The Chief Representative of the Government of Catalonia to the United Kingdom has urged European leaders to intervene in the growing crisis, insisting the issue is not an internal one for Spain alone. Sergi Marcén has called on the European Commission…
Democracy in jeopardy
I have only an academic interest in the issue of Catalonia’s independence. There are no direct parallels to be drawn with Scotland. The constitutional circumstances are entirely different. Set aside the question of whether or not Catalonia should be independent,…
Political Prisoners: An open letter from the Scottish branch of the Catalan National Assembly
On the evening of 16 October, the presidents of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and Òmnium Cultural (ÒC), the two biggest grassroots organizations fighting for independence and self-determination for Catalonia, were sent to prison, accused of sedition because they organised…
Spain jails Catalan independence leaders
The leaders of two of Catalonia’s pro-independence organisations have been jailed by a Spanish judge. Jordi Sànchez, president of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), and Jordi Cuixart, president of Òmnium Cultural were sent to prison without bail for their role…
Catalonia has been abandoned
Speaking at an event in Luxembourg on Friday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was asked why the EC was not mediating in the stand-off between Madrid and Catalonia. Juncker replied: “We do not do it because if we do ……
Catalan Parliament Signs, but does not yet Promulgate Declaration of Independence
The following is my unofficial translation of the Catalan Declaration of independence signed last night in the Catalan Parliament. It has not yet been officially published, seeking to give time for mediation with the Spanish government. DECLARATION OF THE…
Has Madrid leant on the EC again?
Frans Timmermans is someone I had never heard of until Wednesday. If you have no idea who he is, let me enlighten you. Frans Timmermans is the Vice President of the European Commission. He’s now notorious for giving a speech…
We have to stand beside the Catalans if they declare independence
Last week I argued that the Scottish Government couldn’t follow the lead of the Catalonian Government and call an independence referendum in defiance of Westminster. At least not as things stand. My reasoning was simple. Scotland has a pro-Union broadcast…
Could Scotland defy London the way Catalonia has defied Madrid?
Remember Theresa May’s “Now is not the time” response to the request from the Scottish Government for the legal power to hold a second independence referendum? Just five words was all it took for the Westminster Government to confirm its…
The Catalan Blackout
The Catalan government has announced its intention to hold a referendum on independence on October 1st. The ballot will be held in defiance of the Spanish government which has decreed it illegal. This isn’t news. It’s been known for quite…