Begin forwarded message:
> From: Josep <jsort64@gmail.
> Date: 13 de desembre de 2009 0:20:01 GMT+01:00
> To: josepsort@mac.
> Subject: [josepsort] Catalonia votes on independence from Spain
>
>
> By Sarah Rainsford
> BBC News, Catalonia
>
> This weekend, 700,000 people in Catalonia are eligible to vote in
> the region's first ever referendum on independence from Spain.
> Organised by activists and volunteers, the vote is not officially
> binding but it is taking place at a tense time in relations with
> Madrid.
> Supporters hope it is the first step towards a formal ballot for a
> separate state.
> Deep in the nationalist heartland of Catalonia, campaigners have
> been drumming up support for the vote.
> In the medieval town of Vic, hundreds of residents have already cast
> an early ballot at a tent in a corner of the main square.
> Many say the autonomy Catalonia already has is not enough, and they
> are voting "Yes" to independence.
> "More and more people think we have no room in the Spanish house, so
> we need a house of our own," organiser Alfons Lopez Tema says.
> "[The Spanish] don't want us, they don't love us, they don't give us
> what we want. So the best thing is to vote and decide."
>
> 'Subversive'
> Almost 170 Catalan towns and villages are holding ballots, staffed
> by thousands of volunteers.
> Vic has traditionally favoured independence but the vote will be a
> first indication of whether views here are spreading.
> The referendum has been the topic of daily debate on local radio.
> Speaking Catalan on air was forbidden as subversive during General
> Franco's dictatorship.
> Today, it is an official language, used in schools and government,
> and Catalonia itself has broad autonomy.
> But three years ago, people across Catalonia voted for more. They
> approved a new statute - the law that sets out the relationship
> between Catalonia and the Spanish state - which defined this part of
> eastern Spain as a distinct nation.
> It gave more jurisdiction to the local authorities and what many
> believe is a fairer share of the revenue collected.
> For the moderate-minded majority of Catalans, that was enough.
> The law was approved in a referendum, passed by the Catalan and
> Spanish parliaments and signed by the king.
>
> But Spain's main opposition party is contesting the statute in the
> Constitutional Court and many Catalans fear key provisions of the
> law will soon be overturned.
> "People are disillusioned by what's happened. They're fed up. That's
> why so many are involved in organising this vote," Vic Radio
> presenter Joan Turro explains during a break in the schedule.
> "People here in the interior of Catalonia have always wanted
> independence. We want this vote to show that it's not just us now."
> Many people in Catalonia say they feel different from the rest of
> Spain, with their own distinct language, culture and history.
> Sunday's referendum will test how far that feeling translates into
> actual support for a separate state.
>
>
> Economic help
> But frustrations about the relationship with Madrid are as much
> about money as identity.
> Home to some 7m people, Catalonia is a prosperous place.
> The pretty cobbled streets of medieval Vic are lined with boutiques
> and alluring delicatessens - industry and agriculture are both
> strong here.
>
> But many complain that too much of that local wealth is drained away
> subsidising poorer parts of Spain and the return investment from
> Madrid is minimal.
> A key provision of the new statute adjusted the balance but the
> improved system has not been implemented yet.
> One pig farmer told me he believed breaking away from Spain would
> help the local economy.
> "If you add everything up, we support the rest of Spain and they
> don't support us," he said, though like many people he struggled to
> name anything specific Catalonia has missed out on.
>
> National identity
> The Catalan government agrees that the balance of payments to Madrid
> was deeply unjust.
> But Finance Minister Antoni Castells says that the new statute does
> correct that, adding more than 2 billion euros to the local budget
> this year.
> Still, he says, the fight over the statute has frustrated many and
> left "a strong feeling of disappointment"
> one in five Catalans usually express support for independence.
> For the minister, the thing to watch at this weekend's unofficial
> referendum is the turnout.
> "If it's high, that suggests an increased number of people think the
> relationship between Catalonia and Spain should be reconsidered,
> that too many things are not going in a good way and that a lot of
> people think Spain is not respecting our self-government and our
> national identity," Mr Castells explains.
> Catalans are certainly passionate about their identity.
> Back in a smoky bar in Vic, most of the young crowd watching a
> Barcelona football match on TV have draped themselves in yellow and
> red Catalan flags.
> Their songs in Catalan are a mixture of swearing at Spain and their
> own national anthem. There is a map of Catalonia on the wall, with
> the rest of Spain blanked out.
> Most voters in this town will clearly say "Yes" to independence.
> What will be interesting is to see how many more moderate Catalans
> now share their passion.
> THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED!
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Enviat per Josep a josepsort el 12/12/2009 11:43:00 PM
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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