‘Sturgeon should think of Catalan-style vote’
NICOLA STURGEON should consider holding a “Catalan-style” referendum on independence if Brexit falls apart and damages Scotland, Elisenda Paluzie, president of the Catalan assembly said.
In an exclusive interview with The
Herald, the academic and political activist, on a visit to Westminster to address sympathetic MPS, said she had been told that Alex Salmond, the former first minister, would have unilaterally held a vote on Scotland’s future if David Cameron had refused to facilitate one in 2014.
The professor of politics at Barcelona University noted that Theresa May had made clear the UK Government would not enable an independence referendum in this parliament and said that if Brexit was “really negative for Scotland and the people are convinced of the necessity of getting rid of this new situation”, then the SNP Government organising its own poll would be an “opportunity and would make a lot of sense”.
Asked if the option of a Catalan-style independence poll should be considered by the First Minister in such circumstances, Ms Paluzie replied: “Yes.” She added: “If the option of a Catalan-style referendum is there, I’m quite sure the British Government won’t send the police to block the polling stations.”
On her own nation’s political future, the Assembly President did not express much hope of Catalonia achieving independence any time soon.
She explained how she was “not positive or expectant” that the new minority
Socialist government would help the
Catalan independence cause given it was supported by Unionist forces.
And she said that while the current “technical government” in Madrid might last only a year, it was possible the pro-unionist Conservative People’s Party could revive following the resignation of Mariano Rajoy and take power again.
When it was suggested the prospects for independence were, therefore, not bright, the academic replied: “No, none of this is good in the sense that getting a deep and profound political dialogue is out of the question. The consequence of all this is what we have to do is to get our majority stronger and in the end make things happen.”
Nonetheless, when asked if she believed she would see Catalan independence in her lifetime, Ms Paluzie declared without hesitation: “Yes. I do.”
But when asked the same question about Scotland, there was less certainty. She laughed, paused and replied: “Well, maybe.”
Professor Paluzie also touched on the case of her colleague Clara Ponsati, the former Catalan Government’s Education Minister, who has been teaching at St Andrews University.
Professor Ponsati is now facing extradition back to Spain on charges of rebellion and misappropriation of public funds following the independence poll last October when 92 per cent of Catalans voted for independence albeit on a turn-out of just 43 per cent. The 61-year-old academic, who is facing more than 30 years in prison if found guilty, will today appear at a fringe event at the SNP conference.
Spain’s constitutional court ruled the Catalan referendum illegal but Ms Paluzie said the ruling itself was
“unconstitutional”.