CiU well ahead on poll
A poll in La Vanguarda newspaper suggested that if translated into real votes the CiU will win that elusive overall majority in the Autumn by gaining 17 or 18 seats. The poll gave the ICV 12 seats (currently 10), PSC 32-33 (37), ERC 13 (21), CiU 65-66 (48), PP 14 (14) and the Cs 0 (3)

Photos, also below,
of the huge
demo in Barcelona

l'Estatut: Catalan
anger as TC axes 'nation' phrases

by Sue Davies
A massive demonstration has taken place in Barcelona in protest at the dismal way its l’Estatut (measures granting Catalunya greater autonomy) had been treated by Spain’s Constitutional Court, the Tribunal Constitucional (TC).

After the l’Estatut was accepted by the Generalitat almost five years ago it was overwhelmingly backed by the Catalan people in a referendum. The Estatut was then taken to Congress where deputies picked at the measures before eventually giving it their backing. The PP, showing its disdain for the democratic process, promptly referred the Estatut to the Constitutional Court, citing dozens of breaches of the country’s Constitution.

The TC took four long years to make up its mind. It threw out almost all of the PP objections but angered Catalans by removing phrases in the Estatut’s preamble indicating that Catalunya saw itself as having nation status within Spain.

The normally reticent BBC reckoned that “more than a million” people were on the march. Spain’s right-wing media tried to maintain the figure was a lot lower, but people I know in Barcelona, not necessarily nationalists, who witnessed the march have no problem accepting the BBC figure. Bravely, Catalunya's president, the Socialists leader José Montilla, who has no problem with the "nation" references, was in the front row but clearly much of the event was pro-nationalism.

Montilla and the Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero afterwards held lengthy talks to try and diffuse the Catalan anger. Zapatero promised to repair the damage to l’Estatut and prepare a roadmap for its implementation. Montilla said he was “reasonably satisfied”.

Adding to the Socialists’ worries are recent polls showing increased support for the CiU. If that support gets translated into votes this Autumn, it could see the CiU with an overall majority and its charismatic leader, Albert Mas, as the Catalan president.

For example, a poll today’s La Vanguarda newspaper suggested that the CiU will win that elusive overall majority in the Autumn by gaining 17 or 18 seats. The poll gave the ICV 12 seats (currently 10), PSC 32-33 (37), ERC 13 (21), CiU 65-66 (48), PP 14 (14) and the Cuitidans 0 (3)

Living in Cymru, I do not understand why Spain gets so hysterically worked up about the likes of Catalunya wishing to describe itself as a nation. Here, Britain is made up of three nations, Cymru, Scotland and England (I’m never quite sure how Ulster sees itself). Scottish nationalism was strong before it became officially recognised as a nation but this belated recognition has not seen an explosion of nationalism as opponents feared.

In Cymru, the nationalist Plaid Cymru still only have three MPs at Westminster and in the Welsh Assembly elections of May, 2007, increased its share of the vote by just 1.2% to 22.4%,. Hardly an explosion.