “Unilateral solutions, even when they seek to impose the ‘will of the majority’, are unlikely to deliver satisfactory results in the long run” Karlo Basta: “All sides have at least some leverage, and the true commitments of none are fully known, confounding any reliable predictions” Joan Costa Font: “The independence cause has attained an exceptional result, now it is time to either negotiate a referendum or, failing this, prepare for an orderly break up“ Mireia Borrell Porta: “A referendum has now become unavoidable ” Jonathan Hopkin: “The elections have produced a very complex outcome” The complex outcome of the elections will prove difficult to manage both for the pro-independence movement and for the Spanish government. The main pro-independence list could only muster just under 40 per cent of the vote, insufficient to claim any legitimacy for Artur Mas’s ‘roadmap to independence’.
    [Show full text]
  • El Crepúsculo De Los Pujol Los Dioses Ya No Son Lo Que Eran
    10-14 PORT+SOPENA_10-14 PORTADA+SOPENA.qxd 17/01/13 21:14 Página 10 POLITICA Las acusaciones al clan dejan tocado al nacionalismo catalán El crepúsculo de los Pujol Los dioses ya no son lo que eran. La familia que ha sido el hilo conductor del nacionalismo catalán en democracia, los Pujol, está viendo cómo arrecian las acusaciones de corrupción contra ellos, hasta el punto de que el patriarca y expresidente de Cataluña durante 23 años, Jordi Pujol, se ha dejado entrevistar para desmentir esas acusaciones. La posible imputación de su hijo Oriol Pujol, número dos de Convergencia, en el caso de las ITV, como va a pedir la fiscalía según algunas informaciones, marcaría un antes y un después en el partido que fundó su padre y que está encabezando el movimiento por la independencia catalana. Un movimiento que esta semana vive un momento clave con la votación de la declaración elaborada por CiU y ERC en el Parlament que da el pistoletazo de salida al proceso que, de cumplirse los objetivos del presidente de la Generalitat, Artur Mas, culminará con la celebración de una consulta de autodeterminación en Cataluña. El matrimonio de Jordi Pujol y Marta Ferrusola ha alumbrado siete h Por Manuel Capilla En Cataluña se considera a Oriol Pujol, nú- La situación ha ido in crescendo desde que mero dos de CDC, el alma mater del núcleo pocas semanas antes de las elecciones cata- a esposa de Jordi Pujol, Marta Fe- soberanista que ha tomado las riendas de lanas El Mundo publicara un supuesto “bo- rrusola, llegó a definir la relación Convergencia durante los últimos años y que rrador” de la Unidad Central de Delicuencia con su marido como un ménage ha empujado hacia su radicalización, espe- Económica y Fiscal (UDEF) sobre las su- à trois entre “Jordi, Cataluña y yo”.
    [Show full text]
  • Ms Ursula Von Der Leyen President of the European Commission Mr
    Ms Ursula Von der Leyen President of the European Commission Mr Charles Michel President of the European Council Mr David Maria Sassoli President of the European Parliament Brussels, 28 September 2020 Subject: Removal of Catalan president Quim Torra i Pla by Spanish Supreme Court Dear Presidents, Today, 28th of September of 2020, the Spanish Supreme Court has ruled on the case of Catalan President Quim Torra, banning him from public office for 18 month and leaving Catalonia without President in a new violation of the political rights of Catalan citizens. Spain’s Supreme Court upheld the sentence of a lower court that had found him guilty of disobedience for displaying a banner saying “Freedom for political prisoners and exiles” for three days after the Spanish Central Electoral Commission (CEC) ordered him to remove it during the general election campaign of April 2019. The legal appeal that has ended with today’s ruling was initiated by Ciudadanos party who at the same time had on payroll Mr Andrés Betancor one of the CEC members deciding on it. Mr Betancor had to resign due to his conflicts of interest months later. The ruling of the Supreme Court should be understood in the context of the imprisonment on sedition charges of the former Catalan Government and social leaders Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sánchez that have been in jail for three years already for their involvement in the referendum of October 2017. With all three last Presidents of Catalonia, Artur Mas, Carles Puigdemont and Quim Torra having faced judicial prosecution for their political activity in the last five years, we have the growing conviction that in the current state of affairs, no Catalan pro-independence politician can have a fair trial in Spain.
    [Show full text]