First, Scotland. Now, Catalonia
Spain’s wrong way of dealing with an independence movement
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Like the Scots, the Catalans want a referendum on independence. Unlike the British, the Spaniards aren’t inclined to let them have it. This is a mistake, and Spain’s leaders need to show some unwonted statesmanship by making a vote possible—even as they campaign for continued union.
Catalonia’s local government scheduled a Nov. 9 referendum, but on Sept. 30, Spain’s Constitutional Court suspended it. This is the same court that issued a ruling four years ago—in a case brought, like this one, by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s Popular Party—that gutted a 2006 law granting Catalonia more autonomy.