After
last Sunday's so-called Catalonia straw poll Mas and other Catalonian
supporters of independence from Spain declared it a success, claiming
that more than 80 % of the estimated 2.25 million voters back a
breakaway from Spain, in the non-binding poll. Even the English
newspaper The Telegraph echoed this finding in the headline of its
article - Catalonia
poll shows backing for independence.
When
you look at the underlying numbers involved you quickly are left with
quite a different impression. 1,861,753 reportedly voted, out of a
total population of 7,504,881, which represents a participation rate
of only 24.8%. That most likely means that a greater number of
eligible voters refrained from participating, because they rejected
what was proposed.
The
Spanish newspaper El
País stated that in the last election, in 2012, the four parties
supporting secession – CiU, ERC, ICV, and CUP drew 2.1 million
votes, so the results of the poll is not an indication of increased
support for separation. Moreover, the voting age was set at 16 years
of age, which is lower than for normal elections.
Rafael
Catala, the justice minister described the poll as “fruitless
and useless.”
He
accused Mr Mas of organising an act of “pure political propaganda”
with no validity, adding that Madrid could take more legal action
against the vote. That seems indeed likely to take case as La
Razón reported on November 11 that the national prosecutor
indicated that Mas, along with vicepresident Joana Ortega, and the
two ministers, Rigau and Espadaler, will be reported to the Tribunal
Superior de Justicia de Cataluña (TSJC)
for disobedience and perversion of justice under the law. They will
likely have to pay a fine or be suspended.
What is not mentioned in the media is the naïveté
of Mas and his fellow Catalan sovereignty supporters. He has
previously clearly indicated that Catalonia would want to remain part
of the EU, and continue to use euros if it were to become a sovereign
nation. That shows a total ignorence or disregard of the EU powers
and competencer, as clearly set out in the Wikipedia article about
the European
Union. EU's exclusive competence includes:
- the customs union
- monetary policy for the Member States whose currency is the euro
- the conservation of marine biological resources under the common fisheries policy
- common commercial policy
- conclusion of certain international agreements.
These
EU powers have been clearly demonstrated in the handling of the
financial crisis in Spain, where the PP has had to follow EU
directives and recommendations, leaving little, if any room for the
Spanish government to take independent actions and decisions.
The
actions taken by Mas and his Catalan fellow sovereignists are not
only caught up in nationalism,
but also seek a way out of financial difficulties, caused by
financial mismanagement.
Catalan nationalism appeals to people like Pep
Guardiola, who flew to Barcelona, after Bayern Munich's last
game, to participate in the straw poll, as he, and many other
Catalans identify with the Catalan language, culture, and history,
and therefore want to be perceived as forming part of Catalan, as a
nation.
The reality is that today nobody is really independent, but
interdependent,
on a global basis. To think otherwise is just a folly.
Albert Einstein expressed nationalism this way: “Nationalism
is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.
“
