CATALONIA -- EUROPP – The Spanish government must find a positive message for Catalonia if it is to reduce support for Catalan independence
In April, the Spanish parliament rejected a
request by Catalan authorities to hold a referendum on Catalonia’s
independence from Spain, which had been proposed for November this year.
Diego Muro and Martijn Vlaskamp argue that the Spanish government requires a more positive message for the people of Catalonia if it is to reduce public support for independence.
The Catalan secessionist movement may fail in bringing about the
political independence of Catalonia, but it has already succeeded at one
thing: getting their supporters’ hopes up. Within the pro-independence
campaign there are many enthusiasts who willingly spend their free time
collecting signatures, organising talks and attending rallies with the
hope of realising a brighter political project for the future.
In contrast, the campaign in favour of the status quo is being carried
out by the Spanish Government with the support of a handful of Catalan
organisations and has been characterised by disdain, neglect and even
intimidation. Unsurprisingly, the government’s negative campaign has
failed to convince Catalans who want to go it alone.
Spaniards
and Catalans against secessionism may have reasonable arguments but
their discourse is too often limited to delivering criticism. Supporters
of the status quo complain that secessionists are misleading Catalan
citizens in presenting a rosy picture of the future. They grumble that
the sustainability of new states is unclear and that the nationalists’
position over issues such as membership of NATO or the EU is little more
than wishful thinking.
