Barcelona takes lead in self-determination movement

BarcelonaWith just four months until 9-N, Barcelona wants to act as leader in the self-determination movement. The aim is to give a boost to support of and participation in the consultation. That's why yesterday it was announced that Barcelona would put itself at the head of the National Pact for the Right to Decide in order to lead and strengthen a movement that was begun in Parliament by Joan Rigol. Due to its territorial nature, the organization has been extended throughout Catalonia. The pact, in short, cements political initiative with the desires and aspirations of citizens and associations. The addition of Barcelona to the Pact signifies a new push to add muscle to the massive demonstration planned for after the summer to proclaim the right of Catalonia to decide its relationship with Spain.

"Barcelona must act as the capital, and must be at the side of Catalan municipalities that today clearly demand the right to decide our own future", announced deputy mayor of Barcelona Joaquim Forn of CiU. He also proclaimed that Barcelona City Hall is actively committed to the roadmap set out by the independence process in Catalonia. The mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, was not at yesterday's event, led by the president of Ateneu Barcelonès, Jordi Casassas, due to scheduling conflicts, but attend the third meeting of the National Pact on 18 July in parliament.

Civility and dialogue as a banner

Aware of the coming months of political turmoil, especially on the part of a Spanish government that is working to stop the referendum, Rigol warned that the goal must be to build a country with "civility and an attitude of constructive dialogue". Regardless of each person's preferred response to the double question of the consultation, Forn insisted that now is the time to encourage participation. And it is not until the referendum is formally called --presumably in September-- that many of the entities will campaign for a particular vote or another.

The National Pact for the Right to Decide was born in Parliament just one year ago with the goal of encouraging civil society to participate, and so far has been signed by 2,850 associations and organisations. All of the political parties, with the exception of the PSC, PP and Ciutadans, are seated at the table. The PSC's empty seat was controversial, as it chose not to join in while other social forces, such as the unions UGT and CCOO who have always been allied, have signed on to the Pact. On a regional level, the PSC has not been able to prevent local leaders, or even councils run by them, from disobeying the official party line and joining the pact.

In addition to Barcelona, some forty municipalities have joined the Pact with the support of their councils, among them Girona, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Reus, Mataró, and Sant Quirze del Vallès, all governed by CiU. But there are also other towns in the Pact in which the mayor is from the PSC, or they have historically had a strong presence, as is the case with Lleida, the Baix Llobregat, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Granollers, Sabadell, Terrassa and Badalona. In these cases, the socialists have endorsed the signing of the Pact. In addition, there are municipalities where social and association initiatives support the Pact even though their respective City Halls have not given their approval.

The socialists of the Pact

The PSC has distanced itself from the 9 November consultation, a position that Miquel Iceta (its soon-to-be new leader) has already made clear will not change because, among other reasons, he is not interested "at all" in knowing what Catalans think about the current double question. However, a part of the party believes that, in spite of the differences with CiU and ERC, they should have never left the negotiating table with civil society. Some party leaders have been fully involved. One of them is former Catalan minister Joaquim Nadal, who leads the Girona Pact and who, at the moment of accepting the challenge, was harshly criticized by his party, which even demanded that he step down from leadership of the PSC's Girona federation.

The former mayor of Badalona, Maite Arqué, also leads this movement in the city that she governed. In Terrassa, former mayor Manel Royes, who promoted Pere Navarro for mayor, has also signed the Pact, as has current mayor Jordi Ballart. Recently, the socialist critics of Avancem joined the accord after splitting off from the PSC.

The ANC, Òmnium and the AMI, among other country-wide organizations, are playing a key role in guaranteeing that the initiative of the parties that are in favor of the consultation has enough social backing. Especially as the Spanish government will activate all of its machinery to try and stop the referendum.