Catalonia, Remain in Spain
When deciding whether a region should be independent, one very important factor must be considered: how will this affect our definition of what a country should be? I believe that we should work towards countries that are going to unite their people based on principles and ideals, not ethnicity and language. With these criteria, Catalonian Independence is a step in the wrong direction, for although the Catalonians do have other reasons to split from Spain, their main objective is to create an ethnically and linguistically Catalonian State.
When hearing the arguments for Catalonian independence, one most often hears that Catalonia produces 19 percent of Spain’s tax revenue while only having 16 percent of the population. The fairness of this system besides the point; it can be solved by legislative means. I’d say secession is going too far for problems that can be fixed in the Spanish General Court. Surely there must be other reasons for independence.
Although Catalonia was once its own country, that doesn’t warrant it splitting from the rest of Spain.
Amongst others, these are three reasons for Catalonian Independence: they speak a different language, Catalan, the country was once separated, in the form of the Kingdom of Aragon, and Catalonians have historically voted against eventual winners, including fighting for the losing side of the Spanish Civil War.
Starting with the Catalan Language, it is stronger than ever, as according to the Statistical Institute of Catalonia (Idescat) and the Catalan Language Observatory, 73 to 84 percent of the Catalan population age two and above can speak Catalan. Compare that to the mere 60 percent of Catalonians who are 75 or older who speak the language.
Secondly, the last time Catalonia was somewhat independent was in 1469, before Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon married. Although this interregnum in the self-rule of Catalonia has been long, the Catalonian culture has not been lost, and many modern Catalonians still see themselves as culturally separated from the rest of Spain (for example, bullfights common in the rest of Spain are banned in Catalonia).
Lastly, out of the 13 Spanish National Elections since 1977, Barcelona has voted against the eventual winner seven times, the last win being in 2008, three elections ago. Most of those seven were back in the early days of the Republic, with wins now getting further and further apart. This exemplifies even further their desire to become independent.
These are the reasons Catalonians have, but these are all the wrong reasons. These three arguments divide by language, history, and political ideology. Do we really want to use these factors to split up countries? Take France for instance. The people are mostly French, they mostly speak French and they, for the most part, have historically been ‘France.’ But if we decide to split ourselves up like this, we still alienate the small portion of the French who don’t fit these descriptions. Bringing it back to Catalonia, there is a small number of people who speak Aragonese, another language relating to Spanish and Catalonian. Should these people split from the new Catalonia? I think not. With over 7,000 languages spoken, our world map would look more like a puzzle than a set of sovereign countries.
Or take the “historically a country” argument. Although Catalonia was once its own country, that doesn’t warrant it splitting from the rest of Spain. The region is now a part of a larger community, and they should work together, despite their differences of opinion. Catalonia has been given special autonomy by the Spanish government. They have always been able to sign their own laws, and they have seats in the General Court. The Catalonians have a voice. But instead of using this voice to argue for themselves and for the good of the Republic, they have decided to use that voice to divide.
We had a good run with this idea: that countries should be based off principles and ideals, not ethnicities and language. But as Catalonians, Venetians and Scots alike think about moving towards independence, we must ask ourselves what this means for our own Republic. We come from all corners of the globe, speaking languages of every kind, leaving peoples who we have lived with for thousands of years. To divide ourselves like this would be a disaster both logistically and morally. We have survived because we have united ourselves for the better. That is the intended future of humanity: unification. Thusly, Catalonian Independence is as step in the wrong direction.
Although the brutality that Spain has shown to Barcelona and other areas may now warrant independence, I sincerely hope that the atrocities will stop and that the people of Catalonia will re-evaluate their decision, as it will divide peoples, Europe and, if this precedent continues, the world.