Evaluation of the success of the polls for independence on December 13th

1. First, we would like to congratulate all the volunteers who have participated in the organization of the polls on December 13th. We must recognize that, thanks to their work, it has been possible to extend the first poll at Arenys de Munt to more than 160 municipalites in only three months, generating a never seen feeling of hope among the voters. All of them have worked as one and for a goal. And they have succeded.
   


2. The polls, as primaries of our independence that they really are, have made possible the quantification of 200000 Catalans ready to become active promoters of the independence of Catalonia. This is only with the first wave of ballots, without support from the big mass media, without electoral campaign or public funding. And this is the big result of these votes. And it the clear symptom of the beginning of a civic and democratic uprise that will spread around our country and has no stop.



3. From the other hand, these polls have been the best campaign, at national and international level, never made for the cause of the freedom of Catalonia. We have achieved that the topic of the independence of Catalonia was at the centre of the political debate, with the big mass media unable to silence it. Thanks to the big international impact and follow-up, we have been able to let the whole world know our wish for independence. As for Spain, with these polls, Catalans have demonstrated that we do not accept to live kneeling and they have not conquered nor will ever conquer us.



4. These votes have put on the table a new form of politics that has left all traditional political parties disarrayed. However, the initiative has been carried out making feasible and close to the people and idea that was unthinkable a year ago, an independent Catalan State.



5. And finally, we would like to highlight that, with the organizational quality of these polls and the overwhelming affirmative result, have sent a first quality message of democracy and order to our main allies, which will have to validate and recognize the Catalan State as a full right member within the international context at the moment we declare our independence.

Barcelona, December 17th 2009.

Remember to win again

Catalunya Acció UK wish you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year of freedom and Independence.

Image from the offering by Estat Català at Francesc Macià's tomb, on the 76th anniversary of his death, December 25th, 1933. Barcelona.

"Yes to independence". Speech at Castellbisbal, November 27th, 2009.

Ladies, gentlemen;

Firstly, I would like to thank all the inhabitants of Castellbisbal who with their commitment have made possible this presentation tonight, an I feel especially proud to have the honour to address to you in this historical moment for our country. Next Sunday, December 13th 2009, polls will take place in more than 150 towns and cities asking their inhabitants about the independence of Catalonia. Democracy in its purest state. In three months, we have gone from the first poll at Arenys de Munt to organize more than 150, thus we must be fully conscious of this qualitative jump and the political implications that this wave implies, and will imply in the future. Thanks to this initiative, to the determination and courage of the men and women from all these towns and cities, we may assure that Sunday December 13th will be a big success. It will be the beginning of our victory, and we can be very proud of.

The patriotic gesture of all of you, voting "yes" to independence of Catalonia, represents the first time in the last thirty years of watched probation, not authentic democracy -do not fool ourselves, that Catalans will come out of the identity trench where we have tried to defend our national features, be them our language, our history or our traditions. So to take initiative and going on the attack to achieve our authentic freedom as a nation, which is no other than our political independence, because no other exists. Nobody wins any battle remaining indefinitely in their trenches. Hence the importance of the polls. We might say that it represents the Prats de Molló of the 21st Century to Catalans; the primaries of our independence, which will be won town by town; the reconquest of the authentic Catalan spirit that has been tried to snatch from us with wars and dictatorships. And we must say that out loud: with wars and dictatorships, in the last 300 years, but that neither Spain nor France have annihilated.

Catalonia has no other possibility to develop in its fullness their artistic, intellectual, scientific or entrepreneurial skills without taking Spain off. If we focus on the economics -only to point at one of the issues-, the Principality of Catalonia suffers a looting of €22B/year, as our politicians talk, without giving any importance, about fiscal deficit. The total Budget of the Principality of Catalonia for the year 2009 is almost of €39B. That is, Spain keeps a bag equivalent to 60% of the budget. This is every year! With this Budget is impossible to decently manage, adequately, any population such as the Catalan, as we are more than seven million inhabitants. And yet, those €22B would be used to improve our Health Service, the schools... You must think that a children's nursery costs only €1M and now they take more than €60M/day. A District Hospital, with first quality equipment and fully staffed, costs between €55 and €60M, what is plundered every day. As I said, with these monies we could improve our Health Service, schools, universities, build infrastructures for the future or improve our retired people's pensions. We would be amongst the richest in Europe, whereas now, after paying taxes to Spain, remain at the bottom of the Spanish autonomies. You make the numbers about the fiscal toll that we, Catalans, pay to maintain this staging called Spain compared to Europe. Europe, all the potent economy that represents the EU with more than 300M citizens, gives to Spain €8M/day, because they say that Spain is poor (€2.9B/year). Remember this number. And the Principality of Catalonia, a small corner in Europe, with a little more than 7M citizens, gives to Spain, with permission of our politicians, €60M/day (€22B/year), with the same argument, of course; we are rich, they are poor and we have to be supportive. This situation cannot be corrected by any Financial Treaty. Spain has become used to live with Catalans' money, and only independence, or in other words, only the existence of a Catalan State will end with this continued situation of fiscal looting that affects directly our material well being. Without independence is not possible to save our language. And without a Catalan State is not possible to recuperate our history nor it will be taught at our schools. There is no doubt that our best economical and social policies we can achieve start by becoming independent. And we must do it soon.

Next December 13th, not only you will go to vote, you'll be accompanied by the authentic Spirit of Catalonia. On December 13th, you will have the honour of carrying the flame of the memory of all those Catalan who have wished for freedom and the existence of Catalonia. And you will have at your hands the responsibility of taking the first step, a firm one, to offer a dignified and prosperous future to the next generations of Catalans. When you go to give your voting paper of freedom, I ask you to think for a second. Look at it. Have present and honour, honour all those Catalan patriots, men and women who have preceded us because is their example what will give us the necessary strength and courage to achieve the final victory. If every September 11th, Catalans celebrate the "Day of Resistance", name it as we should, Day of Resistance, make this December 13th of 2009 the beginning of our victory. For all these reasons, I ask you to vote "yes" for dignity of Catalonia and Catalans. Vote yes to our independence. And nobody forget a moment, that Catalans are a nation of winners. If they were not, nowadays, we would not be Catalan. Many thanks.

Josep Castany
Catalunya Acció General Manager
Castellbisbal (Vallès Occidental, Catalonia), November 27th, 2009

Believe

A recent survey by the UOC -Open University of Catalonia-, still hot from the press, indicated that the number of Catalans in support of independence of Catalonia has increased significantly to a slightly more than 50% of the population. This is the first time ever than a survey, using scientific methods of research, is corroborating what the poll at Arenys de Munt, in September, started to show; that despite all tricks made by our politicians -and leadership in general- to hide under the carpet the growing numbers of people disillusioned with Spain and France, the independence of Catalonia is not only possible but it will be a reality in the next few years. The success of the poll at Arenys and the fact that on December 13th more than 160 other Town Councils will emulate the ballot is only a sign that the 96% of positive result for independence in Arenys de Munt is achievable again.

Such result is only understandable when there is an extreme feeling of burn out among our people against the actual political status and politicians. Remember the poll at Arenys was forbidden by Spain, not legally binding and was threatened by the Spanish fascists. The same pattern is observed for the polls that will happen on December 13th.

But the survey shows a small detail that must not be overseen; the support for independence grows the further the person has been born away from Catalonia, being immigrants from Africa and parts of South America who see independence 'achievable', instead of own Catalans, who are the most numerous ethnic group to see it as 'not achievable'.

Certainly, belief is not rife among Catalans, perhaps too used to lies, tricks, calculated ambiguities and political leaders more preoccupied of reaching a seat at whatever the Parliament available, with the corresponding allowances and privileges, than sorting out the real problems of their people, like the scandalous fiscal deficit -better defined as looting- or the chronic deficient state of the infrastructures.

However, belief is basic to achieve any goal. Because nobody will give us the independence as next Christmas present, it will be our job to take it and to make it happen. In the understanding that the process will be democratic, with ballot boxes and voting papers, we need the rest of Catalans to gain the necessary belief in themselves. Like the heroes from Arenys de Munt, who showed us how it is done, now the rest of Catalonia has to follow suit. Yes! These unofficial ballots are only the starter of a long distance run that will conclude in the independence of Catalonia. As said by Santiago Espot, there will be a fierce dialectical fight between the defenders of the actual privileges system and who wish to achieve independence and only who is more prepared to stand their ground, with stronger belief in their ideals will win. And, the survey shows that people who prefer to remain subdued by Spain do so because of 'feelings' but not 'reasons'. What do you want clearer that that?

Of course, Catalunya Acció accepts this challenge because is composed by men and women not afraid of giants with feet of clay. We have strong confidence in our people because we believe that they will realize of the actual real chances of independence. Catalonia has been a great nation in the past, has been divided, oppressed and invaded, and yet still stands as the most important pain in the back side of Spain and France. We are natural born winners, otherwise would have disappeared centuries ago, but only need a little more belief in ourselves.

The battle for our future as Catalans continue.

Poster for the 13th December polls.

Jordi Margalef i Turull

Member of Catalunya Acció UK

December 13th, the power of the Catalans

Sincerely, I think that the initiative of more than one hundred Catalan Town Councils, of celebrating, on December 13th, the ballots for the independence of Catalonia has not been valued in all its dimension. When everybody talks about what will be a historical moment, which began at Arenys de Munt, very often it is not understood that it means that Catalan people organizes themselves to vote, and decide which has to be their political status. Has anybody seen anything similar elsewhere?

Now that political corruption cases like "Palau de la Música" or Sta. Coloma de Gramenet have come out to the public, the analysts affirm that this will originate a great political disaffection. This situation, that has been going for long time, it has only been detected when the monies were not accounted for. They did not know to see beyond the sentence of a judge from Madrid.

In fact, we are installed in the disaffection and divorce between the people and their leaders. The best example is everything that has derived from the last September 13th at Arenys de Munt. From that moment, and seeing that practically all politicians of the country minimized and watered down the success and the transcendence of the poll at Arenys. Since then, a great number of patriots have started off to make the ideal happen, the one that has been systematically denied; to be able to decide, democratically, whether we want to become an independent Nation or not. In fact, what is happening is that people want to vote but is not allowed. Then, these people ignore and challenge the actual Spanish legislation, organize themselves, initiate a proper electoral process, take ballot boxes and vote. This is not only political disaffection, this is an override of the actual system and the creation of a new one. Revolutions in the 21st Century are done this way! Catalonia has demonstrated that despite the colonization suffered until now, still is a nation capable to teach lessons of democracy and civics.

The popular initiative, begun in a town of el Maresme, and that will continue wholesale on the 13th, dynamites any authority still remaining to the Spanish and Catalan governments. We are immerse in a proper power void and now is when big changes can be made. You only need to pay attention to the silent answer from the structure of the parties with representation in the Parliament. They do not know how to stop this army of ballot boxes and voting papers that is threatening to convert the Principality of Catalonia in a democratic battlefield for the breakage with Spain. They do not want to even talk about it, nor want to debate it. Sulking and hiding their heads under the wing because they know by intuition that 700000 Catalans called to vote, not controlled by them, will not bring any good to their interests. Because they do not know how to manipulate this process, do not know how to act. Will Independence be proclaimed on December 13th?, they think.

I am convinced that more than a political leader of this country is thinking about April 14th, 1931, when everything changed in the matter of hours due to the force of the votes and an absolutely putrid system, exactly like now. None of who formed the political leadership at the time remained in their places and new political actors -most of them unknown to the public- took power.

We are in front of a challenge to the powers of the State without any support by the Catalan institutions, something that gives it a popular and civic revolution smell. For the first time in many years all organizations, platforms or patriotic associations work coordinated to achieve the same objective. What it seemed impossible a few months ago, is today a reality, and everybody has understood that these ballots, in December, are the primaries for independence. Only a few days now and the foot has to floor the throttle so that we arrive at the date in the best possible conditions. He must create an authentic atmosphere of plebiscite for the independence of Catalonia. If we achieve victory it will be ours, and what could seem only a dream a few days ago will become reality.

Santiago Espot

CEO Catalunya Acció