Could someone explain to me the ins and outs of the current Catalan independence movement in Spain? I've done some cursory research, but I'm a little lost as to exactly why they want independence, why the Spanish government doesn't want them to, and how this is affecting the people of Spain socially.
I know that they want independence
generally because they're somewhat culturally distinct and because they feel they'd be better off financially, given the massive economic problems of Spain. I also know
generally that the Spanish National Government doesn't want them to leave because it wouldn't be good for the rest of Spain financially, and because national governments usually don't want parts of their country to secede on general principle. However, I don't really know the specifics of either side.
How much support in Catalonia is there for secession, and does it have any chance of happening? Also, does the Spanish government have any process in place that would allow such a secession without new legislation being written? In the United States, for example, there simply is
not any way for a state to leave the union. Existing laws would have to be modified for such a thing to happen.
How do the Spanish and Catalan people feel about each other? Can they travel freely between regions without any undue harassment or hardship? Is this feud only between governments, or is there antipathy between the people of both regions?
To be honest, as an American, when I hear about people in other countries talking about secession over financial or cultural reasons, it sounds a little odd to me
. Almost no one in any state in the US for the last hundred years has considered true secession as a means of achieving political goals. We have some rather bitter political wars, but these are based on political affiliation and religion rather than on geographical location. Perhaps this pops up in Europe so much more because they have older, long-standing cultures there, whereas most people in America are descendants of comparatively recent immigrants.