CATALONIA ..Catalan News Agency - Financial Times’ international editor criticises Spain’s stands on Catalonia’s separatism “in democratic Europe”

Catalan News Agency - Financial Times’ international editor criticises Spain’s stands on Catalonia’s separatism “in democratic Europe”

Financial Times’ international editor criticises Spain’s stands on Catalonia’s separatism “in democratic Europe”

CNA

London (ACN).- In an article published on
Tuesday in the prestigious ‘Financial Times’, the newspaper’s chief
foreign affairs commentator, Gideon Rachman, deplored Madrid’s attitude
towards Catalan independence claims, opposing it to the “peaceful” and
“consensual” Scottish referendum process enabled by the British
Government. The journalist underlined that “there are remarkably few
examples of nations breaking up in a civilised way”, mentioning China’s
relations with Taiwan, or Turkey’s attitude towards Kurdistan. “Even in
democratic Europe, Spain is refusing to contemplate the idea of an
independence referendum for Catalonia”, he added. London’s attitude
regarding the Scottish case, on the other hand, should be viewed as “a
model” for other separatist cases, recognising the UK as a union of
“separate nations with historically distinctive identities” and
acknowledging the people’s right to decide.

The Financial Times’ chief foreign affairs commentator praised the United Kingdom’s way of handling Scotland’s independence claims.
Furthermore, he underlined that the fact the British Government had
allowed the referendum is “a boost” for the UK’s international
“reputation”. “The British brand is built around tolerance, the rule of
law and democracy. There is no better demonstration of those values than
the Scottish referendum”, Rachman added. In fact, he concluded that
with this referendum the UK “would also offer a global lesson in the
civilised way to handle separatism”.

Rachman highlighted that “there are remarkably few examples of
nations breaking up in a civilised way”. He mentioned Norway’s peaceful
separation from Sweden in 1905 or “the ‘velvet divorce’ between the
Czechs and the Slovaks in 1993”. The journalist opposed these cases to
other conflicts throughout the world that are not being solved in a
democratic way. He mentioned the current relations between Spain and
Catalonia, as well as China’s attitude towards Taiwan, Turkey’s towards
Kurdistan or Russia’s towards Chechnya as examples of non-democratic and
non-peaceful ways of handling separatist claims. “Even in democratic
Europe, Spain is refusing to contemplate the idea of an independence
referendum for Catalonia”, he stated.

The fate of each nation “is ultimately up to the people who live there”

 “I think the UK government’s willingness to allow
the centuries-old union to be dissolved peacefully is a boost to the
country’s reputation”, explained Gideon Rachman, describing the
referendum process as “consensual” and “peaceful”. “The government in
Westminster recognises that the UK is a union of separate nations with
historically distinct identities: morally and practically it can only be
kept together on the basis of consent”, explained the journalist. He
also added that almost one century after Ireland became independent in a
violent conflict, the UK was now aware that the fate each of these
nations “is ultimately up to the people who live there”.

Rachman is convinced that in the end, even “if there is no guarantee
that the divorce would be amicable”, as there are issues regarding the
pound, EU membership, or public debt, “ultimately both Scotland and
England would find a way to make a peaceful divorce work”. “That would
be best for ‘the children’ of the UK” he highlighted, while adding, “but
it would also offer a global lesson in the civilised way to handle
separatism”.

More on

Catalan Government, Catalan Independence, China, Czech Republic, Democracy, EU Membership, European Commission, European Union, financial times, Independence, Ireland, Norway, Peace, Referendum, Russia, Scotland, Self-Determination, Slovakia, Spain, Spanish Government, Sweden, Turkey, UK, United Kingdom, Vote

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A caption from the Financial Times' website with Gideon Rachman's article (by The Financial Times)

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Related links

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/c7759f0c-97c2-11e3-ab60-00144feab7de.html