Catalonia fallout gains pace

RECRIMINATIONS: AFTER DISMAL FAILURE OF REGION’S INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION

Former minister says they ‘lacked the necessary political intelligence’.

Catalonia’s secessionist politicians have admitted that the region’s independence declaration failed and recriminations have started to fly. Five days after the Catalan parliament proclaimed a break from Spain, the new republic’s civil servants were working directly for the central government which imposed direct rule without finding any resistance, as had initially been feared.

Catalonia’s deposed, separatist leader Carles Puigdemont had travelled to Brussels where he told independence supporters to prepare for “a long stretch” and said it would be better to “slow down” the independence process rather than risk unrest.

He also accepted the “challenge” of Catalan elections on December 21 as called by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to “restore normality” after he imposed temporary direct rule on the semi-autonomous region in a bid to stop secession.

“The independence movement hasn’t slowed down, it’s stopped,” retorted a Spanish government source in Barcelona, who refused to be named.

Santi Vila, who was Puigdemont’s regional business minister until last week when he resigned after the Catalan leader decided against calling snap elections – an option some felt could have eased the crisis – accused his former colleagues of naivety.

He said Catalonia hadn’t been ready to function as an independent republic.

“Where’s the control over the territory, the control of ports, airports, the management of transport?” he asked.

“We lacked the necessary political intelligence,” he admitted on Catalonia’s Rac1 radio, but denied having misled independence supporters.

“But it’s true that I have government colleagues who displayed a level of naivety that is surprising at their age.”

Vila put his name forward to lead his Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT) – also Puig- demont’s party – into the elections.

PDeCAT is part of the separatist coalition that ruled Catalonia until the regional government was axed by Madrid on Friday, along with leftist nationalist ERC. –