Sad to see the heavy handed response by Madrid which is only going to embolden the separatists.
I can see why the Catalans want independence having a distinct culture and language. There is also still resentment from the Franco era and belief the rest of the country is holding them back economically. The Spanish on the other hand cannot allow an independent Catalonia as the Basques would be next and soon the entire country would split up.
This crisis shows that the current post Franco system of a central government with semi-autonomous regions is not working. Perhaps a Spanish federation under a new constitution could be a solution.
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