Reasons for voting "Yes" to independence

Last February 19th, at the Sports Centre in Corçà (Baix Empordà, Catalonia), a conference was called by the  commission organizing the polls for independence  that will be held in this town on February 28th.

I take advantage of this place to reproduce the speech I made, as the representative of Catalunya Acció invited to this act, and also thank the assistant public and the organization for the hospitality received.

Good evening to everybody,

I would not like to begin my intervention before thank you for having invited Catalunya Acció to participate in this conference, and applaud, on behalf of the organization I represent, the poll for independence that you are organizing for February 28th.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am convinced that I am not wrong if I affirm that everybody gathered in this act -if not all of you, at least a great part- will go to vote for the independence of this country. In other words, I am convinced that on February 28th, Corçà will vote, mainly common sense. Because if something is represented by these ballots is exactly this, a popular expression of common sense.

It is true that these polls represent a democratic exercise too and are a thermometer that will measure the capacity of organization of the towns and cities despite the official silence that the politicians of this country have imposed to suffocate popular initiatives like these. But, above all this, even above the democratic exercise to convoke the people to referendum, there is a factor that make these polls more than an election anecdote, because they are, and so they must be, the primaries of our National Independence.

Because, nowadays, you will convene with me that Catalans have invested enough time demonstrating that are a democratic nation. As if Catalans, who have been one of the most old and glorious Nations in Europe, would not believe ourselves that being Catalan means to bring the democratic gene in the blood. So, I want to go one step beyond and encourage you to live these referendums as a page that you, as part of the Catalan Nation, are writing  in History recovering our State. I invite you to take the relay to the spirit born in Arenys de Munt last September, taking the flame that that group of patriots -Mr Ximenis, today present too, was among them, lit up to spread around the Nation.

If Catalonia live today  in a collective campaign of polls, is due -and I want to remind it explicitly, to the courage and conviction of a small group of people who demonstrated us how a whole country can be shaken up even when they had the wind against and nobody betting for them. Next February 28th, all you will have the opportunity and the responsibility to make that the spirit of Arenys de Munt continues advancing and settling the bases of our next National emancipation.

But nobody fool themselves. Nobody think that independence will come as a present from heaven. And even a friendly agreement among Spanish, French and Catalans. No! The battle for Independence will be, above all, the battle for the dialectics and oratory. Because, ladies and gentlemen, this war -because we are in a political and diplomatic war, but war, nevertheless-, will demand that we choose an army of political leaders able to confront, to the last consequences, the discourse and the French and Spanish State machine. This, dear friends, is impossible to find in this public trough and fodder spreading institution that one day was our beloved Parliament of Catalonia. This, there, now, is not to be found.

The time for those who do not speak clearly, with euphemisms, auto-censoring themselves, is over. The time of watering down our language and discourse is over. To recover this Nation's dignity is time to recover the adequate tone to express our national genius, the steadiness of our actions and the strength of our reasons. In fact, as I said in the beginning, let's impose common sense.

Our political, cultural, linguistic, social and economic future is in play. Let's be worthy of Catalonia and rise willing to conquer victory that History reserves only to those in those Nations that are called to win. If on September 13th, Arenys de Munt initiated the way to this victory, next February 28th you will become ambassadors of democracy, and will let the world know, and especially the rest of Europe, that very soon, within the heart of the European Union, a new flag will fly, symbol of freedom, justice and democracy; the four stripes of our beautiful and immortal Catalonia.

Many thanks.

Albert Ubach
Member of Catalunya Acció


Speech made at Corçà, (Baix Empordà, Catalonia), on Friday, February 19th 2010, with occasion of the poll for independence to be celebrated on February 28th 2010.

In this occasion, 80 towns and cities of Catalonia, will hold similar polls. The number of electors, older than 16, arrives to a little less than 300,000. The biggest town holding the ballot will be El Vendrell (Baix Penedès). With this second wave of ballots, the number of possible voters will increase to one million Catalans, and the speaker for the National Coordinator qualified it as the non-return point for independence in view of the third wave of polls, to be held on April 25th, in big cities like Lleida, Figueres, Reus, Girona and Manresa.

Independent without coming out of the EU

One study demonstrates that neither the independent Catalonia nor the rest of Spain had to request to join the European Union as new associates.

Albert Segura

Barcelona

Ult. Act. 19/02/2010 00:49

The Spanish threat that if Catalonia became independent would automatically rest outside of the European Union is only a threat. So it is demonstrated by a study by Dr Antoni Abat, professor a the University of Stanford, California, to which Avui has had access and that Cercle d’Estudis Sobiranistes and Horitzó Europa have presented today. The future Catalan State would not have to complete any awkward procedure, and neither the new Spain. In front of the legal loophole and the absence of precedents, Abat affirms that "the pragmatical exceptionality" would be the clue that opened the independent Catalonia the doors to remain within the EU, therefore, a political decision ad hoc will have to be taken.

Well done, then, by the towns and cities, organizers of the polls for independence, to have specified in the ballot papers that the future Catalan State will be "integrated in the EU". Because any foundational document, like the declaration of independence, would be an opportunity to tie Catalonia to the EU, specifying that the new State becomes a new associate and that the European legislation is still in vigour. From the beginning, Abat advises, "any Catalan legislation" has to make clear that Catalonia assumes the supremacy of the Communitarian Right" and it has a "will to maintain the stability of the international relations and respect to the fundamental rights". It should express the will to respect the Charter of the United Nations.

They are right who say "Spain breaks". If Catalonia becomes independent, the rest of the Spain becomes a new State too, and, therefore, would play with the same conditions in the international scene. That means, Catalans may threaten Spaniards too, by answering that our secession might left them out of the EU. "Spain without Catalonia is not the automatic successor of the actual Kingdom of Spain in the international field, because these secessions are always negotiated", Abat tells us in the study Independent Catalonia within the EU, that gives us examples of the dissolutions of the USSR, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

Today, presentation of the report

The same would happen to Scotland and the United Kingdom, they would have the same legal status in front of the EU. "The idea that the United Kingdom vetoes Scotland to the EU is nonsense, because in the same way, Edinburgh could veto London", Scottish Prime Minister Alex Salmond defences. Today, their ex-Minster for Europe, External Relations and Culture, Linda Fabiani will participate in the presentation of this report in addition of the President of the Parliament of Catalonia, Ernest Benach, and the EMP Ramon Tremosa (CiU), Oriol Junqueras (ERC), Raül Romeva (ICV) and Izaskun Bilbao (PNB). The Vienna Convention, the study remembers, previews that when a region becomes independent, it can freely decide whether inherits or not the rights and obligations subscribed by their ex-State.

Catalonia and the new Spain would have to submit to the European Court of Arbitrage, which would distribute rights and obligations and would decide how they would be represented before the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament. While the EU is only a matter of States, the best way to be represented is by having an own one. Finnish are only 5 million inhabitants, but actually have 14 MEP's at Strasbourg, twice as many Catalan MEP's. The seven Catalan MEP's place Catalonia at levels of Slovenia, with 2 million inhabitants, or Luxembourg, with less than half a million.

Is not possible to negate to the seven and a half million Catalans, from one day to the next, the study says, the rights that they already possess as Europeans; freedom of the person's movements, goods and capitals, services, possibility of voting in local and European elections, and belonging to the inner market within the Euro. Excluding Catalonia from the EU, the rest of Europeans remained without exercising these rights in the Principality.

Article published at Diari Avui, February 19th, 2010.

If you don't go, they come back

Of all the adverts we have published, full page and colour, I believe that this is the most equilibrated and potent as image. There is not a lot of text, it becomes very contrasted, with an intense black, nothing like a fly's wing, practically without any transparency from the previous page, even the paper, with a little visible surface with a slight rough grain orange-skin is useful. Magnificent from the point of view of the printer.

The soldiers lifting the flag have together three very clear meanings; fight, victory and team work!

Fight because Iwo Jima was not the last battle, after achieving victory on that one, the fight still continued for a long time. As it happens with Catalonia.

Victory because they have put up the flag and saved the island. Build another base camp. Advance, battle by battle towards our independence.

Team work and effort, because battles are not won by soldiers on their own but coordinated under a commandment and one strategy. Too many times and thousands of times a day, a lot of Catalan patriots want to go alone, not accepting neither commandment nor strategy. Their lonely effort was not fire power, they do not understand that every member within the team reinforces the others and amongst them become a winning team, like in Iwo Jima.

The sentence, battle roar, signal of hope in all and for all; "ARA MÉS QUE MAI, NI UN PAS ENRERE!" -Now, more than ever, not a step back!-. The logo of Força Catalunya identifies what it is needed the most in Catalonia, strength!!!

The star of Catalunya Acció and the star of the flag mean the Star of Freedom, the independence of Catalonia!

"Si tu no vas, ells tornen" -if you don't go, they come back-. Let everybody go so the Spanish, the supporters of regionalism and the ones who disguise independence for autonomy within Spain do not come back. Nothing that stinks of Spain, nothing that kneel down or seeks fraternal relationships with Spain.

Article by Salvador Molins. Counsellor Catalunya Acció.

Image Published on Feb 7th 2010. Diari Avui, Barcelona.

Complying with the law

Catalunya Acció UK is pleased to congratulate Catalunya Acció in the Principality of Catalonia for admitting to have reported during 2009, 3000 shops and other establishments that are in breach of the Normalization of the Catalan Language Act. The Act was endorsed by the Parliament of Catalonia late in 2007 and has not been contested against the Spanish Constitution by any Spanish political party. It allows citizens to report to the authorities of those who do not comply with the terms of the Act.

In words by Santiago Espot, Catalunya Acció is doing what other associations, exclusively dedicated to the promotion of the Catalan language - but subsidized by political parties, are leaving to anonymous citizens to do. Catalunya Acció UK congratulate their brave members and invite other Catalans to join in this action to demonstrate that the ancient Catalan spirit is still alive and the actual subduing of Catalonia to Spain is within the last moments. Needless to say, only those who are against the freedom of speech in the own language of Catalonia, which coincided with those who denounced the celebration of the "illegal" plebiscites for independence, have protested against the the actions by Catalunya Acció amid claims of acting like the nazi Germany. At this moment Catalunya Acció UK wander whether those who negate the application of a, nevertheless, Spanish law are the real nazis. And also wander whether the actual authorities will apply any of the fines previewed in the Act.