https://theconversation.com/even-if-separatist-parties-win-the-catalan-election-international-law-doesnt-provide-a-right-to-independence-86900
Gibraltar is a colony in nowadays Europe from the Spanish point of view. The very same conflict, the very same treaty (Utrecht) that lead UK to retain Gibraltar was the one used to put Catalonia, until then a sovereign independent state, in the hands of Castile. Why Gibraltar is a colony and not Catalonia?
Before begin to mock about this point of view, pay some attention to some facts.
1st: Spain, as a name, belongs to the Imperial Roman period. Was used to call the peninsula. another examples are italica or Britannia.
2nd.: Several cultures and states appeared in the middle ages there: a muslim spain, divided in several kingdoms, and a christian spain, also divided in kingdoms and states. Some of them were Leon and Castille (together the Crown of Castile). Others were the Kingdom of Aragon and the Principality of Catalonia, both sovereign states, together the Crown of Aragon.
3rd: You know nowadays the kingdom of spain and the spanish languages. Coming back to the meaning of words and the comparision with Brittain, would be like talking about the kingdom of Britain and the British language. If is a nonsense for Scots, english, irish and welsh, its a nonsense too for catalans, portuguese and others. Spain never was a kingdom (as ive said, several kingdoms and crowns. Does not exist a so called "kingdom of spain" in history). Saying that castilian idiom is the spanish idiom you are saying that the other hispanic idioms are not hispanic or not idioms? : there is not exists a single spanish language, as there is not exists a single brittish language. Catalan is known for around 10 million people. What are we going to say to them? that they are not spanish or that their idiom is not an idiom?
As you can see, until now ive not said any lie. Do i? but things begin to have another shape.
4th: in kingdoms, you have a king, usually there by the will of god. that king is above the rest of subdits, the common people, under him. The 1st of the subdits is the prince, from latin, primus inter pares, the 1st between equals. uses to be the heir, but is not different from the rest of common people. That happens when you have a kingdom. But when you have an independent principality, you dont have a guy above the rest of the people. Your prince, the chief of state, is a primus inter pares. is like the others. that kind of state is, someways similar to a republic. Examples? Andorra is a co-principality. Monaco is a principality. Venice was a republic for hundreds of years. So catalonia was a sovereign independent state in the form a principality. Never had a king above: didnt had its own king; the king from aragon was not king on catalonia. was king only inside the aragon kingdom.
To understand this: Catalonia had its own parliament (corts catalanes); the ruler, to have access to the throne, had to swear to obey to the catalan laws (catalan constitutions). That parliament was the sovereign. and the count of barcelona used to act as if was a king.. so the parliament (the General of Catalonia) created a comission of deputies to represent that parliament between parlamentary sessions: the deputy of the General, also called Generalitat. There was elections to those chairs each 3 years and political parties also (biga and busca) in the XIVth and XVth century.
5th: the crown of aragon was a union of states as a commonwealth , where each state retained its own sovereignity and where the chief of state was someone shared. The king of aragon was not king on catalonia. common issues should be debated in special sessions with several parliaments together in a neutral place.
6th: you can appreciate how things worked when you see that feudalism laws were abolished in catalonia in 1486 after a civil war, after was shortly declared a republic there. a very interesting period. A republic was also declared in the xvii th century ("are the men who create kings and not kings who create men" said pau claris, the president then of the generalitat, in his speech in the catalan parliament, when republic was declared). that republic lasted a few decades, ending in 1659, when was recovered the principality form and all catalan institutions were respected. also its sovereignity.
7th: Was in use of that sovereignity that Catalonia took part for Charles and candidate to the then spanish monarchy (a monarchy is not a kingdom. is several states sharing a chief of state : monos = one. Archos = power). Now you can understand what happened in 1715 with the Nueva Planta decrees: all catalan institutions were abolished and Catalonia became part of Castille. Catalan language was banned, catalan universities erased, the list of repressive actions would be far too long for this post. And then, there, begins the "kingdom of Spain" that is in real the kingdom of castile. And is that way that castile idiom becomes the "spanish idiom", castile laws "the spanish laws", castile kings "the spanish kings", and that catalonia has since then a king for 1st time.
8th: the Nueva Planta decrees are still law, and still in force! Still nowadays are source of law! (https://www.diarilaveu.com/noticia/21070/el-tc-es-remet-al-decret-de-nova-planta-per-justificar-leliminacio-del-dret-civil-valencia#.WYl8YJrC1U-.twitter)
9th Also since then, catalonia tried to recover its own institutions and sovereignity. And also since then has had repression. AS example: all the catalan presidents of the catalan mancomunity 1st, and Generalitat later, the maximum leaders of catalonia, in the xx th century, all of them experienced jail, exile or a firing squad. And im talking about ellected leaders. From puig i cadafalc ,macià, companys, irla, tarradellas, to pujol. Current president of the Generalitat is in exile. his predecessor has had deep problems with spanish justice because made happen a consultation to the catalan people.
Another example: in the last 3 centuries, with the exception of the short 1st spanish republic (1846-1847), only one catalan and only for 1 single day has achieved the chair of prime minister in spain. in 3 centuries! for a "region" that is the wealthiers of the country and one of the most populated. while, since the nueva planta decrees came to life, has had always, year after year, paying much more to spain than it has received (fiscal defficit), with differences ranged from 8% to more than 10% (the spanish american colonies had that numbers in 7,5%).
Indeed nationalism is bad, but not the nationalism that just consists in saying that your nation is a nation. The bad nationalism is the imperialism, that consists in saying that your neighbours nation is not a nation. And that nationalism is the castilian one, called spanish, not the catalan, that just consists on saying "eh, happens that im a nation". The worse nightmares of nationalism came from the hand of imperialism, dont forget that.
I assume that spain is much better when is ignored. And indeed we ere ignored by europe while we suffered the dictatorship of primo de rivera, or when sufered the attack of fascism on the 2nd republic, or when we suffered a 40 years dictatorship again on the franco regime. We are used to be ignored by europe, and specially catalans we are used to be just left alone while we were smashed. But i cant admit that you say that we dont have the right to be considered a nation just because you prefere to ignore spanish history and spanish reality and because your life is more confortable with the spanish regime.
We have rights. We are not repressed? we are not a colony? There are not human rights violations? Just because we have been extremly peaceful and cautious, because we know that we are alone and that europe doesnt give a shit about democratic principles, rule of law or peoples rights.
pd. i can give you source links for most of things told here. if you need them, just ask. but a simple check on wikipedia would make you a good favour. next time you write about spain, check some sources first.
pd2. sorry about my poor vocabulary and my grammar mistakes. im not used to write english. and thanks for writing about us at least.
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