What is this noise I hear?
Xavier Vinyals
01/07/2005
What is this noise I hear?
Xavier Vinyals
01/07/2005
All this noise I hear and that lately reaches us with such intensity and such a harsh tone from Spain has another reason in addition to the usual uproar and accent that we Catalans have to put up with from those people who represent the usual “typical Spain”. And the reason now is the new Statute of Catalonia –that unavoidably– must be accompanied by a new financing system. We are not referring to the usual attacks and insults that we Catalans receive from the cavern criticising us for our supposed lack of solidarity, avarice, provincialism and I do not know how many other things; now, surpassing themselves, they feel this is not enough and they start threatening us. Threats against our people and some of our leaders. Altogether, a perfectly planned strategy by the most conservative Spanish politicians who, since they are in the opposition, try in this way to obtain more support by also trying to undermine the opponent and, obviously, make the new Statute of Catalonia fail. Infamous. Sad. Little civilised. Lately, we have also heard some voices –more civilised ones– from Catalonia asking for a new political party to be created in Catalonia that would be fully openly Spanish and pro-Spain. However, it seems that only and strictly within the Catalan territory (they believe that in Spain it would not work out well or that the electoral space is already covered by PP (Popular Party), PSOE (Spanish Socialist Party) or IU (United Left), or that, simply, it is not necessary there? Because, if they were to register in the census in Madrid, whom would they vote for?). I believe that it is fine if they want to create this new party. In fact, very well. I encourage them to present candidates and measure the popular support they have. Each one in the place that fits him/her. If there is space for them, let them occupy it. If not, then they should not annoy us, for we have work to do and they have had their opportunity to say what they wanted and their minute of glory and public notoriety. They will always be able to leave the press clippings of these days for their grandchildren to inherit. I do not believe that they will create this new party in Catalonia –these parties already exist and they already take the place they want to occupy– and I think that, altogether, it is a momentary fire and a strategy, also perfectly planned, to undermine the new Statute and force the political parties existing throughout the Spanish territory not to forget that exerting or not Spanish nationalism in Catalonia may also give or take votes –increasingly less– depending on where the wind blows from. And if this does not work either, then they menace to send the tanks, for this always scares people, even if it is not very well considered by people of goodwill. This is not new. As always, history repeats itself. Now that there appears the opportunity for a relatively important change in the relations between Catalonia and Spain –by means of the new Statute–, these strategic movements should not surprise us. The Commission working on the text of the Statute has already approved in a first reading a wording on the Catalan Sports Teams that, although it is not bad, I believe is incomplete and may be improved, mainly in that which refers to the support and fostering that the Generalitat (Catalan Autonomous Government) must offer to the international projection of social, cultural and sporting Catalan organisations. From the Platform we will try to offer the members of the Commission of the Statute our opinion in this regard. We hope that they are not too inattentive, neither due to the noise coming from outside nor to the one coming from inside, and that they listen to those people like us who have very much demonstrated in a clear and conclusive way the popular support we have received from Catalan people, a support that we are perfectly able to obtain again.
17.05.06