![]() It was difficult to design a constitution that balanced both the democratic aspirations of a Spain that wanted to become integrated into Europe and the very influential remnants of Franco’s regime. This why even in Catalonia people voted in favour of that constitution. When I arrived in Catalonia from England I very quickly learned that people here were reluctant citizens of Spain but realised that after Franco’s death it was better to have a democracy of some kind, the alternative could have been a continuation of the military regime under another leader. The call for independence goes back years, there were a lot of emotional scenes yesterday with people in their late 80s and 90s who had fought against and been imprisoned or went into exile during Franco’s fascist dictatorship. The article is not very effective at making this point, but there is a quote from the Catalonian president Artur Mas: “Mas said his government would now push to hold an official referendum” which makes it very clear. We know that if / when there is a legal referendum the turn out will be higher and the margin of difference between those in favour or against will be much smaller. ![]() Everyone I spoke to was very clear that this was not an official legally binding referendum and that, due to Madrid’s refusal to even contemplate a discussion on this matter, there hadn’t been a balanced public debate about the pros and cons of leaving or staying in Spain. I voted yesterday, as did most of my family here. “The next days and months will be very interesting” ![]() Here are a selection of views from Guardian readers in Spain and Catalonia, on the vote itself and and what its likely impact on the constitutional process will be. The poll’s validity has been dismissed by the Spanish government, with the justice minister calling it “a day of political propaganda” in an official statement. ![]() The poll, watered down after exhaustive legal wrangling with the Spanish government, was not an formal vote, but pro-independence supporters hope that it will increase the pressure on Spain’s government to allow one. Over 2.3 million Catalans took part in a symbolic independence poll on Sunday. ![]()
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