A view of Catalunya from Ukraine

I'm writing this on Sunday. Later I am going bowling with Marina and a friend of hers, Vika. I try not to think too much about the bad things going on back home. I don't read Spanish papers and there is no Spanish TV here. But I read The Times which, during the last week or two has been intensely anti-Madrid which upsets me a lot, because it is rather like supporting the illegal forces instead of the side which is attempting to uphold the law.
Most people reading this will know that Carles Puigdemont has been given a deadline of 10am on Monday (tomorrow) to make it clear whether he is actually declaring independence or not. It is not as though Madrid is asking him to decide, it is really to ask, who is calling the shots.
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that I want to move out of Catalunya regardless of the outcome because I cannot stand the poisonous atmosphere which will continue in any case. It is splitting families and friends. In my case, although I try not to think this way, I feel upset with my friends who support independence whereas before, I was very happy to co-exist with people who felt differently from me. Maybe they will feel differently about me because I don't hide my wish for Catalunya to remain part of Spain. Now people associate remaining part of Spain with the police violence on 1st October although I share their opinion. The big difference is that I don't see that it makes any difference to the legitimacy of the referendum and independence, it is quite separate. Two wrongs don't make a right.
When I go back on 25th October, I have 3 weeks before I go to Thailand and The Philippines which will be another welcome relief from the upheaval in Catalunya. But some of that time will be spent in Valencia because there is a very good chance that I will make it my new home. The big problem is my flat which I own. In the short term, I would have to rent it out and use the income to pay the rent in my new home and hope that they more or less match but I have to pay tax on the rent that I receive. In the longer term I would want to sell and buy but what chance of selling my flat when there is so much uncertainty. I could have done without this but I am a great believer that out of something bad, there comes something positive. And I will be moving to Spain, real Spain, where people speak Spanish, where I won't get nagged for not speaking Catalan. And Catalunya can sink for all I care. Even if Puigdemont declares independence, Madrid will immediately apply Article 155 which takes direct rule and forces new elections. This will cause enormous bad feeling which may spill onto the streets.
I think independistas ought to spend a week in the east of Ukraine and then talk about freedom and more money going to Madrid than comes back. When Catalunya wakes up to all the money and commerce escaping to Spain, they may see things differently.