Another (recommended) reply to The Economist (by Miquel Ros)

Col·lectiu Emma has replied to The Economist article "Big mandate, tight spot" ("A Public Reply to The Economist (VII)"), but we also want to recommend Miquel Ros' reply.

Dear Sir,

I find it rich that your correspondent blames the "regions" for everything bad that is happening in the Spanish economy (“Big mandate, tight spot” 24th November).

While we are still waiting for Mr.Rajoy to explain his economic programme (if he has any at all), Catalonia has been implementing a tough programme of fiscal austerity that has involved an across the board budget reduction of 10% (not even politically sensitive areas such as health and education have been spared). This effort comes on top of the already significant net contribution Catalonia makes to the Spanish treasury, the so called "fiscal gap", much larger in relative terms than the German contribution to the EU.

The fact is that there is absolutely no evidence that a more centralized government would be better able to solve Spain’s economic problems (if economic history is of any guide you could as well reach the opposite conclusion), moreover, your correspondent’s longing for “one country” is at odds with the realities on the ground in Catalonia and the Basque Country, where a growing share of the population, as shown in the result of successive elections and in regular opinion polls, is actually demanding more self-government, not less.

Finally, after reading your staunch defense of centralism and the unitary state as a superior form of government for Spain I was left in doubt as to whether you are soon going to recommend the same recipe for the European Union...just imagine a stronger Brussels abolishing such “annoyances” as common law or driving on the left for the sake of market integration...

Sincerely yours,