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| Image: Stewart Bremner, Indy-Prints.com |
Catalonia interview
with Jenny Morrison
by David Jamieson
Bella Caledonia, 25th Sept 2017
As the crisis in Catalonia rumbles on, with Spanish state repression meeting mass and increasingly militant resistance from the people, David Jamieson spoke to Barcelona based Scottish activist Jenny Morrison about the background to and nature of the dramatic political developments in the country.
David Jamieson: Can you give us a quick background to the crisis in Barcelona and Catalonia? How did we get to this point?
Jenny Morrison: The immediate roots of the current situation lie in the emergence of movements after the economic crisis of 2008 which question the validity of the ’78 regime – that is the constitutional settlement of the Spanish transition to democracy following the death of Franco. The Transition Pact involved the re-establishment of the autonomous Catalan government repressed under the dictatorship but also wrote into the Spanish Constitution that Spain is ‘indivisible’ effectively prohibiting claims by any of Spain’s historic nationalities to independence.
However, following the financial crisis a surge in criticism of the existing political system and demands for real democracy combined with frustration at Spain blocking increased autonomy for Catalonia to create a mass movement for independence. The political repression we’ve seen this week follows years of the Spanish government refusing to sanction a referendum or engage in any dialogue regarding independence despite the fact that the Catalan government has a pro-independence majority.
READ FULL INTERVIEW
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