All you need to know about the Catalonian “referendum” is that the Russian propaganda machine is passionately and hysterically supportive of the independentists. The Russian news are reporting the events in Catalonia with such an emotional investment that it sounds like the newscasters are about to break down in tears. This is hilarious in a country where nobody knew the word Catalonia until yesterday.
“Referendum”
Clarissa's Blog 
I don’t know the trick for posting tweets here, but this is great:
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That was unexpectedly easy!
Anyhoo, is there any evidence that independistes get funding from Moscow? It seems right up their alley.
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What’s really funny is that everybody can see them except the blog’s author. This is a weird app.
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The embedded tweets, I mean.
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Note that the “progressive” Europeans have engaged in far more violence regarding the Catalan referendum than occurred during the Kurdish referendum.
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Should I do my spiel about the legacy of the dictatorship, the value of the hard-won Constitution, and the painful journey of Hispanic countries towards democracy once again?
These comparisons don’t work. They simply don’t. The devil is always in the details.
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A worthwhile piece. I wasn’t for independence but Rajoy has made things impossible today — destroyed other possibilities permanently
https://jacobinmag.com/2017/09/catalonia-independence-referendum-spain-podemos
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It was a classic sucker punch, manipulate your enemies into reaction and call the reaction unjustifiable.
This was a pretend referendum that had no more to do with the rule of law than did the phony referendum in Crimea.
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The entirety of Spain’s very young democracy hinges on that Constitution. You can’t spit on the Constitution and then wonder why the democratic procedures collapsed. This is a historically very young and tenuous democratic order.
Fuck this. I’m so sad over it.
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I see the point although I DO think the reaction unjustifiable.
This whole thing is so complicated — I am for the 3d Republic and wish Catalunya would stay in and work toward it. However, at this point, I don’t see a solution, Rajoy has done his best to cement resentment; I guess I have to say I’m for Catalunya leaving if it can, and good luck, although I am sorry to see it go.
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“I see the point although I DO think the reaction unjustifiable.”
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This young democracy has lasted longer than the Franco dictatorship itself.
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Let’s hope it doesn’t fall apart as instantaneously.
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“This whole thing is so complicated”
If you’re familiar with Central/Eastern Europe after 1989 it’s not complicated at all. It’s all very clear, the beats are all too familiar (up to the repudiation of the constitution on the basis of ominous never defined links to the previous system)
Although the nationalists dominate public space and intimidate those against independence no anonymous survey has ever had a majority for independence which is also one reason that those against independence didn’t vote – did you see the video of the dropped ballot box on the way to the polling station when ballots poured out of it?
This is a minority of crooked nationalists (like the notorious crooks Pujol and Mas) who think they can make out like bandits if they can rid themselves of central government interference. Shades of Meciar in Slovakia in 1993 (fortunately after a few years the Slovaks wised up and showed his ass to the curb).
Every aspect of this has already played out in Eastern Europe and the short term results are always terrible.
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“This is a minority of crooked nationalists (like the notorious crooks Pujol and Mas) who think they can make out like bandits if they can rid themselves of central government interference.”
Yes, Rajoy stinks to high heaven. But who among the independence leadership doesn’t? This isn’t about bad or good individuals. It’s about the gains of the entire post-Franco period being flushed down the drain. And for what? For fucking what, I ask you?
Dumb cunts.
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” It’s about the gains of the entire post-Franco period being flushed down the drain. And for what? For fucking what, I ask you?”
Feels. Feels and spectacle.
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Right, and I wasn’t for independence or not this independence, for these reasons, although I also think the smart thing for Spain would have been a more conciliatory path starting years ago. But I’m getting yelled at by anti-colonial types who say I have no right to say whether or not Catalans should want independence. These shouters don’t know a thing about the complexities of getting the 1978 constitution, etc., etc.
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