[0762]

On a day when a Spanish court (at the insistence of the Spanish govt) has issued a European arrest warrant against the Catalan PM Puigdemont in the latest phase of repression against the Catalans, as a Scot I can naturally reflect back to 2014 and that well known orchestrated campaign against Scottish independence - Project Fear hatched up by the Westminster govt with all colluding shameless unionist 'pals'/political parties attached to it. Compare that with Catalonia - in just a few weeks we've seen ballot papers seized, newspapers suppressed (the Catalans have a good significant supportive media unlike Scotland!), rubber bullets fired and parliaments shut down, with national leaders fleeing the country under threat of sedition charges, all under the approving eyes of the EU - amazing!!! If the British state used 'fear', the Spanish state has deployed skin-searing terror to bring its rebellious province into line. Day by day, Madrid has been ramping up the horror! Amid the confusion of two different urges, the condoning one that the UK, EU and Spanish socio democrats are attached to while the moral stance is one of repulsion against Rajoy and his fascist behaviour - the smell of jackboots is repulsive! Yes, the referendum was illegal, provided we accept one important condition - it is illegal if you believe that Spain's constitution cancels out the most basic principle of international law, article 1(2) of the UN charter, concerning the right of nations to self-determination. I'd argue that, by this logic, almost every independence movement in history was illegal, because most were forced to break with the constitutional norms of the time, often violently. If accepted, the number of states in the world would have been tiny! Dominant states do not like 'breakaways' - hence the suppression! This whole political episode against Catalonia 'leaves a very bad taste in the mouth' and IMO more alliances are required in support of the Catalan people!