Why Catalonia Must Declare Independence

The vast majority of the people of Catalonia, possibly of that in Spain, and certainly in Europe and the world, want dialogue, i.e. negotiations between Catalonia and Spain. But how? The Spanish national-ist government refuses to come to the table. In fact, the various governments of Spain have been contrary to flexibility with Catalonia since the Spanish majority parties that have governed in Spain both became marginal in Catalonia. They both depended on elections results in Catalonia, so were prepared to horse-trade with the (now) infamous Jordi Pujol.

But not now. Can't have any horse-trading with those "Nazionalist" (their word) Catalans! So history repeats itself. The Catalan government finds it really difficult to bring itself to believe that there is the goodwill to go to the table without a strong hand.

And there is no stronger hand, if any at all, than having declared independence. Otherwise the Spanish will carry out their threats to bring the whole government of Catalonia, including its President, the bureau of the Parliament, including its Speaker, the former President of Catalonia and his ministers, before the courts (which they have already done with some) with the will to have them imprisoned.

So how to proceed? Well, since the Spanish government have had the Constitutional Tribunal suspend what was to be today's Catalan Parliamentary session suspended 'preventively', President Puigdemont should tomorrow propose a vote by Parliament to approve his declaring independence shortly, perhaps within the following 48 hours, as provided by the Law of Transition passed by the Catalan Parliament, though suspended, again preventively, by the Constitutional Tribunal.

Unfortunately, he has no other option, and it would thus leave the ball in the Spanish government's court. Will they then come to common sense and sit down at the table to negotiate without preconditions, or will they take the extreme measure of calling a State of Emergency with the army taking the streets in Catalonia?