Tuesday means Meetup!

I run three Meetup groups in Girona but by the far the most successful is Girona Social Meetup - our Tuesday evening meetup has become very popular and the more people who come, the more it attracts because without exception everyone who comes along has an interesting story to tell. Most are a lot younger than in Girona Grapevine which has been going a long time anyway, about 16 years. So I call Girona Grapevine, "my older group". But the joke is on me because I am 74 although I don't feel like it. And this week, Girona Grapevine is attracting one or two younger people from Girona Social Meetup which will be nice. It meets on a Wednesday morning so it is bound to attract people who are retired. And for most who come, English is their first language or they speak it like a native.

These three photos show how Girona Social Meetup has developed over two years. It was rather formal at one stage.

Then we used to meet upstairs in Catalano Taverna in Plaça de la Independencìa but it got rather noisy sometimes, especially if there was football on TV which would tend to start at 8.45pm. After that, during the winter of 2016-17, we met at Jim's Restaurant by Parcde la Devesa. We had our own space with one long table but it got rather noisy. We usually split into a number of conversations and it used to get rather noisy with them all competing against each other! The photo below is in Catalano Taverna.

And then during the summer of this year, we have been meeting outside Lapsus, also in Plaça de la Independencìa. As you can see, we were at the end of the "block" so we could expand quite a bit. Now we meet inside and there is a super space at the back of the bar where we can split between 3 or 4 tables. This works much better than one long table which I don't like very much (on the patio, it was great). And with several tables, I try to persuade people to move around rather than be in a static position all night. Everyone accepts my friendly bullying in good spirits! They say, "Well, you are the Organiser"! Sometimes they use the word, "boss" which is funny. There is a low ceiling with sound treatment so it is not too noisy. And I am always on the lookout for people who may be a little shy. I don't have any photos at the moment, I will take one or two this evening and put one on this blog.

Links for the Meetup groups are
http://www.meetup.com/girona-social-meetup
http://www.meetup.com/girona-grapevine

I run a writers' group also
http://www.meetup.com/girona-writers-meetup


A little more about the politics here.... I think the consensus between all parties was shock at the violence of the Guardia Civil. I mean, it was crazy. Dragging a woman by her hair, smashing doors of polling stations. (I didn't understand the logic of that - if they couldn't get in neither could the voters!!) But, of course, it is now being used as a political weapon as if to justify the independence movement, in particular on TV3 where it is repeated ad-nauseam. In my opinion, it is quite separate. It is not a valid argument to justify an illegal referendum, but that is what is being attempted. In fact, as time passes, the independistas will find their argument hitting the buffers of the European Union which is giving wholehearted support for the Government of Spain (at the same time, criticising the violence).

Today there is a general strike in protest at the violence so I'm not even sure if our regular venue will be open. But I'm determined that our meetup goes ahead so I just sent a message to my members to come anyway and we can decide what to do.

The Catalan Parliament plans to appeal to the European courts (The European Court of Human Rights because of the violence and the EU as mediator) but, of course, they will find short shrift form the legal process if they want mediation there, just as they did in Spain. But the EU will be more difficult to dismiss. Even if the EU does get involved, it will come out firmly on the side of the law. It is a strange cul-de-sac that they will find themselves in. Their only route was defying the law and the only way they can achieve their desired independence is to continue down that path with their rhetoric. To head towards the courts will be fatal. It is a strange situation. The news today is that the move for independence is on hold. But the promise was of a declaration of independence within 48 hours of a "yes" result. There will be many angry people, notably the CUP who are to the extreme left, politically.

On a personal level, I am a little more tranquil because, ironically, despite the actual referendum going ahead, and with a "sí" result, the independence movement will find its path more difficult now. Their best plan was to go ahead and declare independence which is what they had promised and what I was expecting (and it was the reason why I was walking aimlessly around Girona, very depressed on Sunday afternoon, hearing the sporadic cheering and clapping).

The second part of today was a little bit crazy. I had already looked up the train and bus times which were limited because of the strike but I didn't realise how totally comprehensive was the shut-down in Girona until one of my members sent me a message asking if out meeting was still on. I had already decided to go early to the bar but I caught an even earlier train at 3.30pm. I quickly saw for myself how total was the strike. There were lots of young people draped in flags or waving them in the air. I became rather despondent. I walked across town to Plaça de la Independecìa and all the bars and restaurants were closed. I asked around if they would open later, some said yes, others said no. And then I started to get a feeling that maybe we should be joining the strike also. Ostensibly it was a protest against the violence of Sunday but it rapidly became a big independence rally.

I sat at one of the tables at Lapsus to cancel the meetup but couldn't get a signal so I walked around the corner and sat on the steps of the Post Office (a popular meeting place). I got a signal and wrote a message to people who said they were coming. At one point two girls came from different directions screaming and hugged each other flying and my new expensive laptop very nearly went flying too.  It would have been wrecked.

Gradually a large crowd appeared from the direction of the hospital accompanied by a convoy of tractors. I checked with Sarfa when their next bus would be and they told me, 17.15 from the bus station. What they failed to tell me was that it was not stopping at Correos which is where I was. But as the crowd became very large, I started to work that out for myself, the bus would skip Correos because it would have got caught up in the convoy. I rang Sarfa again and told the person that I was at Correos, could the driver look out for me. "Oh no", she said, "it is only stopping at the hospital". (Now you tell me!) That left me with 10 minutes to walk there. I hoped the bus would be running late. I walked rapidly looking behind me at regular intervals. I saw the bus but I was still about 300m short of the stop. I put out my hand and then put my hands together in the form of a prayer! The driver recognised me anyway, he stopped and I jumped on board. If I had missed that bus, I would either have been stuck in Girona for 2 hours or forced to take a taxi.

If I every had any doubts about the collusion by the Mossos d'Esquadra in enabling the referendum to go ahead, they were dispelled today. When two of their cars moved through the crowd, they were applauded. As if to say, "You are our police force now, on our side". I mean to say, just think of that happening in the UK. And so the central Government had to send in the Guardia Civil because they could not depend on the Catalan police to uphold the law. And we all know what happened next. 

When I got home, I arranged a new meetup for the next day.

Near to the end of the day, the King spoke to me. It is exceptional for him to speak on TV apart from at Christmas. He spoke for about 10 minutes at 9pm. He said to people like me, loyal to the country where I live, not to be anxious, that I have the support of the whole democracy of Spain. He also spoke very clearly to the people who set out to destroy the unity and democracy of Spain.

The morning after

I started writing this at 5.30am but I often wake up early and then go back to bed. I have a stronger reason today for waking early. Needless to say, I am shocked. With two things. The violence in the streets with the excessive force of the Guardia Civil but also the violence imparted on my life by this illegal act. A cut face will get better but the damage to my life is far greater and will last longer. Not all violence is physical. Ideally, it would have been better to leave it to the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan police, but they stood by and let it happen, in contravention with their obligation to uphold the law. So they could not be depended on. Imagine something like that happening in the UK, the police taking the side of demonstrators instead of the elected Government in Westminster.

After looking at some of the photos in the UK press, I do note that many of them show demonstrators, not people peacably going to vote, almost all of whom are young guys and they appear to be inciting the Guardia Civil. And many of the injuries in the list were very minor such as anxiety attacks. However I am not in any way attempting to justify some of the violent acts, especially at polling stations which as I said, shocked me but in some cases batons were necessary. And these made great photos for the front pages!
 
In any case, the pictures beamed around the world are manna from heaven for the Catalan Parliament. I am sure they would not say it publicly but this martyrdom is exactly what they were hoping for. I fear that two wrongs will make a right. These pictures are now being used as a powerful weapon against the Spanish State and the rulings of the Tribunal Constitucional will be lost in the newspaper headlines of a woman being dragged by her hair. I feel abandoned by both sides. (I added a photo of myself because this post is about me and how this vote affects me).

 (Photo, Kyiv, Ukraine)

But things will change and the photos will take second place to the cool hand of law when the new Catalan Republic starts to negotiate its exit from Spain and the European Union with me on board. But will they respect the European laws? Or do they only respect the laws that they like? I own an apartment here so it would be impossible to up-sticks rapidly and move to Spain and running my Meetup groups in Girona is a large part of my life. But there is nowhere in Spain where I would want to live. To get out of Catalunya would mean either going inland (and I like the sea) or going south, maybe to Valencia (but I like being near to France). I had thought of moving to France but I'm not sure it that would be allowed with my UK passport because it is under negotiation following the Brexit referendum. It would be difficult having to learn a new tax system but my French would  improve rapidly. And I would be living in a country with one language. Oh, joy! Somewhere near to Perpignan on the coast side, rather in the way that I do here, just outside Girona. And no Brits I hope because I like to be immersed in the language and culture of where I live. Sorry, I know that sounds snobbish.

At some stage, I may have to get a European passport because I feel European now - I feel abandoned by the UK also following Brexit, the result also skewed by lies (that word, "abandoned" again). It would be far easier for me to get Spanish nationality because I have lived here for 13 years and speak the language. But I guess I could live in France with Spanish nationality because both are in the EU.

And a Spanish passport would enable me to travel to many parts of the world just as my UK passport does at the moment. Incidentally, it comes up for renewal in September next year.

Since it is now becoming a distinct possibility, that I will be stranded in a small country, not recognised by the outside world, let us consider what would happen if Carles Puigdemont (previously mayor of Girona) declares independence. 

I imagine there would be complex negotiations with (a hostile) Spain. Much of the infrastructure here is Spanish, the trains for example. RENFE which runs the trains is Spanish and ADIF is Spanish and they own the track. There is an outstanding debt to Spain and that would have to be paid. There is no army, air force or navy. The list goes on and on and it horrifies me.Where would the money come from to run the new country? International trade depends on trade deals and, being outside the EU, it would have to start from scratch.

As a first step, I am moving my savings from (Catalan) la Caixa to my bank account in Spain. At the moment, of course it is just a symbolic gesture, a protest, because all my regular finances go through la Caixa and the branch is in my village, but it is a move that makes me feel a little better! BBVA is based in Bilbao, in the País Basque, so maybe I should have an account with Caixa Madrid just to be sure! (BBVA = Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argenteria).

I will add more to this post later or start a new post because there are bound to be developments during the day.


(I know this post sounds like martyrdom too but I just feel rather lonely. I could take the train to Madrid and beyond, maybe to Bilbao, join up with Meetup groups there. I have never been there. I have two Meetup groups this week, so I would be free from Wednesday afternoon.)

I added this later. I am watching TV3, a press conference with Carles Puigdemont. As one would expect, much political capital is being made of the horrific images of the Guardia Civil wresting ballot boxes from Catalans when all they want to do is to vote. I cannot believe it is so dumb. Could the Goverment in Madrid not see this coming a million miles away? I am sure this was their biggest fear, but the Guardia Civil is Spanish, under their control. Or maybe not.


I have been writing a lot in comments threads in The Times. Sometimes I write a comment and sometimes I write a reply if someone comments on my comment. One person called Bernie Bear wrote a reply which was really too long to reply to and he started with the comment. "interestingly....." which you can see below. I had a little bit of fun at his expense! I wrote the following in reply:

BernieBear: Thanks for your comment. You wrote, "Interestingly you have not touched on the role of the international community". Actually I went to get some lunch! You raised lots of points but, at some stage, I have to stop replying because I am really stressed over this. I have written more in my blog. I just wrote about the attempted vote in my village.

But people can "like" comments by clicking on "Recommend". Someone "liked" my little joke, his name was familiar, it was the journalist who wrote the original Times article. That made me smile! I always assumed that the writer of articles reads the comments section. But sometimes they get rather petty and personal. The threads that I have taken part in have been well-written in general. Today, 2nd October, the threads have become very long and convoluted. Not so much in response to the leading article which I quite liked. It criticised the heavy-handed tactics of the Guardia Civil but also pointed out that the illegal referendum had no basis in law. After all, this is only happening because of that abuse of the law.

About 1-O

1-O of course means, 1st October. The day of the planned referendum on independence. I will write during the day about my village, Celrà and maybe Girona as well. 

This is the town hall (on the left) and the Civic Centre (entrance by the right-hand chimney).
The painting is in watercolour, 2004.

I just got back from Can Ponac which is the place for old-folks and that is one of the three locations that was intended for the vote. But I found a large group of people which, first of all, I thought were not able to get in. I knew that the police had come earlier but, in fact, they had come to cut the internet connection on which they depended. This seemed strange to me, why did they not simply check peoples' ID and count ballot papers at the end of the day? This was a weak link!

The mayor made an announcement on a barely audible hand-held loud-hailer. After a while, some people drifted away and I followed them. I fancied a coffee and there were tables serving hot dogs and drink. The atmosphere was relaxed and festive despite the frustration of not being able to vote. Maybe they hoped something would change during the day. I came back home to write up my blog but I will go back later.

I spoke to one or two people, two of whom I know quite well. One works in reception at the Town Hall, so I wondered if she had seen my email about the posters which so offended me. The message, like a mantra, from them was the same..... The referendum was totally legal, they have the basic human right to self-determination. The central governing party, the PP, are "francistas", the grandchildren of Franco. In other words they are the same. Extreme right. I asked one guy what party he would like to see in power in Madrid. He said, "none of them".

All my conversations on the subject are friendly and respectful, I may feel strongly on the subject myself but I hold back in order to maintain good relations.

But I get very depressed at the vast difference between the two sides. It is not like Brexit where people had different opinions, it is a total disagreement over the rules of engagement. That is the best way I can think about it. It is not about whether people want a referendum or not, it is about whether they consider it legal or not. That goes very deep. They see a basic human right of self-determination being denied. Sometimes the phrase, "self-expression" is used. Hey, that's OK. They can express as much as they like but, despite their deep belief to the contrary, they do not have the right to vote on independence. The same with Germany, Italy.....

I have just seen pictures of the Guardia Civil violently hitting people in the street and I am very shocked. There are reports on TV3 that they are using rubber bullets. I feel abandoned by both sides. The independistas who want to create a new republic which will float somewhere to the west of Portugal with no EU membership and no trade deals with the rest of the world and these riot police whose brains are conditioned by dealing with  violent extremists, not the nice, polite people of Catalunya. I wrote earlier, they genuinely believe that they have a right to vote. I respect that even if I think they are wrong.

These pictures will circle the globe and will pour gasoline on a fire which is many times more intense than the court judgements of the Tribunal Constitucional. Such is the modern world. Many people will jump on the band-waggon tomorrow. I am scared. Last year, I learnt that my passport will no longer be an EU passport, simply a UK passport. And now the place where I have made my new home is going.... I have no idea where.



I am going back to the town hall now. The railway station is right next-door so I will then take a train to Girona to see what is happening there. I will write more here later!
.....

They got their vote! When I went back, people were inside Can Ponac voting. This guy was very happy to have his photo taken but I promised to pixelate the three guys who were helping. But I don't think they were too worried.

They managed to re-connect the internet which they use to verify peoples' IDs. Later I saw two Mossos, the Catalan police but they were making no attempt to stop the voting. I think this was happening a lot, that the Mossos, if not supporting the vote were certainly taking a passive role.

They celebrated with a meal!

I walked aimlessly around Girona for an hour then went to the station for the train back to Celrà. On the platform I met a guy who I have got to know in Celrà, together with his young female carer. He had a stroke and is more or less confined to a wheelchair. His speech is very difficult to follow but he can read and use his hands. No one came with a ramp to help him onto the train but fortunately, when it arrived, it was one of the more modern versions with wheelchair access. Joan got up from the chair and I dragged him to a seat inside, his carer brought the wheelchair onto the train and sat in it for the short journey to our village.

When we arrived, Joan stayed in the chair and we dragged him onto the platform. I felt a muscle in my side twinging but it was soon OK. We went together to Can Ponc where he wanted to vote. When we arrived, the crowd parted for him to be wheeled down to the entrance and everyone burst into applause. I guess it was for my noble work in dragging him off the train (joking of course). I found it rather patronising, as though he had overcome great hardship to get there (maybe you think I am heartless but I write this story with a smile and I often stop to talk to him). When I used to push my mum around in a wheelchair after her stroke, we used to get sickly smiles from people passing by, "There, there... does she take sugar?" Fortunately the stroke didn't dim her mischievous sense of humour so we used to joke about it. Except that she couldn't talk.

I left rapidly and in passing I saw the mayor and he said, "Hello Steve". I replied back, "Hello Dani", but I confess it was rather cool because I blamed him for the offensive posters outside the Town Hall. I felt guilty about that afterwards. Maybe he didn't get to see my email. Normally our relationship is very cordial but, at the time, I was feeling very depressed about how things were going. And his party, CUP, was a chief protagonist.

To France again!

I had an interesting day yesterday. I know I have written a lot about the political situation here but my blog is really to cover anything that might entertain you! Especially when I go travelling.
Yesterday was a very short trip, to Perpignan. I have a choice of two routes, one is cheap and slow, the other is much more expensive and, certainly from Girona to Perpignan much faster. The down-side of taking the fast train is that I first have to go into Girona and sometimes there is not very much difference in the time. To buy a ticket at short notice is €33 but it only takes 40 minutes from Girona to Perpignan. The train is either a Spanish AVE which goes on to Toulouse, Lyon or Marseille or it is the French TGV which goes twice daily to Paris.
Yesterday, I looked up the "slow train" and saw that there was an R11 regional train to Cerbère at 11am. Perfect, because it takes one hour and there is a French TER regional train to Perpignan (and on to Avignon) at 12.30.
But this was most odd! The train arrived but on the wrong track, the "down" line in rail parlance, the track which normally takes trains down to Barcelona. We looked in puzzlement and walked down to the back of the train, scrambled across the tracks and onto the train in the last carriage.
Gradually I began to notice the screen in the carriage, it said "RG1 Portbou", not "R11 Cerbère". Portbou is the final stop in Spain before the train trundles through a short tunnel into France and stops at Cerbère. I decided that I must have made a mistake in looking up the trains because I don't normally take this train. I didn't have my timetable with me and the app on my mobile only showed future trains.
At Flaça, the train crossed over to a platform not normally used and I could see a freight train waiting for the track to be free in order to go in the direction of Barcelona.
I saw people in Flaça coming to enter my carriage but the doors closed before they could get on and they were left stranded on the platform. "Odder and odder," said Alice.
After Flaça, the train crossed back to its normal track - as on the roads, trains here go on the right. I got off at Figueres, not having had to pay for the ride. There was no point in staying on the train because it was going no further than Portbou. Just as I was pondering what to do, maybe spend a day out in Figueres, I heard an announcement which immediately made everything clear. It was for R11 to Cerebère! The train which I should have been on. The previous train was obviously running very late. The change of track was for a different reason I guess, maintenance for example.
I was very honest and told the ticket collector that I had come from Celrà... on two trains. I smiled but he didn't seem to enjoy the joke. In any case, it is only €2.95. Imagine! About 3 euros to go to France!
At Cerbère, I passed through a security check where I showed my passport, and crossed to the French side, picked up my ticket which I had already paid for online. €4.40. And I took the TER to Perpignan. The TER is much more comfortable than the rather basic Spanish train. Typically French, the interior is a pastel blue. (By the way, I usually carry a laminated photocopy of my passport with a notary stamp on the back to say that it is authentic. I use that as my ID because my Spanish ID is not a photo ID on account of my being a foreigner and I keep my passport safe at home. When I first arrived here my ID was the same as the Spanish photo-ID on a credit card format but later they downgraded the foreigners' ID, it is called NIE - numero identificar estranjeros.) On the high-speed train, there is no ID check between France and Spain. And none coming back from France on the low-speed train.

By the time I arrived in Perpignan, it was about 1.15 so I headed directly for Port d'Espagne which is where the Auchan store is located. Oh, I didn't tell you, the purpose of the trip was to buy wine! I was so happy to find that the flimsy little reloadable bus ticket that I've had at home for a long time still worked. I have had a credit of 10 journeys for about 2 years. I thought that they would expire.
Very strange, the students, who I asked where the number 11 bus stop was, replied that they didn't speak Spanish. I am sure I asked in French. So I said it again more slowly, "Ou est l'arrête pour l'autobus onze?" This time, success. I am sure I don't speak French with a Spanish accent, that would be most odd! Most of the time, I get my leg pulled over my English accent when speaking Spanish.
The rest of the afternoon was spent happily choosing wine. I had taken my shopping trolley and guessed that it would take 12 bottles which was about right.
I went back to Perpignan station to buy my ticket for the 17.11 to Portbou but there was a long queue in the ticket office and I was running a little short of time. I tried to use the TER ticket machine which is not the same as the machine for the main lines. It is like something out of the 60s. It has a screen but it is not a touch screen, instead it is operated with a rotating wheel like an arcade game. I felt sure I was wasting my time because, last time, it would only accept French bank cards (or cash). This turned out to be true. Now time was getting short and I didn't know the penalty for getting on the train without a ticket. The train was sitting outside.

I complained to a woman at the help desk nearby, saying that the machine - in French, bourne - was out of the last century. I said the it was an international station and yet the machine only accepted French bank cards. She responded with a Gallic shrug of the shoulders. I responded by mocking her with an English shrug of the shoulders.

I decided to get some change. I bought a fruit juice and got my change in euro coins. I went back to the machine and went through the same old rigmarole again. This time, it kept on rejecting my euro coins. Finally I got it to accept 7 euros (the fare was 6.80, more because it is peak time). It then gave me a message saying that it could not give me my 20 cents change and gave me a choice of things to do. Some I didn't understand but one was to quit and get my money back which is what I did.

I took a photo and went out to the train. The ticket collector was on the platform and he said that there would be an extra €7 to pay if I had no ticket. I showed him the photo of the ticket machine. He said to speak to the supervisor.  He grudgingly agreed to charge the normal fare but during the journey he never came to my seat, so I travelled back to Spain for nothing!

Later, when I looked at the photo of the ticket machine, I guess the correct choice would have been "Vous acceptez l'Avoir", in other words, accept the loss of 20 cents and print the ticket. But I was running out of time. Next time, I will make sure I have €7 in cash because I usually catch this train back home. Or, even better, €6.80!

I wanted to see how the political situation here is reported in the French press, well at least one newspaper. I picked up l'Independent in its local version. It has "Catalan" on the front page, meaning Paises Catalanes. But its coverage was surprisingly low key, an inside page and not even all the page. And this was very welcome, it was balanced and fair. Even in fact leaning towards support for the Government in Madrid. That was welcome after the unbalanced and emotive language of The Times in London.

An Email

In response to the inflammatory posters in three Adjuntament locations (see the previous post, "Photos"), one of which adorns the Town Hall, I bravely decide to write an email. I didn't want an argument in reception so I thought it would be best to measure my words. I was careful to say that my objection was to do with the posters, not the referendum or independence. It is not a very large village and I often speak to the mayor, so they know me well.

Of course, I will add their reply if I receive one. I know why I'm doing this. Just one small victory would make me feel so much better, I feel rather crushed by the weight of opinion and propaganda over this whole event. It is to push back a bit and make a bit of space around myself.

Friends have suggested I move away during the weekend. I am sure there will be some kind of vote here, even if they print their own ballot papers. Many of the posters in the town were probably printed at home. There is a website with all the "Freedom" posters as PDFs. Nooo, I am staying here. I want to report here what happens each day, and especially on Sunday. For example, I don't know where they plan to vote. There are public meetings which I guess I could attempt to attend. But I wouldn't have a vote anyway so they would probably suspect me of spying. And they would be right!
 
Then after Sunday maybe I will take a break. It is stressful for me here, I'm writing this blog and also in The Times comments but there is bad stress and good stress. This is good stress because I am doing something positive and I love to write anyway. I still have my clunky keyboard from when I ran my company in the UK, which I love. I have two, with the Spanish symbols drawn on in indelible pen.

Here's the email.....

Hola,
Supongo sabes que no estoy en favor de independencia, tampoco el referendum! Siempre he mostrado respeto por tu opinión y espero igual tú conmigo. Pero los posters afuera de La Fabrica son inflamatorios. Es un sitio para todo del pueblo y no es justo tener algo tan fuerte. Creo que tienes un responsabilidad de cortesía por todo del mundo que vive aquí. Aún yo!:-)
Son en inglés.... porque? Me molestan aun mas porque les tomo personalmente. Soy el único inglés en Celrà.
"Voting is not a crime"? Nadie lo dice.
"Pistola, guns"?? Que dices exactamente? Nadie usa armas.
(Yo supongo, si los posters no se hacen directamente por el Ajuntament, son allí con su permiso).
He utilizado email porque no busco una respuesta y no quería una polémica en recepción.
con respeto, y saludos!
Steve 


EN
I guess you know I'm not in favor of independence, neither the referendum! I have always shown respect for your opinion and I hope you are the same with me. But the posters outside La Fabrica are inflammatory. It is a place for everyone in the village and it is not fair to have something so strong. I think you have a responsibility for courtesy to everyone who lives here. Even me! (and I added a smiley emoji)

They are in English .... why? They annoy me even more because I take them personally. I am the only Englishman in Celrà.

"Voting is not a crime"? Nobody says that.
"Gun, guns" ?? What exactly are you saying? Nobody is using arms.

(I suppose, if the posters are not made directly by the Ajuntament, they are there with your permission).

I used email because I don't require an answer and I did not want an argument in reception.


I was just reading some propaganda about Paises Catalanes. It is alarming. A declaration was made earlier this month in the "four cities of the Catalan Countries", Barcelona, Palma, Valencia and Perpignan. And it made its intentions clear, that this referendum is only the first step in reuniting the 4 "countries" of Catalunya. It spoke angrily not only about Spain but also the French government. The document is far-left politically. It is dynamite. Maybe I should publish it somewhere because I don't think people realise how fanatical these people are. But you can read it here and translate from the Catalan to English in Google Translate which works well.

The posters are here: http://prenpartit.cat
 
The propaganda about the "new republic", including the declaration I described above is
http://prenpartit.cat/decidir-ho-tot/

Photos!

I went to the Civic Centre this morning to pick up some of my paintings which were in storage following the rather sudden closure of the bar where they were being exhibited! I thought I would show you a selection of posters around the town of Celrà and I have placed them in a PDF file, click here
The size is about 8MB. I took all these photos this morning (Samsung S6 phone).

The most outrageous by far is hanging above the entrance to the Town Hall. This is what I am up against on a daily basis although this is the most extreme banner I have seen so far.

I feel doubly insulted because it is also in English, as if directed at me. There is only one other English person in the village and she is married to a Catalan. I am really annoyed by their use of English. I didn't ask why they had done it - I didn't dare. I have to be careful here because some people are quite fanatical, as you can see. I am not saying I would be in physical danger, only that it is a village and I want to stay here.

The corner of the brick wall in one of the photos is the health centre.  "Voting is not a crime". I don't think anyone has said that it is, as far as I know.
The interior view is simply to show you the interior of La Fabrica which is next to the Town Hall. It is a bar and restaurant and the Civic Centre is in the same building. Both were part of a factory dating from around 1920 which was restored in about 1980 by the local council.

I added this at 11pm. I have always had good relations with the Ajuntament although we are politically opposite and I hope it will stay that way (in both senses!). Actually, I sent an email this aftenoon complaining about the three posters by the Town Hall and I will write more tomorrow about it. I am not entering into a discussion about independence, it is simply that I think a line has been crossed in what is acceptable in a modern society.

The right to self-determination

Recently I have been writing in the comments section of The Times and one point that comes up frequently is the "right to self-determination". Well, it comes up frequently all over the place! I found an article in El País in English. As one would expect for a newspaper based in Madrid, it puts the Goverment's side of the argument. But, if you read it, I hope you will find it credible. If the Catalan Parliament wishes to question this logic, then they have recourse to the law, either to the UN or the EU. But they haven't done so. Either they think that they would lose or else they haven't thought about it.

It is interesting that the article analyses the UN Charter because I was attempting to do that online a couple of days ago. Actually is is not difficult to follow, it is in very clear language. 

Here is the paragraph from El País....

It is false that, as what the suspended referendum law says in its explanatory statements, Catalonia has “the inalienable and indefeasible right to self-determination” and that this has been recognised by international law. The contrary is true, rather.

The United Nations’ own norms (the foundational charter of 1945, General Assembly Resolutions 1514 and 2625, International Covenant on Civil Rights) recognise the right to self-determination but to do so in an internal way: as a right for citizens to express themselves politically, vote in democratic elections and participate in institutions.
Only in very specific cases can this right become an external form of self-determination, meaning secession. These cases are limited to the particular situation of peoples under “colonial or other forms of alien domination or foreign occupation.” (UN Resolution 50/6)
But the resolution goes on to say that, “this shall not be construed as authorizing or encouraging any action that would dismember or impair, totally or in part, the territorial integrity or political unity of sovereign and independent States conducting themselves in compliance with the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples and thus possessed of a Government representing the whole people belonging to the territory without distinction of any kind.”
In other words, democracies.

You can read the whole article here
https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/09/25/inenglish/1506339116_980655.html 

Yes, of course this blog is one-sided! (but I welcome opinion from all sides). I need to restore the balance and state my case clearly that this process towards secession goes completely against the whole principle of democracy and the rule of law which protects me - to protect me against people who have no respect for the law. 

The Spanish Constitution was agreed by Catalunya and two prominent Catalans took part in its assembly. When I hear this illegal process described as "Democracy", it makes me rather upset. Well, it used to upset me but I think I am getting used to all the propaganda. (Incidentally, the word, propaganda in Spanish is a "false friend". Those who learn languages will know what I mean. In Spanish the word simply means "publicity" such as a leaflet, it doesn't imply bending the truth which is the meaning in English.)

By the way, this blog is normally about my life here and my travels (I go to the Philippines for 3 weeks in November to visit my friends there after a week in Bangkok). It is only during this very tense period up to 1st October that I am writing about politics.