CATALONIA -- Rajoy and Rubalcaba strengthen the Catalan sovereignty process - Opinió contundent - VilaWeb

Rajoy and Rubalcaba strengthen the Catalan sovereignty process - Opinió contundent - VilaWeb:

Rajoy and Rubalcaba strengthen the Catalan sovereignty process

The debate in the Spanish Congress to request the transfer of powers
for a referendum to the Government of Catalonia has shown five important
things:

First, the inflexible, closed attitude of the two major Spanish
parties, under the leadership of Mariano Rajoy and Alfredo Perez
Rubalcaba, strengthens the sovereignty process by reinforcing the idea
that the best—and only--Catalan reform is an independent Catalan
state. The offer to try to amend the Constitution is, as everyone knows,
a mere rhetorical device. This is because clear majorities across the
Spanish state oppose any substantive change that is proposed by
Catalonia.

Second, Rajoy said solemnly that he recognizes no grievance that
Catalonia suffers today, whether economic, social, cultural, or
political, and therefore assumes that the conflict between Catalan
society and powers of the Spanish state is an inexplicable whim, a
craze, an oddity, and a mystery that does not deserve anything other
than watchful containment. Ortega y Gasset said in 1932, during the
discussion of the (original) statute on Catalan autonomy, that "el
problema catalán sólo se puede conllevar” [there is nothing else that
can be done about the Catalan problem more than bear it]. Rajoy, in his
paralysis, does what the well-known intellectual recommended.

Third,
the debate in Congress demonstrates before international observers that
the Spanish government relies only on the automatic application of the
law to solve a historical problem of great dimensions that, sooner or
later, will also be an issue of European dimensions. Especially
significant is the following sentence that Rajoy cooly uttered: "And do
not talk to me about Scotland." Today, the morning after, the European
governments should be more worried by Rajoy's attitude than by the
three Catalan deputies’ request for permission to vote.

Fourth,
Catalan advocates of the so-called "third way” are the great losers in
the congressional debate, because Rajoy has not made any gesture—not
even one—that can be favorable to such an idea. Certain Catalan elites
have not been able to influence the rhetoric of the head of the Spanish
government, as is now exhibited in front of the whole country. Will that
now open up substantial reflection among the very business and
financial sectors that have so severely criticized President Mas in
recent months?

Fifth and lastly, the speeches of Turull, Rovira,
and Herrera have painted a picture that is plural, serious, and clear of
what a majority of Catalan society is asking for. Beyond the tone of
individual deputies, their totality has proved effective and
educational. It has served to bring to many Spaniards and to many
international media a real sense of the right to decide, which is the
extension of democracy and the distribution of power in a peaceful
manner. Among the speeches made by representatives of the parliamentary
groups, special mention must be given to the speech of the republican
Alfred Bosch, with its fine irony, forcefulness, and elegance.