Letter sent to Brussels MEPs on "the Catalan issue"

Us ajunto a continuació una carta que he enviat als diputats del Parlament Europeu el 7/10/2014, però primer, una petita explicació de per que l'he enviat. / Below, a letter I sent to Members of the European Parliament on 7/10/2014.

Al final del dia, sabeu per a qui treballen els politics? Per a nosaltres. 

Els estem pagant per a treballar per a nosaltres, servir-nos, ajudar-nos etc, i no pas per a posar pedres en el nostre camí. Personalment crec que no n'hi ha prou en triar-los un cop cada 4 anys, i 4 anys despres, si veus que no han fet allò que els hem demanat, canviar-los. No, no n'hi ha prou - jo crec que cal estar damunt d'ells sempre, vigilant, pressionant, felicitant, per a que compleixen amb els seus deures. No sé si és "cosa dels anglesos", però a banda de la pressió al carrer, sempre he cregut en el poder de la paraula i cada cop que em sembla necessari faig una carta als politics explicant-los el que penso. Aqui tenim diversos nivells de politics - municipals, catalans, espanyols, europeus - però tots tenen el mandat de treballar per a nosaltres.

Per això, en aquests temps surreals quan sembla que el govern espanyol ha oblidat que està treballant per nosaltres - i hauria de proposar solucions reals als desitjos dels milions de catalans - he mirat cap al proper nivell de representants, Brussel·les. Igual com tots els ciutadans europeus (i mundials), tinc dret a enviar-los una carta/email expressant les meves inquietuds sense temor - de fet, és possible que escolten més a la gent "del carrer" que els lobbys i alguns politics que mouen només per interesos foscos (toquem ferro!). I aixi, ja he enviat la següent carta a gairebé tots els euro-diputats, les adreces electroniques dels quals es poden trobar a la pagina web del Parlament Europeu. I us animo a fer el mateix, cada u amb la seva carta expressant el seu punt de vista, ja que en aquesta lluita tots tenim la responsibilitat d'aportar la nostra gra de sorra. Aqui va la meva com exemple del que es pot dir:

[We pay politicians to work for us, don't we? Isn't that how democracy works? So, why won't the Spanish govt move a finger to look for solutions of the "Catalan issue"? What about the next level up of political representatives - will Brussels act to solve this? Here's the letter I sent to 70% of the MEPs in Brussels t'other day...]

Dear Sir/Madam,

I’m writing to you as a British and EU citizen who has lived in Catalonia for the last 25 years. I am extremely concerned about the current situation here, and especially by the silence of European institutions which should be working for EU citizens.

The situation: numbers way in excess of a million people (10-20% of the total population!) have rallied on the streets of Catalonia every year since September 2012 demanding their right to have a vote on their own future in events organized by civil society associations (not political institutions). Polls indicate that over 70% of Catalans believe such a vote should be held, and around 86% say they would immediately accept whatever the result was. A similar number of Catalan MPs (representing over two thirds of the Parliament) were voted into power with this mandate and are currently doing exactly what they were elected to do – prepare this vote. The vote has been called for 9 November 2014.

The issue basically comes down to the fact that political leaders should, or even must, work to find solutions for the citizens they represent, which is what the Catalan government are doing. However, the Spanish government are ignoring these wishes of a huge amount of their citizens and are attempting to ban this vote and refuse to offer an alternative – for example, a vote on a different date with a different question. If the Spanish government are unwilling to work for their citizens, then that responsibility must be taken up by Brussels. I do not believe that our democratically-elected representatives should try to hide, illegitimize, or ignore the needs and desires of citizens – let alone threaten us!

Over the last few days the struggle between the Spanish establishment and the Catalan people has taken a bizarre twist as the Spanish government says it is a merely legal question, based on the constitutionality of the vote rather than its legitimacy or democratic necessity. However, many legal experts (see link) have shown that even this argument does not hold strong as the vote, in the terms it has been prepared by the Catalan Parliament, is actually constitutional. The Spanish Constitution may well be based on the unity of Spain, but it does not impede a public expression questioning the Constitution itself or the current political and territorial make-up of Spain. Whether it allows for the actual break-up of Spain is another question, which is not on the table now – this is a bridge to be crossed if we arrive at it (though I do expect the EU to intervene swiftly and pro-actively if such a political re-organization has to take place.  Remembering that just this week we celebrate the 24^th anniversary of the reunification of Germany within the EU, we can see that the EU has a history of reacting positively to events which could otherwise cause difficulties for all involved).

To sum up, though, independently of the trivial (in the bigger picture) issue of the constitutionality of this vote, or whether the final Yes/No decision of Catalans would be better or worse for the European Union, there is a much more relevant and deep question at stake here for Europe. As David Cameron famously said after the Scottish referendum, democrats allow the will of the people (to hold a vote) to be carried out, overcoming any technical obstacles which may legally impede it. 

Literally millions of Catalans merely want to use their democratic right to express themselves and I find it hard to believe that the European Union can say it’s merely “an internal matter” for Spain and Catalonia. Spain has shown time and time again that it is incapable of dealing with this issue in a democratic way, and now it’s time for Brussels to act – it is after all “an internal matter” for the EU too as we are all EU citizens with EU rights. I call on the European Parliament to use their power and legitimacy to ensure that millions of Catalans (and EU citizens) do not lose faith in the European project, a project which we believe was set up for the benefit of its people. Catalonia has a long history of openness, democracy and consensus-building and opened its doors to Europe a long time ago. The Catalans have always shared a belief in European values and the EU project. Given the present crisis of disaffection in the EU - with many voters turning to the far-right, xenophobic or other Euro-sceptic parties aiming to undermine the EU project – I find it hard to believe that Brussels can wash its hands of “the Catalan issue”.   

Now is a perfect opportunity to show once more what politics is really about in the EU and who politicians should be serving! The European Parliament must take a stance, and swiftly, and ensure Spain allows this vote to go ahead – the best solution for all involved; Catalonia, Spain and Europe.

Thank you for your time and attention,

Regards,