But can you imagine a Spanish football league without the Blaugrana? And a credit system in Catalonia with only the local banks led by the powerful Caixa, but without all the other Iberian institutions? The threat is real.
The outcome of the elections in Catalonia this Sunday could in fact give a dramatic turn to the daily life of the Catalans: and we are not only talking about football and banks, but also the social security system, transport, infrastructure, taxes. Independence, or rather secession, could isolate Barcelona with negative effects on its internal, but also international, economy.
It is true that Catalonia contributes 20% of the national GDP. It is true that the situation of its occupation and its accounts is certainly more rosy than that of other regions of Spain, but this does not justify its isolation, in the name of a nationalism which today no longer has the historical and cultural values of a time.
The nationalist temptation is not only Catalan. In Spain alone, even the Basques believed in it fully, with a streak of blood (that of the terrorist radicalization of ETA) that has only one comparison in Europe, that of the Northern Irish IRA (but on more religious grounds than anything else). and that today is outdated. In Europe, however, nationalist impulses have never subsided: it is enough to recall Scotland, Northern Ireland, but here and there in every nation there have always been and there will be outbreaks of independence activists: many of these for a mere account political (Lega and Front National), more populist, others to follow anachronistic ideals of dubious success in the medium to long term.
Certainly the advent of Podemos in Spain, which interprets the widespread malaise of a population tired of a traditional policy distant from everyday problems, and shaken by the economic crisis, has given hope to all those who believe in a future limited by regional borders, rather than national.
The million Catalans who crowded the streets of Barcelona on Diada Day lead us to believe that Sunday's elections will be a veritable plebiscite in favor of independence. Making predictions is difficult, except remembering the usual "background" that voting at the polls is one thing, while polls are another thing.
The fact is that Madrid and President Mariano Rajoy are anxiously waiting. An outcome in favor of the separatists would in fact put the government in a serious crisis one step away from the general elections scheduled for the end of the year which will have to determine who will lead Spain over the next 5 years.
The current president and his Ppe are on the rise, thanks to the recovery of the economy and the fact that the centre-right has managed to lead Spain out of the crisis. But Podemos and the other renewal party, Ciudadanos, are stable. In addition to governing strongholds such as Madrid and Barcelona.
As if to say that the political situation is complicated and that Spain could move on from the past. From Francoism which lasted until the mid-70s to the centre-right-socialist bipolarity which ensured social stability and the country's growth over the last 40 years, to the current phase of renewal with the "experiments" of Podemos and Ciudadanos which will lead to governments of coalition, all to be experienced.
And this Sunday's vote will be decisive in understanding where Spain is headed. If the nationalists win, will Catalonia be satisfied with greater powers and greater freedom? Or will there be a decisive split with Madrid? This is the question to be resolved and which all of Europe is looking closely at.
