Getting involved

A little bit of history..... I run Girona Grapevine which is an English-speaking social group in Girona. It started about 17 years ago and meets each week in the Hotel Carlemany coffee shop at 11am. Because of the hour, it tends to attract people who are retired – like me!

I don’t take credit for starting it, I am simply the latest person to take responsibility for running it. There is a Meetup group and Facebook page. We have 8 advertisers each of whom pay the €15 a year which covers the cost of the website and Meetup group.

Up to a few years ago, the Facebook page of Girona Grapevine was called “Girona Grapevine Jolly Japes” run by a very jolly and likeable person, Barbara. But the content started to get rather political and Girona Grapevine is most certainly not like that. I discussed this amicably with Barbara and, when she was able to, she changed the name to Girona Jolly Japes and now it has no connection with Girona Grapevine. I should explain that “Jolly Japes” is a reference to a typical children’s book title from the 1950s. Jolly is cheerful and a jape is a joke, or having fun. One thing that Barbara could not change was the URL of the Facebook page which, if you look closely, still carries the original title including “Girona Grapevine”.

Now it is most certainly not a "jolly jape". This photo has now appeared with the slightly cryptic heading, "One that proves puzzling when you think it would be a no brainer".

The Facebook page is carrying a great deal of pro-independence content which includes this twisted logic. My concern is not primarily about independence (or not) although I personally don’t like the idea, it is the flouting of the law by the very people who should be upholding it. Namely the Parliament in Barcelona. And they are attempting to use the media to twist the truth and persuade people in other parts of the world that their cause is just. How is it possible that they call, “The right to decide”, “democracy”? Democracy is respect for the law.

Each day, I get more and more anxious about what is happening and finally, having seen the bullfighting post, I have decided to do something about it. I told my friends in Societat Civil Catalunya about Jolly Japes – it is public, so I can do that - and I am writing more openly here. I want to make a difference because the prospect really frightens me. People that I know, English expats among them, seem to be turning a blind eye to the fact that this proposed referendum is illegal.

That is my simple issue, respect for the law. If we cease doing that, it is called anarchy. People I know - many of whom are friends also - may be pro or anti indepenence, I respect their opinions. Of course I do.

The most recent development was a letter written, ostensibly to Mariano Rajoy, the Prime Minister of Spain, and copied to King Felipe VI. But its true purpose was nothing about dialogue as it suggested, it was sent to the Financial Times in London and it is quite possible that they received their copy before that of the King. Its content was described in El Punt Avui as follows.

Puigdemont (The President of Catalunya), Colau (the mayor of Barcelona) Demand Dialogue.

It went on to describe how the Catalan government has “showed the world its willingness to negotiate the vote”. It described this offer as “without conditions” but made the condition that the vote on 1^st October goes ahead. To say that is disingenuous is the understatement of the year. The letter was full of terms such as, "Spain is undertaking an offensive of unprecedented repression”. But people will believe this. They will not see through the deceit and will think that the Generalitat is making a noble last-minute offer of peace. It is nothing like that. If one reads the text, it is blatantly obvious.

In any case, Sr Rajoy cannot negotiate the vote even if he wanted to. The rules are embedded in the Constitution. Whatever one may think about whether the rules are justified or not, it is not something that can be changed without intense debate. And that happens very rarely. At least, the press here is beginning to report the fact which many people have been saying for a long time - that an independent Catalunya would automatically be outside the European Union and would have to re-apply for membership. And that would require the cooperation of the Spanish government together with all other member states. And, not trivial for some, FC Barcelona would not be able to play in La Liga, so they will have to be content playing Girona and Espanyol.

Previously I have resisted writing comments on Jolly Japes. Now I am doing so. In response to the photo above, I wrote, “I am shocked by such inflammatory material, more so to see it repeated here. I am all for a debate with respect for the law but this plumbs new depths”.

Actually I wrote it late at night after eating out in a restaurant in Celrà so I was very careful with the wording. I didn’t want to regret it next morning! I didn’t!

The silent majority needs to speak out more. We can no longer remain tranquil with our faith in the law. We may be winning the battle in the courts but the Independistas have no respect for the courts. So we need to use the same methods in order to make clear to the world the travesty that is happening here.

There is a black joke fermenting (or do I mean fomenting?) in my mind. That is, the solution is for the Generalitat to declare independence now and then hold the referendum because then it would be legal. But, effectively, that is what is already happening.
By the way, I wrote here on the same subject back in 2012. You can find the article by clicking on year 2012 in the blog menu. Or follow this link......
http://steve-meza.blogspot.com.es/2012/10/independence-for-catalonia.html