Han pasado más de 40 años desde que el General Francisco Franco muriese tranquilamente en su cama el 20 de noviembre de 1975. Sin embargo, parece que su sombra sigue proyectándose todavía en España a juzgar por la crisis democrática que se vive en Cataluña casi medio siglo después. La respuesta, cada vez cobra más peso y apunta a la penosa gestión de los políticos españoles.
Aunque España cumple con todos los requisitos democráticos en su Constitución y las Instituciones que dependen de ella, en realidad, la democracia española es sólo un papel mojado.
La principal razón por la cual España no es un país democrático se encuentra precisamente en el incumplimiento de los requisitos fundamentales de los derechos humanos.
La principal obligación de un país democrático es la de reconocer la verdad sobre los crímenes cometidos durante el pasado, pedir perdón y restaurar la dignidad de las víctimas.
En España todavía sigue abierta la herida de una guerra civil, de la cual todavía no se han reparado los daños. Los responsables del golpe de Estado de 1936, nunca pidieron perdón y una vez instaurada la democracia los gobiernos que han pasado por ella han postergado una y otra vez la más que justificada tarea de exhumar los fallecidos de los ambos lados del conflicto y devolver los cuerpos a sus familias.
¿Por qué abrir heridas antiguas?
La pregunta de ¿Por qué abrir heridas antiguas? parece una pregunta retórica, aunque lo cierto es que siguen haciéndosela muchos españoles. Y es posible que ahora más que nuca es necesario abrir esta herida infectada precisamente por haberse cerrado llena de odio y resentimiento de un bando hacia el otro y que inevitablemente con el tiempo ha ido contaminando poco a poco a la joven democracia española.
Cuando se salta el primer paso en la creación de un país democrático, y me refiero a la reparación del daño cometido durante un régimen autoritario, los efectos acaban por contaminar a la democracia y sus efectos no tardan en hacerse visibles en la sociedad.
La falta de respecto continúo contra las victimas de guerra acaba por contaminar y acaba poniendo en riesgo las leyes creadas precisamente para proteger la democracia. Se incumplen las leyes, se instaura la corrupción en los partidos políticos, luego en las instituciones, y finalmente la sociedad se contamina.
La democracia no es estática del mismo modo que tampoco los son sus acuerdos y leyes que la sustentan. La democracia está viva y por lo tanto, también se corrompe especialmente cuando no se respeta la verdad y los derechos humanos fundamentales.
Cuando la democracia está contaminada, acaba por enfermarse y entonces es muy fácil lanzar falsas acusaciones y la propaganda embrutece a uno y otro bando de la sociedad. Y es entonces precisamente cuando resulta más fácil difundir ideas antidemocráticas y crear movimientos contra las leyes establecidas mientras se lanza al pueblo radicalizado a la calle enarbolando banderas que simbolizan una ideología que hasta el momento sólo recibe el apoyo de grupos extremos de Europa.
Soluciones a la crisis democrática
Cuando se llega a este punto, es quizás el momento de buscar una solución que sin duda alguna pasa por curar primero la crisis de la democracia española y por ello se debería empezar por exhumar y devolver los cuerpos de uno y otro bando a sus familiares.
El siguiente paso debería ser la unión de todas fuerzas políticas de España para crear una comisión internacional y permitir una investigación en profundidad del pasado.
El tercer paso, pasa por exigir también a los culpables (si es que viven todavía) que pidan perdón por sus crímenes cometidos contra el pueblo.
Solamente después de estos primeros pasos España puede empezar a construir una democracia de verdad y tumbar la sombra del régimen fascista para siempre. Quizás, lo que sucede hoy en España, no es más que es la prueba de fuego para que los ciudadanos de este país de una vez por todas entierren su hacha de guerra y empiecen a caminar juntos hacia una sana democracia.
17 th part of a collection of 48 poetic compositions, haiku style or close to such form of Japanese tradition, performed by Gustavo Vega. Not all of them conform strictly to the traditional Japanese way… The author prefers to call them, instead of haiku, Crystal Moments.
Yuuka Nakamura, Japanese poet transferred the Crystal Moments to her own sensibility. She feels that some features of Westerness can be translated into Japanese classicism without affecting its meaning. Thus was achieved the two encounter of two views, Japanese, and Spanish, Eastern and Western converging. It is at the same time, a meeting, collaboration, cooperation …synthesis of languages and scripts, East and West.
What if the referendum in Catalonia is undemocratic?
Like Maduro in Venezuela and Erdogan in Turkey, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco also loved referendums. But what about Catalonia? Is a unilateral referendum for independence in Catalonia any different?
In my previous article I wrote about how the Catalan government is leading their territory into a political dead-end and a major crisis. I received a lot of feedback from the nationalists about the democratic right to vote, so I decided to take a deeper look in the history of the referendums and the ethics of voting.
Why a referendum can be a threat to democracy?
According to Wikipedia, referendums are an expression of direct democracy. However, in the modern world, most referendums need to be understood within the context of representative democracy. Therefore, they tend to be used quite selectively, covering issues, where elected officials may not have the legitimacy or inclination to carry out such changes.
Some opposition to the referendum has arisen from its use by dictators who used the “people’s decision” to disguise oppressive policies as populism. Dictators also make use of referendums as show elections to further legitimize their authority like Benito Mussolini in 1934, Adolf Hitler in 1936, Francisco Franco in 1947, Marcos in 1973 and Maduro and Erdogan in 2017. (Link)
Margaret Thatcher once described referendums as “a device of dictators and demagogues”.
When you’re asked to answer simply “yes” or “no” on a complicated policy question, you can’t choose the type of compromise solution that elected representatives often seek. And since governments can stage them at will, referendums tend to be deployed for the sake of political convenience, not the public good. (link)
The Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, said that voters in the unilateral referendum would be asked the following “yes” or “no” question: “Do you want Catalonia to be an independent country in the form of a republic?”
If you ask me, the question is a really complex and extremely difficult to answer.
The pitfalls of direct democracy
To have even a primitive sense of the pros and cons of the independence of Catalonia, one would need to know about the economics and sociology of trade and immigration, the politics of centralized regulation, and the history of nationalist movements.
According to Jason Brennan (an expert on the ethics of voting at Georgetown University) there is no reason to think even a tenth of the Catalan population has a basic comprehension of the social science needed to evaluate independence. Most Catalan voters, like most voters everywhere in the world, are “systematically ignorant” of elementary political facts and theories.
Brennan compared holding a referendum to visiting an ill-informed, irrational doctor who forces you, on a whim, to undergo medical treatment. “To force you to follow the decisions [of an] incompetent and bad faith doctor is unjust,” he wrote. “But this is roughly what happens in democracy.” (link)
It’s not only Fascist and repressive governments who prefer referendums – the anarchists have advocated forms of direct democracy as an alternative to the centralized state and capitalism. However some have criticized direct democracy and democracy in general for ignoring the rights of the minority. Only the Libertarian Marxists fully support referendums as a tool for direct democracy.
The former Commissioner for External Relations in European Union Chris Patten stated: “I think referendums are fundamentally anti-democratic in our system, and I wouldn’t have anything to do with them. On the whole, governments only concede them when governments are weak”.
Democratic Checks and Balances
According to former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund Kenneth Rogoff: “A divisive decision of independence with such far-reaching, long-lasting consequences—a nation-defining and potentially nation-fracturing choice—is deserving of more democratic checks and balances.”
On last Wednesday the Catalan government’s plans to secede from Spain took a step forward after the regional parliament approved reforms to its statutes that will allow laws to be approved after a single reading, meaning legislation required for the holding of the October 1 independence referendum could be fast-tracked with little or no debate. (Link)
In other words the Catalan government does not respect democratic checks and the debate which is the essence of parliamentary democracy. A thorough debate is indispensable if the governments aim is to get Catalonia independent.
In my opinion the Unilateral Referendum in Catalonia is undemocratic and a threat to democracy. What do you think?
16 th part of a collection of 48 poetic compositions, haiku style or close to such form of Japanese tradition, performed by Gustavo Vega. Not all of them conform strictly to the traditional Japanese way… The author prefers to call them, instead of haiku, Crystal Moments.
Yuuka Nakamura, Japanese poet transferred the Crystal Moments to her own sensibility. She feels that some features of Westerness can be translated into Japanese classicism without affecting its meaning. Thus was achieved the two encounter of two views, Japanese, and Spanish, Eastern and Western converging. It is at the same time, a meeting, collaboration, cooperation …synthesis of languages and scripts, East and West.
Wake-up Call. The politicians are leading Catalonia into international isolation and political suicide.
Many inhabitants of Catalonia do not consider themselves merely part of a region but an independent nation that has no state of its own. As a foreign observer living in Barcelona, I have followed closely the inflation of the nationalistic movement in Catalonia.
Ship of Fools painting by Hieronymus Bosch
During the last 10 years I have seen how the movement has transformed into an adventure cruise on a “ship of fools”. There is an unpopular captain, who is a little deaf and has similar infirmity in strategical sight. The sailors are quarrelling with one and other about the steering. Finally the passengers are getting fed up with the situation and are in a state of mutiny.
As a Finnish citizen I understand the meaning of nationalism and independence. Just like the Catalan nationalists, I know how it feels to belong to a small stubborn nation. But I also understand what it takes to build an independent state.
Building an independent and internationally recognised country is difficult and dangerous business. To be successful, a territory needs charismatic leaders who are supported by patriots and a clear majority of nationalistic followers. Nations come into being through the unification of people within the state so that they remain politically stable and viable in the long run. Legitimate authority in modern national states is bound to popular rule and to clear majority.
In my opinion Catalan politicians have failed especially in the nation-building process in their territory. But still the Catalan government is closing their eyes in the fact that their time has run out and that they are leading their territory into a political dead-end and a major crisis.
The problem in Catalonia is that there are not enough nationalists and no true patriots.
Nationalism is a hollow statement in Catalonia. According to most opinion polls, the Catalan population is divided fifty-fifty for and against the independence. It seems that the Catalan independence movement was created by rulers in order to rule the ruled and not by the people.
The whole independence adventure is failing because the weak and negligent rulers can’t make the nationalistic community in Catalonia bigger, stronger and closer together. After years of failed nation-building the nationalists have fallen short to get a clear majority for independence.
One of the reasons for this failure is linked to an acute lack of true patriots. Successful nations need true heroes willing to carry weapons, protect the power and defend the territorial interests with their lives if necessary. You also need patriotic politicians who are ready to go to jail or even stop eating for their nationalistic beliefs. It’s essential that the followers admire and love their leaders. A great leader is also respected by the opposition. It is the only way to get independent.
Here in Catalonia even the nationalists themselves don’t seem to admire their own leaders. There are even doubts of who’s really in charge – who’s the real king of the jungle. Without true patriots and charismatic leaders the independence movement has no real power.
Many people believe that getting a country independent is as simple as casting a vote. If you are one of those people, wake up. There is too much money and too many business interests at stake. A respected state needs an army of well-trained soldiers (patriots or mercenaries) able to protect the wealth and interests of a country in all possible situations. If a country cannot protect their wealth, there are plenty of pirates who will take their share of it. Catalonia has only 17 000 Mossos (Catalan police officers) and it is not enough to protect a state of 7.5 million people.
We are sucked into a big mess…
As the unilateral and illegal referendum (according to Spanish government) is imminent, I can’t help but wonder at the mess we will be sucked into.
Firstly, I am really amazed by a surprising lack of information about the economic costs in remaining part of Spain and the potential economic benefits of independence. The only manifest that I hear every day is the “religious” argument of a democratic “right” to vote. I have to ask myself: for what are we exactly voting? Is the referendum legal? I have lived in Barcelona for more than 10 years… What’s in it for me? Should I vote? Can I vote?
Secondly, I am more than surprised by the utopian formula that the Catalan government has chosen. They are forcing us to follow them to political suicide. The Catalan government is totally alone with the referendum. They really seem to have faith that after winning a unilateral referendum they hold the authority to declare Catalonia independent without a friendly agreement with the Spanish government or the international community.
They don’t seem to understand, that no country in the European Union or in the international community is supporting them. The international community consider the Catalan independence movement as an internal issue of Spain. But still, despite the nonexistent support, the Catalan government is going on with the adventure and threatening Spain with a Unilateral Declaration of Independence.
Catalonia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence
If the Spanish government fails to stop the referendum in Catalonia, and should the referendum result support independence, the only option for the Catalan government is unilateral declaration of independence.
The history of modern politics doesn’t have many examples of countries making a Unilateral Declaration of Independence. As a matter of fact there are 23 cases, from which only 10 countries succeeded in their declaration and gained international recognition.
What these 10 successful countries (U.S.A 1776, Philippines 1898, Albania 1912, Irish Republic 1919, Egypt 1922, Bangladesh 1971, Palestine 1988, Croatia 1991, Slovenia 1991 and Kosovo 2008 ‘partial’) have in common is that all of them have gained their independence through war or armed resistance.
Three of the territories have returned to their old rulers (Katanga to Republic of Congo 1960, Anguilla to U.K. 1967, Biafra to Nigeria 1967). Rhodesia had to rename their state and change their government to gain international recognition (renamed Zimbabwe in 1980). Finally the rest have become failed states without international recognition (Cabinada 1975, Northern Cyprus 1983, Transnistria 1990, Somaliland 1991, Republic of Ichkeria 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh 1991, South Ossetia 1991, Abkhazia 1991 and Crimea 2014)
The day when Catalonia becomes a failed state.
So what would happen if the referendum planned for October 1st 2017 is a clear win for the independence movement?
According to the Catalan government, after winning the referendum, the administration is ready to go “all the way”. Without a friendly agreement with the Spanish government, they will declare Catalonia unilaterally independent. The administration will also abandon loyalty to the King of Spain if it declares itself a republic.
A Unilateral Declaration of Independence is going to be the most probable outcome. The Spanish government has continuously stated that it considers a unilateral referendum as non-constitutional and therefore illegal. After the unilateral referendum the Spanish government will not negotiate with the “independent” Catalans.
According to the traditions of international relations, without a friendly succession from Spain, no independent country will recognize Catalonia as an independent state. Also the European Union, the NATO and the United Nations will condemn Catalonia.
From day one after the Unilateral Declaration of Independence, the Catalan government will have to face economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation. Amid complete isolation, Catalonia will become an unrecognized failed state facing an imminent economic crisis and political catastrophe.
Considering that no foreign state and no international institution will recognize the Unilaterally independent Catalonia, the High Court of Justice of Catalonia would be the only institution who could declare the post-Unilateral Declaration of Independence government legal and de jure. If the Spanish government lets this political charade continue this far, this is the moment when the independence movement hits the rocks. The members of the High Court are judges and not true patriots. They will not let this show continue any further.
Until then, we are sailing in a Ship of Fools and waiting for someone to lead us back to sanity. But we are not in a hurry, because it is summer. The sun is shining, wine is flowing, the vacations are beginning and the Fiesta without bulls is about to start…
15 th part of a collection of 48 poetic compositions, haiku style or close to such form of Japanese tradition, performed by Gustavo Vega. Not all of them conform strictly to the traditional Japanese way… The author prefers to call them, instead of haiku, Crystal Moments.
Yuuka Nakamura, Japanese poet transferred the Crystal Moments to her own sensibility. She feels that some features of Westerness can be translated into Japanese classicism without affecting its meaning. Thus was achieved the two encounter of two views, Japanese, and Spanish, Eastern and Western converging. It is at the same time, a meeting, collaboration, cooperation …synthesis of languages and scripts, East and West.
14 th part of a collection of 48 poetic compositions, haiku style or close to such form of Japanese tradition, performed by Gustavo Vega. Not all of them conform strictly to the traditional Japanese way… The author prefers to call them, instead of haiku, Crystal Moments.
Yuuka Nakamura, Japanese poet transferred the Crystal Moments to her own sensibility. She feels that some features of Westerness can be translated into Japanese classicism without affecting its meaning. Thus was achieved the two encounter of two views, Japanese, and Spanish, Eastern and Western converging. It is at the same time, a meeting, collaboration, cooperation …synthesis of languages and scripts, East and West.
13 th part of a collection of 48 poetic compositions, haiku style or close to such form of Japanese tradition, performed by Gustavo Vega. Not all of them conform strictly to the traditional Japanese way… The author prefers to call them, instead of haiku, Crystal Moments.
Yuuka Nakamura, Japanese poet transferred the Crystal Moments to her own sensibility. She feels that some features of Westerness can be translated into Japanese classicism without affecting its meaning. Thus was achieved the two encounter of two views, Japanese, and Spanish, Eastern and Western converging. It is at the same time, a meeting, collaboration, cooperation …synthesis of languages and scripts, East and West.
12 th part of a collection of 48 poetic compositions, haiku style or close to such form of Japanese tradition, performed by Gustavo Vega. Not all of them conform strictly to the traditional Japanese way… The author prefers to call them, instead of haiku, Crystal Moments.
Yuuka Nakamura, Japanese poet transferred the Crystal Moments to her own sensibility. She feels that some features of Westerness can be translated into Japanese classicism without affecting its meaning. Thus was achieved the two encounter of two views, Japanese, and Spanish, Eastern and Western converging. It is at the same time, a meeting, collaboration, cooperation …synthesis of languages and scripts, East and West.
A few days ago, one of the main Spanish newspapers, El País, leaked a selection of quotes. These quotes were taken from the Catalan regional government’s (Generalitat de Catalunya) secret draft version of legislation. The leaked documents indicated that if Catalonia is prevented from holding a democratic referendum on independence, the region would break away from Spain unilaterally.
As a former researcher of politics and human rights activist living in Barcelona, I decided to share my thoughts about the dangerous situation. But first, before you start throwing stones at me, I want to state that I write this article only as a political observer. For me personally it is really the same if Catalonia finally decides to break away or not.
What is a unilateral declaration of independence?
Most of you know what unilateral declaration of independence means. But just in case, let’s check it out.
A unilateral declaration of independence is made by a dependent state without the assent of the protecting state. The term was first used when Rhodesia declared independence in 1965 from the United Kingdom (UK) without an agreement with the UK. link
In other words, without a friendly agreement with Spanish government, Catalonia would break-up the official ties and contracts with Spain and the rest of the world unilaterally.
Hopeless poker strategy
Because I really hope that the Catalan government’s leaked strategy is just a bluff, let’s see the situation in the terms of a poker game.
In this last round of the world poker tournament of independence, Catalonia sits right to the left side of Spain (the big blind). The rest of the world is sitting in the other positions around the table and the U.S.A is shuffling.
The tournament has been really hard for Catalunya. During the game, round after round, the Catalans have lost chips to Spain (taxes). Together with Spain, they have also lost a lot of hands especially to Germany (workers). Catalans suspect a foul play and think that Spain has made secret alliance with the rest of the world against their interests. But Spain has lost already too many chips to win the entire tournament (depression).
In this end stage of the game, the antes (corruption) are too much for the Catalans. They don’t have enough chips to play for another round and they must go all-in. Spain is in a better place. They had a bigger stack in the beginning of the game. Now Spain sits on the big blind’s. They can relax, observe the betting round and react after everybody else has placed their bets.
Before the flop, Catalonia is dealing with bad cards (unilateral declaration). The poker faces on the Catalan politicians can’t hide the situation and they know it. They also know that the rest of the world and especially Spain knows it too. Spain is aware that Catalan has to bet all their chips at once and Spain will call.
If the Catalan government decides finally to go all-in, the rest of the world will fold (don’t recognize the independence). There is a long diplomatic tradition that foreign countries do not help break away countries politically, especially in cases where the declaration of independence is made without a mutual agreement and without armed forces.
In the end, when Spain calls the bluff, there will be a lot of disappointed and angry Catalans in the streets. There will be no winners.
Nationalism is a dangerous game
If the Generalitat holds on to this leaked strategy, it will only lead to a serious conflict. The members of the government, or at least their advisers, should know their history. There is not a single country in the world who has managed to get unilaterally independent and internationally recognized without war or armed conflict. I definitely don’t think that Catalan politicians are so talented that they could do peacefully something that has never been achieved before.
But it looks like that there is no solution in site. It is just a matter of time when a frustrated citizen (for or against the independence) pulls a trigger and hurts somebody. The Catalan politicians should understand, that breaking mutual agreements or even threatening to break them unilaterally, is bad news for the economy.
Unilateral declaration of independence would make Catalonia an independent country but a failed state.
Aunque España cumple con todos los requisitos democráticos en su Constitución y las Instituciones que dependen de ella, en realidad, la democracia española es sólo un papel mojado.
Yuuka 
A few days ago, one of the main Spanish newspapers, 
A unilateral declaration of independence is made by a dependent state without the assent of the protecting state. The term was first used when Rhodesia declared independence in 1965 from the United Kingdom (UK) without an agreement with the UK. 
