Singer-songwriter and anti-Franco activist Lluís Llach to head pro-independence unitary list in Girona
CNA
Barcelona (ACN).- Lluís Llach, one of the most famous
Catalan musicians and one of the main voices against Francisco Franco's
dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, will top the pro-independence
unitary list running in the Province of Girona (north-eastern Catalonia)
in the forthcoming Catalan elections, which should become a 'de facto'
referendum on independence. In the Province of Tarragona (southern
Catalonia), the pro-independence list, called 'Junts pel Sí' ('Together
for the Yes'), will be topped by university professor of economics Germà
Bel, an expert on transport infrastructure and fiscal deficit.
The list groups together Liberal, Social-Democrat, Green, and
Christian-Democrat politicians, as well as many independents and
representatives from civil society. It will officially start the
independence process if they win the elections and pro-independence
parties obtain an absolute majority in the Catalan Parliament. The list
is topped by former Eco-Socialist Member of the European Parliament,
Raül Romeva, who is running in the Province of Barcelona, where more
than two-thirds of Catalans live. However, the candidature is also
running in the other three provinces: Girona, Tarragona and Lleida,
where the frontrunner's identity is still unknown. This Friday it has
also been released that Eduardo Reyes, President of the Spanish-speakers
pro-independence association Súmate, will run in 6th position for the Province of Barcelona and that economics professor Oriol Amat will occupy the 7th position.
Civil activists Carme Forcadell and Muriel Casals, who were the main
organisers of the massive pro-independence demonstrations of 2012, 2013,
2014 and the ones who have organised another demonstration for 2015,
run in 2nd and 3rd position in Barcelona respectively. 4th and 5th
positions on the Barcelona list are for the first active politicians:
the President of the Catalan Government and leader of the Liberal party
CDC, Artur Mas, and the President of the Social-Democrat party ERC,
Oriol Junqueras.
One of the leading voices against Franco's dictatorship
The writer and musician Lluís Llach will be the main candidate of the
pro-independence unitary list in one of the 4 Catalan Provinces, in
Girona, where the Costa Brava is located. Llach composed one of the most
famous protest songs against Franco's military and Fascist
dictatorship, singing in Catalan at a time Catalan language and culture
were persecuted by the dictatorship. His song 'LEstaca' ('The Stake'),
from 1968, became an informal anthem of the resistance against the
dictatorship, not only in Catalonia but also in many other parts of
Spain. In fact, the song became so popular than it was even adapted in
Poland by the Solidarnosc union and in Chile by the resistance against
Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Llach focused his career on adapting Catalan
poets such as Miquel Martí I Pol, with whom he shared a great
friendship, and abandoned the political front-row, although he never
completely abandoned political activism. Furthermore, in the late 1990s
and early 2000s he focused once again part of his activity on political
activism to protest against the wars in the Balkans and also against
savage capitalism and global inequalities. He officially retired from
performing and releasing new albums in 2007, and redirected his career
towards writing, so far publishing two novels. However, he has
occasionally played in some collective concerts against AIDS and for
Catalonia's independence from Spain. In fact, in the last few years he
has been actively campaigning for independence.
Germà Bel, an expert on transport infrastructure and power recentralisation
In Tarragona, where the Costa Daurada is located, the list will be
topped by Germà Bel, Professor of Economics at the University of
Barcelona but born near the Ebro Delta, in southern Catalonia. Bel is a
widely-respect economist, one of the main experts on transport
infrastructure and fiscal deficit in Spain. He has been very critical of
the Spanish Government's transport priorities, building thousands of
kilometres of high-speed train of little use and small airports with
almost no passengers, while essential infrastructure (such as the
Mediterranean Railway Corridor) was not built or was inexplicably
delayed. In addition, he has studied the centralism behind the design of
such transport grids and the intentional recentralisation of powers
that such policies bring, developing a Great Madrid while the
Mediterranean area, with Barcelona at the fore, loses economic weight.
Bel, who has expressed his support for the Catalan and Spanish
Socialist parties (PSC and PSOE) in the past, started to advocate for
independence in the last few years, arguing that the Spanish State was
not working in Catalonia's interest; on the contrary, the Spanish
Government was working against Catalonia's economic interests and
therefore Catalonia needs its own State, since Spain cannot be changed
after decades of a wide range of Catalan parties having tried to do so.
Christian-Democrat politicians, as well as many independents and
representatives from civil society. It will officially start the
independence process if they win the elections and pro-independence
parties obtain an absolute majority in the Catalan Parliament. The list
is topped by former Eco-Socialist Member of the European Parliament,
Raül Romeva, who is running in the Province of Barcelona, where more
than two-thirds of Catalans live. However, the candidature is also
running in the other three provinces: Girona, Tarragona and Lleida,
where the frontrunner's identity is still unknown. This Friday it has
also been released that Eduardo Reyes, President of the Spanish-speakers
pro-independence association Súmate, will run in 6th position for the Province of Barcelona and that economics professor Oriol Amat will occupy the 7th position.
Civil activists Carme Forcadell and Muriel Casals, who were the main
organisers of the massive pro-independence demonstrations of 2012, 2013,
2014 and the ones who have organised another demonstration for 2015,
run in 2nd and 3rd position in Barcelona respectively. 4th and 5th
positions on the Barcelona list are for the first active politicians:
the President of the Catalan Government and leader of the Liberal party
CDC, Artur Mas, and the President of the Social-Democrat party ERC,
Oriol Junqueras.
One of the leading voices against Franco's dictatorship
The writer and musician Lluís Llach will be the main candidate of the
pro-independence unitary list in one of the 4 Catalan Provinces, in
Girona, where the Costa Brava is located. Llach composed one of the most
famous protest songs against Franco's military and Fascist
dictatorship, singing in Catalan at a time Catalan language and culture
were persecuted by the dictatorship. His song 'LEstaca' ('The Stake'),
from 1968, became an informal anthem of the resistance against the
dictatorship, not only in Catalonia but also in many other parts of
Spain. In fact, the song became so popular than it was even adapted in
Poland by the Solidarnosc union and in Chile by the resistance against
Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Llach focused his career on adapting Catalan
poets such as Miquel Martí I Pol, with whom he shared a great
friendship, and abandoned the political front-row, although he never
completely abandoned political activism. Furthermore, in the late 1990s
and early 2000s he focused once again part of his activity on political
activism to protest against the wars in the Balkans and also against
savage capitalism and global inequalities. He officially retired from
performing and releasing new albums in 2007, and redirected his career
towards writing, so far publishing two novels. However, he has
occasionally played in some collective concerts against AIDS and for
Catalonia's independence from Spain. In fact, in the last few years he
has been actively campaigning for independence.
Germà Bel, an expert on transport infrastructure and power recentralisation
In Tarragona, where the Costa Daurada is located, the list will be
topped by Germà Bel, Professor of Economics at the University of
Barcelona but born near the Ebro Delta, in southern Catalonia. Bel is a
widely-respect economist, one of the main experts on transport
infrastructure and fiscal deficit in Spain. He has been very critical of
the Spanish Government's transport priorities, building thousands of
kilometres of high-speed train of little use and small airports with
almost no passengers, while essential infrastructure (such as the
Mediterranean Railway Corridor) was not built or was inexplicably
delayed. In addition, he has studied the centralism behind the design of
such transport grids and the intentional recentralisation of powers
that such policies bring, developing a Great Madrid while the
Mediterranean area, with Barcelona at the fore, loses economic weight.
Bel, who has expressed his support for the Catalan and Spanish
Socialist parties (PSC and PSOE) in the past, started to advocate for
independence in the last few years, arguing that the Spanish State was
not working in Catalonia's interest; on the contrary, the Spanish
Government was working against Catalonia's economic interests and
therefore Catalonia needs its own State, since Spain cannot be changed
after decades of a wide range of Catalan parties having tried to do so.
More on
Artur Mas, Carme Forcadell, Catalan Elections, Catalan Government, Catalan Independence, Catalan Music, Catalan Parliament, Centralism, Civil Society, Civil Society List, Economics, Eduardo Reyes, Franco Dictatorship, Germà Bel, High-Speed Trains, Independence, Junts pel Sí, Lluís Llach, Mediterranean Railway Corridor, Muriel Casals, Oriol Amat, Oriol Junqueras, Recentralisation, Referendum, Self-Determination, Transportation
Lluís Llach will be heading the unitary pro-independence list 'Junts pel Sí' in Girona (by ACN)
