Catalonia backs independence in vote which 'means nothing'

More than two million Catalans are believed to have voted yesterday in a ballot that the Spanish government tried to stop. And 80 per cent of those who took part in the poll said they would like Catalonia, the region around Barcelona, to be independent of Madrid.

The vote even took place in London, says The Guardian, where more than 1,000 Spanish ex-pats and holidaymakers queued on Fleet Street yesterday to cast their ballot. They were asked two questions: should there be a Catalan state and should it be independent?

Under the fascist regime of General Franco the Catalan language and culture was suppressed but since 1978 Spain has formally recognised Catalonia as a "nationality". However, the area is still under the control of the national government and the Spanish constitution.

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Catalonia's regional president, Artur Mas, went ahead with Sunday's non-binding vote after his planned independence referendum was ruled unconstitutional by a Spanish court, explains David Millward in the Daily Telegraph.

The vote comes as tensions rise. Catalonia is wealthier than the rest of Spain and supporters of independence complain their region subsidises the rest of Spain, says Millward.

Mas hailed the 80.72 per cent result as a great success, saying it would pave the way for a formal referendum. He told supporters: "Once again Catalonia has shown that it wants to rule itself. We have earned the right to a referendum."

Spanish justice minister Rafael Catala accused Mas of organising an act of "pure political propaganda" and said the vote would prove "fruitless and useless".

But the poll would have represented a "new chapter" in Catalonia's history whatever the result, says Channel 4 News, even if Spain does not even acknowledge the ballot.

Last month, The Guardian predicted the impact of a large majority in favour of independence on Spanish politics would be "huge" and said Madrid could not possibly carry on "as if nothing had happened". Finally, Madrid may have to address the financial grievances of the Catalan region.

Will the Scottish referendum affect Catalonia's fight for independence?

11 September

As Scotland gears up for its independence referendum next week, repercussions are already being felt far beyond Holyrood and Westminster.

An independent Scotland could set a precedent for other nationalist movements seeking independence, particularly in the Spanish region of Catalonia, as well as having wider implications for Europe.

"Scotland has given so much to the world in terms of invention and innovation and if we do achieve a Yes vote, that demonstration of a peaceful path to change will be another great gift, "Michael Russell, the SNP education minister, said in a speech in Glasgow last week.

The current situation in Catalonia

The origins of the separatist movement in the north-eastern Spanish region of Catalonia can be traced back to the early 20th century. Already semi-autonomous from the government in Madrid, the region's governing party is now calling for full independence.

Unlike in Scotland, the question of a referendum has faced strong resistance from the government in Madrid. The Catalan leader Artur Mas has called for the region to vote on independence on 9 November, a move the Spanish government has called "unconstitutional". The vote "cannot and will not take place" said Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Andreu Mas-Colell, the minister in charge of Catalonia's economy told the Daily Telegraph: "We're at a phase much earlier than the British. We're still struggling for a referendum."

The impact of the Scottish referendum

The debate about Scottish independence appears to be firing up Catalan nationalists."Scotland makes us envious and fuels our fury," one man told the Spanish news site The Local. "The case of Scotland shows that with dialogue and political will from Madrid, we could resolve this democratically."

The timing is also significant as Catalonia prepares to commemorate Diada, its national day, exactly a week before the referendum in Scotland. Today marks the 300th anniversary of Spanish rule.

Are there any other regions vying for independence?

Catalans are not the only people in Spain wanting to sever ties with Madrid; Basque separatists have long been fighting to become an independent state, until recently through the use of violence. Similar European movements are taking place in Flanders, Belgium, and Veneto in Italy. Overshadowed by Islamic State fighting in Iraq, Kurdistan, which spans Turkey, Syria and Iraq, is also preparing for a referendum on independence, The Guardian reports.

What would the wider repercussion of a Yes vote be?

If Scotland decides to become independent it could trigger an "alarmist" response from the rest of Europe, Sebastian Balfour, professor emeritus of contemporary Spanish studies at the London School of Economics told Bloomberg.

"I certainly see a whole range of responses to tame [the independence] movement, to give it some kind of institutional form that does not undermine the nation state," he said.

An independent Scotland would have to reapply for EU membership, a move which could be blocked by member states like Spain or France in a strong message to separatists in their own countries.

"That would be incredibly messy, precisely because countries like Spain and Belgium would have an incentive to bar Scottish membership given their own situations," Bremmer said.

If Scotland does vote Yes the "European 'contagion' risk … is very real", geopolitical expert Ian Bremmer told the Business Insider.