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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Catalonia tales: 'The middle class are hurting' | Catalonia tales: 'The middle class are hurting' |
| (8 days later) | |
| David Ross is a writer, former Labour party activist and expat Scot living in Barcelona. | David Ross is a writer, former Labour party activist and expat Scot living in Barcelona. |
| He is not, he says straightaway, in favour of breaking up the UK, "which colours my view of what's happening here". | He is not, he says straightaway, in favour of breaking up the UK, "which colours my view of what's happening here". |
| But while he would never question the right of the Catalans to hold a referendum on independence, he doubts its motives and fears its consequences. | But while he would never question the right of the Catalans to hold a referendum on independence, he doubts its motives and fears its consequences. |
| The effects of the economic crisis in Catalonia are increasingly severe, Ross argues, and it is now affecting parts of society that had not previously been touched. | The effects of the economic crisis in Catalonia are increasingly severe, Ross argues, and it is now affecting parts of society that had not previously been touched. |
| "I live in a typical middle-class area of Barcelona," he says, "and I'm seeing lots of closures: car showrooms, private dentists, bank branches, kitchen appliance shops. The middle class are hurting, and that's fuelling a middle-class nationalism." | "I live in a typical middle-class area of Barcelona," he says, "and I'm seeing lots of closures: car showrooms, private dentists, bank branches, kitchen appliance shops. The middle class are hurting, and that's fuelling a middle-class nationalism." |
| The mass pro-independence demonstration on 11 September, which saw up to 1.5 million people – 20% of Catalonia's population – take to the streets, drew plenty of well-heeled families "who drove to it in 4x4, BMWs and Mercedes", Ross says. | The mass pro-independence demonstration on 11 September, which saw up to 1.5 million people – 20% of Catalonia's population – take to the streets, drew plenty of well-heeled families "who drove to it in 4x4, BMWs and Mercedes", Ross says. |
| He says the Catalan president, Artur Mas, has played this very cleverly. He says: "He's taking advantage of it. There's a huge degree of opportunism in this." | He says the Catalan president, Artur Mas, has played this very cleverly. He says: "He's taking advantage of it. There's a huge degree of opportunism in this." |
| Ross's concern is that Barcelona is a city composed not just of Catalans. "People have come here from all over," he says, "from Andalucia and other poor parts of Spain, from South America, north Africa and eastern Europe. These people are not Catalans, but they form a large part of the population. Catalan nationalism doesn't hold much for them. In fact, it excludes them." | Ross's concern is that Barcelona is a city composed not just of Catalans. "People have come here from all over," he says, "from Andalucia and other poor parts of Spain, from South America, north Africa and eastern Europe. These people are not Catalans, but they form a large part of the population. Catalan nationalism doesn't hold much for them. In fact, it excludes them." |
| A largely unspoken danger is "the potential growth of the far right", he says. "All the underlying reasons the Catalans want independence – culture, language, history – existed 30 years ago. But what's driving it now, the strength of pro-independence feeling, is the economy." | A largely unspoken danger is "the potential growth of the far right", he says. "All the underlying reasons the Catalans want independence – culture, language, history – existed 30 years ago. But what's driving it now, the strength of pro-independence feeling, is the economy." |
| The combination of surging nationalist sentiment with growing economic hardship could, he fears, provide fertile ground for extremism. | The combination of surging nationalist sentiment with growing economic hardship could, he fears, provide fertile ground for extremism. |
| "In the last Catalan elections the far right party, the PcX, came within 15,000 votes of entering parliament. And in the last local elections it shot to 67 councillors from 17." | "In the last Catalan elections the far right party, the PcX, came within 15,000 votes of entering parliament. And in the last local elections it shot to 67 councillors from 17." |
| Ross's bet is that Mas and his CiU will win Sunday's election on the back of the independence vote, form a majority and "then sit on it. The CiU has governed here for the best part of the period since Franco died, playing the game very cleverly with Madrid. He's not going to rush into anything." | Ross's bet is that Mas and his CiU will win Sunday's election on the back of the independence vote, form a majority and "then sit on it. The CiU has governed here for the best part of the period since Franco died, playing the game very cleverly with Madrid. He's not going to rush into anything." |
| A Catalan referendum – and even then, only a consultative referendum – may well not happen until after Scotland's, Ross reckons, "just to see how that one goes. So Mas gets four more years. And of course, all this is a massive distraction from the real problems: crisis, hardship, unemployment, people suffering. There's nothing like a bit of flag-waving to take people's minds off all that." | A Catalan referendum – and even then, only a consultative referendum – may well not happen until after Scotland's, Ross reckons, "just to see how that one goes. So Mas gets four more years. And of course, all this is a massive distraction from the real problems: crisis, hardship, unemployment, people suffering. There's nothing like a bit of flag-waving to take people's minds off all that." |
| • If you have a story to tell, know someone Jon should talk to or live somewhere you think he should visit, please contact him via email at jon.henley@guardian.co.uk, or Twitter @jonhenley (the hashtag for this journey is #CataloniaTales). | • If you have a story to tell, know someone Jon should talk to or live somewhere you think he should visit, please contact him via email at jon.henley@guardian.co.uk, or Twitter @jonhenley (the hashtag for this journey is #CataloniaTales). |
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