Catalan watched intently as the Scottish referendum progressed. Catalonia has expressed its wish to hold a similar vote about secession from Spain but the central government has denied them that right. The 1978 constitution stipulates that any vote on independence must be put to all Spaniards and so a referendum held only in Catalonia would be illegal.
Although a “yes” vote in Scotland would have helped because it would have shown that issues like EU and NATO membership could be resolved, that is not stopping Artur Mas, the Catalan President from pushing forward with the idea. He plans to hold a vote anyway even though the result would not be accepted by Madrid. It is said that 80% of the population of this prosperous region want the chance to put their view forward and a law, passed on Friday in the region, has paved the way for a “consultation” to take place possibly in November.
We have to remember that things are different here in Spain than they are in Scotland. Although Catalonia accounts for just 16% of the total population of the country it provides almost one-fifth of the GDP.
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