A NEW initiative against Catalan independence with some big name supporters has sparked controversy in Spain.

Backed by Nobel-prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa and director Albert Boadella, the movement (called Liberales e Iguales) demands the entirety of Spain to be included in the Catalan independence debate.

About 50 politicians, unionists, and workers from the cultural sector started the movement after observing that much of the debate is centered in Catalunya.

Their main concern is incorporating all of Spain into the vote on any possible independence referendum, since they see the loss of one of the largest (20% of Spain’s current territory) and most profitable regions as a pressing concern for the nation.

Liberales e Iguales released a manifesto online stating its objectives and received over 500 signatures just hours after its launch.

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12 COMMENTS

  1. Not sure the title “Catalan anti-independence movement receives NATIONWIDE support” fits the last sentence “received over 500 signatures just hours after its launch.”
    I guess the 500 signatures may have been nationwide but 500 in hours is rubbish.
    Could debate both sides of this and make a good argument. Bottom line I guess is that the will of the people to be independent of Spain should be the over-riding factor. These days the free will of a people should be paramount surely. Slavery and colonialism is dead or should be. It may be that the rest of Spain needs to ensure it receives an annual amount of money for the first X years so that it does not decline even further into financial ruin.

  2. “If Catalunya became independent, who would Barcelona play football with?”

    RCD Espanyol, CE Sabadell FC, CE Europa, Gimnàstic de Tarragona, UE Lleida and CD Condal, FC Barcelona B, Terrassa FC, CF Badalona, Girona FC, UE Sant Andreu, UE Figueres, Palamós CF, CE L´Hospitalet, CE Júpiter, EC Granollers and CFJ Mollerussa.

  3. Thanks, Oscar.

    So in other words, Barcelona would be champions every year and Catalan football would be pretty boring, to say nothing of the loss to Spanish football of the fierce rivalry with Real Madrid!

  4. Barcelona (and other Catalan football teams) have obviously gained enormiusly from playing in the Spanish liga. Obviously if the Catalans left Spain, it would be curtains for most of their professional teams, although there is an argument that the management at both Real and Barca would try and keep the lucrative Clasico games going. Also, Barca would lose the chance to play in the Champions League too. Of course at that point it may be possible to launch a breakaway euro Superleague?

  5. Much of the wealth of Barcelona and Catalunya was built with Spanish labour from Extremadura and Andalucia. It reminds me of the London arrogance (luckily less common now), where the wealth was built by migrant labour from the north, Ireland and Scotland – and now other countries. Which is why I find the “wealth-creating, hard-working” image hard to swallow, whether we are talking south-east of England or north-east of Spain. Whether or not the Catalan people feel they need independence is one thing (and there will be both disadvantages and advantages to this), but please let’s get away from the habit of some of describing them as a Ayran super-race…

  6. Haha, trust me, spain needs barcelona in general more than the reverse. La liga would beg, beg barcelona to stay….. and with the world interest In a new calunyan league….la liga would be truly forgotten. Fact is the popukarity of la liga has risen in the last 5 years for one reason… ok two…. but they are both non spanish…..messi and fc barcelona

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