Barcelona, the Left and the Independence Movement in Catalonia Created by social movement activists and left-wing parties during years of austerity, Barcelona en Comú, or the Comuns (as they are known in Catalan), won control of the city council of Barcelona in May 2015. The ensuing municipal government gave the city its first ever female mayor in the form of former housing rights campaigner, Ada Colau. The Comuns’ administration proceeded to undertake ambitious initia- tives, attempting to regenerate democracy by changing the relationship between municipal authority and citizens, addressing social inequality issues and seeking to curb the hitherto unbridled tourist expansion in the name of improving the environment for those who live in the Catalan capital. Barcelona, the Left and the Independence Movement in Catalonia examines the extent to which the political project of the Comuns has brought radical change in Barcelona, where it has faced opposition from revolutionary anti-capitalists, traditional Catalan nationalists and independentistas, as well as conservative political and economic forces. It also considers the Comuns’ relationship to Podemos and their prospects of growing beyond the city, in the metropolitan area of Barcelona and across Catalonia. Richard Gillespie is Emeritus Professor of Politics at the University of Liverpool. Before being appointed to the Chair in Politics at the Uni- versity of Liverpool in 2000, he held posts at the universities of New- castle, Portsmouth, Warwick and Oxford. His ongoing research interests centre around movements seeking national independence for non-sovereign regions within EU member states, particularly Catalonia. Europa Country Perspectives The Europa Country Perspectives series, from Routledge, examines a wide range of contemporary political, economic, developmental and social issues from areas around the world. Complementing the Europa Regional Surveys of the World series, Europa Country Perspectives is a valuable resource for academics, students, researchers, policymakers, business people and anyone with an interest in current world affairs. While the Europa World Year Book and its associated Regional Surveys inform on and analyse contemporary economic, political and social developments at the national and regional level, Country Per- spectives provide in-depth, country-specific volumes written or edited by specialists in their field, delving into a country’s particular situation. Volumes in the series are not constrained by any particular template, but may explore a country’s recent political, economic, international relations, social, defence, or other issues in order to increase understanding. Russian Nationalism and Ethnic Violence: Symbolic Violence, Lynching, Pogrom, and Massacre Richard Arnold Beyond the Drug War in Mexico: Human rights, the public sphere and justice Wil G. Pansters, Benjamin T. Smith, Peter Watt Greece in the 21st Century: The Politics and Economics of a Crisis Edited by Constantine Dimoulas and Vassilis K. 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No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Europa Commissioning Editor: Cathy Hartley Editorial Assistant: Lucy Pritchard British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Gillespie, Richard, 1952- author. Title: Barcelona, the left and the independence movement in Catalonia / Richard Gillespie. Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2020. | Series: Europa country perspectives | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2019031119 (print) | LCCN 2019031120 (ebook) | ISBN 9781857439625 (hardback) | ISBN 9781351046879 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Barcelona En Comú (Political organization) | Municipal government–Spain–Barcelona. | Barcelona (Spain)– Politics and government–21st century. | Catalonia (Spain)– History–Autonomy and independence movements. Classification: LCC JS6335.B3 G45 2020 (print) | LCC JS6335.B3 (ebook) | DDC 946.7/2084–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019031119 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019031120 ISBN: 978-1-85743-962-5 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-351-04687-9 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Taylor & Francis Books Contents List of tables vi Acknowledgements vii Abbreviations viii 1 Introduction 1 2 Outlining the context 5 3 The making of Barcelona en Comú 20 4 Party politics under a radical minority government 45 5 The Comuns in office: Achievements and shortcomings 65 6 Comuns in Catalonia: Failing to take off?89 7 Consolidation and prospects 107 Appendix: List of interviews 118 Bibliography 120 Index 123 Tables 3.1 Results of the municipal election in Barcelona, 2015 44 7.1 Results of the municipal election in Barcelona, 2019 111 Acknowledgements In terms of the Catalan context, this book has some foundations in an earlier project on pro-sovereignty politics, but the more focused research has been undertaken since the radical municipalist platform Barcelona en Comú was elected in 2015. While newspapers (including El País, El Periódico, La Vanguardia, Ara and Público) have been used to track the development of the subject chronologically, it has been interviews with political leaders, activists and some fellow researchers that have contributed to the book’s main insights, and it is to them that I am most deeply indebted. For support and encouragement, I wish also to thank José Magone, Keith Salmon, Paul Kennedy, Esther Barbé, Oriol Bartomeus, Mònica Hernàndez, Caroline Gray, and especially the Europa commissioning editor, Cathy Hartley. Finally, my thanks go to my wife María Elena who accompanied me on all the research visits to Barcelona and pro- vided invaluable support throughout, not least in relation to interview organization and logistics. Richard Gillespie, Chester, July 2019 Abbreviations AMB Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (Metropolitan Area of Barcelona) AMI Associació de Municipis per la Independència (Association of pro-Independence Municipalities) ANC Assemblea Nacional Catalana (Catalan National Assembly) BCN Canvi Barcelona pel Canvi (Barcelona for Change) BComú Barcelona en Comú (Barcelona in Common) CatComú Catalunya en Comú (Catalonia in Common) CatComú- Catalunya en Comú-Podem (Catalonia in Common Podem We Can) CDC Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (Democratic Convergence of Catalonia) CIE centro de internamiento de extranjeros (foreigner internment centre) CiU Convergència i Unió (Convergence and Unity) CpC Ciutadans pel Canvi (Citizens for Change) Cs Ciudadanos (Citizens) CSQP Catalunya Sí que es Pot (Catalonia Yes We Can) CUP Candidatura d’Unitat Popular (Popular Unity Candidature) DESC Drets Econòmics, Socials i Culturals (Observatory on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) DiEM25 Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 ECP En Comú Podem (In Common We Can) EP European Parliament ERC Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Republican Left of Catalonia) EU European Union Abbreviations ix EUiA Esquerra Unida i Alternativa (United Left and Alternative) FAVB Federació d’Associacions de Veïns i Veïnes de Barcelona (Federation of Barcelona Residents Associations) IC Iniciativa per Catalunya (Initiative for Catalonia) ICV Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds (Initiative for Catalonia Greens) IGOP Institut de Govern i Polítiques Públiques (Institute of Government and Public Policy, Autonomous University of Barcelona) IU Izquierda Unida (United Left) JxCat Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) JxSí Junts pel Sí (Together for the Yes) MES Moviment d’Esquerres (Left Movement) PAD Programes d’Actuació dels Distrites (Programmes for District Action) PAH Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (Platform for Mortgage Victims) PAM Programa d’Actuació Municipal (Programme for Municipal Action) PDeCAT Partit Demòcrata Europeu Català (Catalan European Democratic Party) PEUAT Plan Especial Urbanístico de Alojamiento (Special Urban Accommodation Plan) PP Partido Popular (People’s Party) PSC Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya (Socialist Party of Catalonia) PSOE Partido Socialista Obrero Español (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party) PSUC Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya (Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia) REC citizens economic resource UCLG United Cities and Local Governments UDC Unió Democràtica de Catalunya (Democratic Union of Catalonia)