The ongoing war without guns between the Spanish state and Catalonia entered a critical new phase on October 27. On that day, the newly elected pro-independence majority in the Catalan parliament published a draft bill that 鈥渟olemnly declared the start of the process of creating an independent Catalan state in the form of a republic鈥.
Spain
Podemos activists
The December 20 elections in the Spanish state will attract the usual large field of runners. Challengers will represent every imaginable position along the Spanish state's two main political dimensions 鈥 the left-to-right social axis and the axis of national rights.
This second dimension reaches from the centralism of the ruling People's Party (PP) to the pro-independence stance of various Catalan, Basque and Galician parties.
The Spanish football club Sevilla has rejected a 鈧5 million sponsorship deal to advertise tourism in Israel on its players鈥 shirts.
The 2015 UEFA Europa League champions turned down the offer due to the 鈥減olitical connotations鈥 of appearing to support Israel, according to the Spanish sports publication Mundo Deportivo.
Club sources told the sports website ElDesmarque that the image Israeli sponsorship would project 鈥渃ould be detrimental to Sevilla, especially taking into account present political issues and sensibilities and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict鈥.
Who won the September 27 elections for the Catalan parliament, called as a substitute for the Scottish-style independence referendum that the Spanish People's Party (PP) government refuses to allow? It depends who you ask.
On the night, most commentators on Madrid-based TV and radio called the result a defeat for the pro-independence camp: its two tickets 鈥 the mainstream nationalist Together for Yes and the anti-capitalist People's Unity Candidacies (CUP) - won only 47.74% of the vote against 52.26% for 鈥渢he rest鈥.
More than 1 million people took part in a pro-independence march in Barcelona on September 11, Catalonia's national day.
A year has passed since the British establishment won the September referendum on Scottish independence with a final campaign week of blackmail, dirty tricks and multi-party sworn promises yet to be kept.
In less than a fortnight a series of tragedies took place on the borders of Europe, spurring a continent-wide debate over refugee policy.
If a Catalan Rip Van Winkle were to wake up today after a sleep of only six years, his disorientation with Catalonia would be as great as that of the original Rip Van Winkle after he dozed right through the American War of Independence. 鈥淎m I hallucinating?鈥 he might ask, struggling to find the right answer to questions like:
Regional elections held in Spain on May 24 installed an historic pro-Basque state government in the Basque autonomous community of Navarre for the first time. It ended 16 years of rule by the pro-Spanish, centre-right Navarrese People's Union (UPN).
The UPN won only 15 seats, down four from 2011. Its ally, the right-wing Spanish People鈥檚 Party (of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy), won two, half of its quota in 2011.
The squares in front of scores of town halls across the Spanish state were jam-packed with enthusiastic crowds on June 13. Tens of thousands had gathered to celebrate the inauguration of progressive administrations elected in a leftward swing in the May 24 local government elections for Spain鈥檚 8144 councils.
It was clear early on that something special was happening in the May鈥 鈥24鈥 鈥琹ocal government and regional elections across the Spanish state.鈥 In Spanish elections,鈥 鈥瑃he voter participation rate gets announced at鈥 鈥1pm and鈥 鈥6pm鈥 鈥 鈥瑆hile voting is still taking place.鈥 鈥琖ell before the polling stations closed,鈥 鈥瑃he news was that participation was up about鈥 鈥5%鈥 鈥琲n Catalonia and about鈥 鈥8%鈥 鈥琲n the working-class districts of Barcelona.鈥
Popular left-wing activist activist Ada Colau has won Barcelona's May 24 mayoral elections. Running on the ticket of Barcelona Together, which united several left groups and grassroots activists, Colau came first with 25% of the vote.
For three months, from November to February, the Spanish economic and political establishment was in a state of barely suppressed panic.
In national opinion polls, support for the 鈥渞eds鈥 - in the form of radical new force Podemos - had overtaken that for the establishment parties, the ruling People鈥檚 Party (PP) and the opposition Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE).
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