TIME TO SPEAK OUT

28.01.2012

Crisis are times of difficulty and confusion in ideas and in public life.There are also times when leadership, the ability of governments and political projects are tested.

As an example, in the United States, President Obama and his administration are projecting some doubts, since its first term in office have not been as bright as expected. Even though they have do better than their predecessors, but not as good as the expectations they have raised when they accessed at the forefront of the world´s most powerful country.

Although in a very different scenario, MM. José Montilla and J.L. Rodriguez Zapaterohave already passed into history as dismal gray political leaders and rulers, not only for the mismanagement of the situation they have found, but also for being unable to provide hope. In Mr. Montilla case, his government´s incompetence and lack of national (catalan) project, led to a disastrous election results both to its own formation and to its partners. However, he has recently been nominated Spanish Senator. In the case of Mr. Zapatero and their followers, they are a crystal-clear example that systematic frivolity, demagoguery and deceit deserve a strong electoral punishment.

Obviously, recent political changes should imply changes in main political forces behavior. However, in Catalonia, with the exception of more severe spending cuts, the current government has not substantially changed the worst of Mr. Montilla´s policies, specially regarding the relationship between Catalonia and Spain. The Catalan government sails in mediocrity and takes refuge in an ambiguous and incomprehensible discourse. The same goes for CiU federation, under Mr. Duran i Lleida leadership and dictate from Madrid.

President Artur Mas declared that "perhaps the seams of the Constitution and the Statute have to be broken a bit". Also, Mr. Oriol Pujol, recommended lime tea to die-hard independentists. As we can see, our rulers poverty of language and metaphors is alarming. In Catalonia, we simply replace one metaphor (fish basket) for another (broken seams) without achieving real progress. Instead we need to have our own fishing nets in order to capture according to our needs, and wear our own made clothes and not those made by someone´s else.

However, at the EU there are leaders who are not afraid to speak out, even if they don´t get the desired outcomes. As an example, Scotland government is fullfilling its promise to consult its people on the country's independence. In Scotland, where those in favour of Independence are less than in Catalonia, citizens won´t be asked about a new fiscal pact or about UK law broken seams.

They will be simply asked if they want their own state, if they want Independence.

Do not think the time has come in Catalonia to speak out?

Author: RCAT web team

Translation: JS

Trying to counteract Duran's unionist stand and Pujol's lime tea, Artur Mas

25.01.2012

A few days ago, Mr. Oriol Pujol, number 3 of CiU federation, recommended to pro-Catalonia independence supporters some lime tea, and Mr. Duran i Lleida, number 2 of the same federation, denied that SNP is for Independence. On Tuesday, Mr. Artur Mas, President of the Generalitat de Catalonia, and CiU's boss, had to announce that “perhaps the seams of the Constitution and the Estatut have to be teared a bit”. Thus Mr. Mas is trying to rise as a country’s defender in front of the previous discouraging statements referred.

Mr. Mas, expects to counteract the nationally frustrating effect of both statements, that caused a deep disappointment between those most sovereignists. These statements disappointed again the most sovereigntist troops. Besides, former Minister Carme Laura Gil censured them in public in her blog, considering them as “regrettable”. In this way, CiU’s leader is trying to slow Mr. Duran i Lleida’s usual expressions down, which have a clearly pro-Spanish unity tone. We can understand this as an attempt from Mr. Mas to maintain his formation’s typical ambiguity, from which they expect collecting votes from everywhere.

Mr. Oriol Pujol considers that sovereignism, is an affliction that has to be treated with some lime tea

In an interview for the newspaper El País, Mr. Oriol Pujol was asked if sovereignism has to be operated on, or if a pill treatment should be enough. Mr. Pujol declared: “For more or for less? The most effective thing is treating it with lime tea: some lime tea, a bit of patience. Our approaches want neither too much urgency nor fireworks. Otherwise, they create frustrations.”

Author: RCAT Web team

Translation: MA

The Yes vote to GOS fiscal measures upsets CDC troops

Former president Mr. Jordi Pujol, tries to calm down militants saying that economic discrimination justifies independence

Duran´s opinion prevails over Mas-Colell´s criticism regarding income tax rise

CiU vote for GOS (Government of Spain) anti-crisis measures has not been fully understood in Catalonia. Not even for a large number of CDC rank-and-file members, according to several CDC militants close to RCAT associates.

These members have started to press the party's leaders. They don't quite understand the yes vote, specially after voting against Mr. Mariano Rajoy´s election as President. And also after Mr. Andreu Mas-Colell, the Minister for Economy and Knowledge, categorical words opposing to those measures -that include a rise of the income tax. According to the Minister´s words, tax income rise risks to place Catalonia's fiscal burden at a suffocation level. In critics opinion "if they didn´t want to to vote against, they could have just abstained".

Having that in mind, it is quite obvious the motivation of former president Jordi Pujol's article posted in his website. Mr. Pujol would have written it to try to appease the unease of militants. In the piece, Mr. Pujol acknowledges that

" Catalonia as a country could be driven to unviability, (...) not because of the economic consequences of independence, but the impossibility – as a result of economic discrimination –of Catalonia to respond not only to the needs of wealth creation or the support for our language and culture, but also to build a truly bona fide society for all her citizens. This, as much or more than any other argument, would be a valid reason to opt for independence. "

However, some analysts consider that the yes vote can also be read having in mind the traditional tensions between CDC and UDC. And more specifically as a Mr. Duran's victory not only over Mr. Mas-Colell, but over the whole Catalan Government. Mr. Duran, as CiU´s top figure in Madrid, in this sense, would be setting the political line of the Government of the Generalitat, without paying the costs that entails to head a department.

Authored: RCAT Web Team

Translation: MA