Thoughts on Catalonia?
 

It’s difficult but they should be allowed to go in the direction they wish. Spain has treated them horribly over the years and this has been bubbling away for decades and will never go away so once the Spanish stop oppressing the people of Catalan the quicker they can sort it out sensibly.

loved Road Rage, great song

If there were a 50% split in the region of whether they want independence or not, I could understand the knuckle-dragging, but given there's such a huge percentage it seems foolish to not give them what they want.

A new European nation is always quite interesting.

The polls all do show that Catalonia is split though, if anything most polls show that there is less than 50% in favour of independence. That referendum has no real validity given that the only ones who considered it legitimate were independence supporters. The problem has been the Catalan government imo which is led by radical separatists who have always been hell bent on independence. They have tried to manipulate every opportunity to drive a wedge through the population and sow division and then they act all outraged when the central government stands up to them.

Spain relies on Catalonia's economy.

http://catalonia.com/en/catalonia-ba...ts-figures.jsp
Population: 7.5 million
Area: 32,106 Km2
GDP (2016): 223.6 billion Euros
GDP per capita (2016): 29,966 Euros
Exports (2016): 65.1 billion Euros
FDI (2016): 4,857 million Euros

13.32 % - Food
10.28 % - Chemicals
9.73 % - Motor vehicles
9.37 % - Energy
8.79 % - Pharma
7.49 % - Metal (except machinery)
5.73 % - Water Supply & Waste
5.09 % - Paper
4.71 % - Machinery
4.51 % - Plastic
4.23 % - Textile & Fashion
3.54 % - Electric & Electronics
13.21 % - Other

Industry’s total GDP 2016: € 42,672 M

Spain isn't going to give this up anytime soon

I think they should be allowed to have a fair, democratic, legal vote after televised debates etc
If they majority of the people still vote yes - gotta let them have it can't argue with democracy
But We left the EU Ffs so we can't talk about right or wrong choices for other countries

All of this for me too really.
Just about all I would have said is here.

Always sad to see division in Nations.

If it is the case that less than 50% want independence, then surely the problem is the Spanish government not allowing there to be a fair, open, honest and legal vote on the issue? It seems a lot like they aren't confident at all about Catalonia voting to stay.

If our ‘democratic’ vote is anything to go by and if the vote goes against what some want they will just try to undermine public opinion and call for another vote. What is the point in ever having a public vote on anything if coercion ensures it is overturned x amount of months down the line.

A public vote is only a public Vote when it goes the ‘right’ way ...

Catalonia would be free to try to push for subsequent votes if they wanted to. That's not really the point. The point is that it would give the Spanish government a mandate to take the action they want to take. Currently, the actual figures for Catalonia are totally unknown.

While I'm not well-versed in the Spain-Catalonia situation, I do believe that Catalonia is doing a mistake just for the sake of being independent. I think they have a lot to lose detaching themselves from Spain.

I've spent quite a bit of time in Barcelona and seen how passionate a lot of the locals are about wanting their independence. A lot of them only speak Catalan and won't speak Spanish too.

I don't know the history or politics behind it so can't say for sure, but if it's what the people want then let them have it.

If it is so split then why not let them have a vote and put the subject to bed one way or the other. I think Spain is being very heavy handed.

Half a million Catalans on the streets of Barcelona today to support Spanish unity

Here for barcelonas economy bombing out. nice place to go on holiday, but wouldnt mind it being a bit cheaper.

I guess that politics is so uncertain right now that they don't want to risk it. Cameron never thought that Leave would win the EU referendum and yet Brexit now dominates everything in this country and will for years. Spain also places huge importance on their unity because it's specifically decreed by their constitution which all parts of Spain signed up to after decades of dictatorship after a civil war. Plus they've had years of fighting separatist terrorists in the Basque country so all that makes this especially sensitive for the central government

Hes ran away and left them to it.