Lull before the Storm

I have two Meetup meetings today, one was the regular Girona Grapevine for coffee at Hotel Carlemany this morning and the other is tonight. Normally it is on a Tuesday but it was moved to today because of the strike.

I cancelled it because there was no prospect of the bar where we meet opening. I heard later that one bar did try to open but it was forced to close by the crowd.

Now I am getting seriously worried and I'm moving my savings out of Catalunya. I wonder how many of the enthusiasts for independence are doing the same. I just hope it doesn't cause a run on the bank. At present the bank is backed by the Central European Bank..... for the moment. It would be wrong to call it "panic", "sensible", more like - I am doing it over a period of a few days and I even wrote a message to my bank manager to explain what I was doing. He is a very charming guy - too charming because he talked me into an investment a year ago that went wrong and I lost money. So I don't owe him any loyalty.

There is talk of DUI being declared in Parliament on Monday. That should be a stormy session. (DUI in English, unilateral declaration of independence, UDI.)

So what happens if that happens? Is Catalunya an independent country with its own borders on Tuesday? Of course not, there will be lengthy discussions with a hostile Spain. And Catalunya owes a large sum of money to Spain. And much of the infrastructure is Spanish, so Catalunya will have to buy such things as the railway. It will be like the current Brexit talks but in a poisonous atmosphere. Catalunya will, by merit of leaving Spain, will also be outside the European Union and that would happen quickly I guess because it would never be in it in the first place. The whole process horrifies me, I cannot believe this is really happening. Maybe on Monday they will back down but there are too many hot-heads in Governent to stand by and let it happen. I am thinking in particular of CUP who would want to nationalise the banks and my money with it (except that it will have flow the nest by then).

I spoke to a friend at Girona Grapevine this morning, I asked in mid-air where will the money come from to run this new country. Ah, he said that Catalunya would keep my taxes and not send them to Spain. But I explained that they go directly from my bank to Spain. Catalunya cannot get their hands on my income tax unless they do it by law. And maybe my response will be that you did not respect the law when you voted to leave Spain so why should I respect your laws? "I think I will pick and choose what I like just as you did." Hey, just see what happens if I try that!