Spain must steer away from a collision course
Madrid needs to act fast over the Catalonia separatist question
The tug of war between Barcelona and Madrid about how or whether
Catalonia fits into the Spanish state has reached a climax which threatens to engulf Spain in a devastating crisis. Paradoxically, Scotland’s referendum last month, in which 55 per cent of those who voted preferred to stay in the UK, has probably made Spain’s situation worse, despite Madrid’s relief that the separatists lost.
Artur Mas, president of the autonomous Catalan government, has gone ahead with plans for a
plebiscite on independence on November 9. Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s prime minister, responded by going to the constitutional court, which has suspended the vote. The constitution enshrines the “indissoluble unity” of the Spanish state and most scholars agree that the planned referendum – though non-binding – would be illegal under Spain’s basic law. The Catalonia question is fast becoming a poisonous identity conflict that will soon have no winners. Intransigence by Madrid and adventurism in Barcelona will result in a train crash.
Mr Mas, whose mainstream nationalist government has been outflanked by republican separatists, is nevertheless fulfilling the wish of almost 70 per cent of the Catalan parliament. The parliament has a narrow separatist majority but a larger quorum determined that Catalans have the right to vote on their future as the Scots did.
With Mr Mas being led by proliferating grassroots movements for Catalan “sovereignty”, and Mr Rajoy and his rightwing Partido Popular (PP) serving as their recruiting sergeant, the prospect of finding common ground looks remote. Yet both sides should make the effort. This is a political problem that requires a political answer.
It is essential to remember that separatism was transformed into the roaring mainstream of Catalonia’s public life only after the constitutional court in 2010, at the behest of a PP then in opposition, struck down enhancements to its statute of autonomy, voted through by the Catalan and Spanish parliaments and ratified by Catalan referendum.
The financial crisis added to a sense of grievance. Catalonia is a big net contributor to Spain’s budget whereas the Basque country, the other nation Spain needs to accommodate, raises nearly all its own taxes. Mr Mas raised the idea of a more generous fiscal regime two years ago. Spain at the time was running a budget deficit close to 10 per cent of gross domestic product. Mr Rajoy, unsurprisingly, balked. That was when the separatist slide accelerated. News that, under Mr Rajoy, central government investment in Catalonia has fallen 58 per cent risks turning it into an avalanche.
After Scotland’s referendum, it is Madrid that needs to move – and fast. Spain’s constitution has served the country well, providing the framework for a deeply divided society to emerge from dictatorship. But that does not mean it cannot be improved.
Catalans want to be recognised as a nation and have greater fiscal autonomy. Those are legitimate demands. Mr Rajoy’s latest offer to talk is welcome. He should no longer hide behind the constitution but build a broad national consensus for changing it in good faith and in a reasonable time. This newspaper opposed Scottish secession, and regards a break-up of Spain as equally undesirable. The economic consequences would be devastating for Spain and, in the short and medium term, detrimental for Catalonia as well. Polls show Catalans want change, but so do countless Spaniards. If Mr Rajoy wants his country to thrive as a union, he must deal with Catalonia and its grievances, and do so now.
. Ahora se nos enfadan los indepes 
