Sunday 10 October 2010

The country is failing from the top

Neither the interested leaders of CiU -Convergència i Unió-, with their obsessive and irresponsible "boxing" of Catalonia within Spain, nor the PSC -Socialists-, lackeys to their Spanish landlord, nor the wise Carod-Puigcercós tandem, with their childish idea of a "multinational Spain" will be able to take us out of this siding that is Spain. To which we have arrived after 30 years walking through the wrong track. The strategies by Pujol, Mas, Maragall and Carod-Puigcercós have been, and are, wrong, and thus, their results are awful -situation of the Catalan language, knowledge of our own History, infrastructures, economy, services, pensions...-. Although they were absolutely predictable due to the experiences prior to the Francoist dictatorship.

Slaves incapable to break free from their owner always look for the most comfortable way of living together. So that our political leaders have carried out absurd and negative politics for Catalonia such as "collaborate to the Spanish governability" while all the Spanish governments have looted from our taxes; "doing pedagogy in Spain" while Spain insults us on our faces; "build a federal Spain, or multinational Spain" while Spain has it clear that there is only one Spain which is already built from centuries ago.

Nobody surprises that we found ourselves where we are now, it is very simple to identify the cause -a wrong strategy for the country- and its responsibles -our political leaders-. Unless we correct the strategy and direct our direction towards the constitution of a Catalan State, we continue to walk this rocky road until we become a sad and poor Spanish region.  It is simply what happens to the colonies that do not free themselves on time. There is no alternative, do not believe those wizards of the politics that have lead this country making us believe that the understanding with Spain is possible.

Because of this, it is important that we begin by preparing what is necessary to do when we reach the end of the road, when the "financing" becomes the big achievement that will be saddled at us, and the sentence by the Constitutional Court will be the last humiliation, disguised as justice à-la-Spain. When in the next months we arrive at the end of the misfire of the "boxing of Catalonia in Spain", our politicians will not know what to do, will not know how to come out from this cul-de-sac. However, knowing them as we do, they will avoid their responsibility and will pass the hot potato to the people. Some might say that there will be necessary a new referendum for the "Estatut", some others say that will be necessary to bring the people to the streets. Everything but act like proper political leaders when face complex situations.

In consequence, the only solution is relieve, substitute, our political leadership. Because of their cowardice, incompetence or bribery, or perhaps all together, and everyone apply adjectives as they please to our political leaders. And, who liked to defend them with excuses such as "they couldn't do otherwise", "they did what they were able to do", please revise their political candidness. Nobody be so naive to think that they can be pressed, expect a change in direction, changes in the strategy for the country from those who have been keeping quiet in front of the looting of our taxes -the so-called "fiscal deficit"-, have tolerated the systematic marginalization of our language in many ambits, who have been incapable to teach our History at our schools, who have allowed our pensioners to receive misery after a whole life of work, who have allowed our infrastructures to rot... The only way to readdress our Nation is to dismiss our political representatives from their comfortable thrones, and somebody menaced their statuses and privileges.

Some may think I exaggerate. It all depends if the situation of our country is seen with the eyes of the slaves that have ruled and rule us -those who have a lot to lose with our independence, and therefore try to hide the truth from Catalan people- or with the eyes of free men and women, who believe in the possibilities of our country, and in the potential of our people being simply Catalan. Which, translated to who suffer from identity schizophrenia means without "Spanish" or "French", without having to belong to Spain or France, only to the Catalan State.

Josep Castany
General Director Catalunya Acció
December 27th, 2008