Jump to content

Catalonia Independence


maqroll

Recommended Posts

How about Hong Kong and Macau?

Never gotten the feeling that they want to secede from the mainland, what they want (at least in HK's case) is for democracy to be preserved. The "1 Country, 2 Systems" policy seems to have worked fine for them so far, there's been some unhappiness recently I think though as apparently Beijing are trying to get their grimy hands into HK politics.

I always got the impression from when I was in HK and speaking to people, especially the younger generation (twenties etc) that given the choice they would rather still be under British rule as opposed to Chinese rule

Got the feeling most of them dislike (maybe even despise) mainlanders, but again, never got the feeling that there was secessionist tension. In fact, I'd say that the recent protests against Japanese claims in the Senkaku Islands (which spread to HK and Taiwan as well) suggests a high degree of ethnic unity with people from the mainland.

Regardless, even if HK, Macau and Taiwan were taken out of the equation, the 1.2 billion mainland citizens that are still in the equation, so to speak, are culturally extremely unified (and certainly much, much more so than European people are)

And despite our faults we are not a ridiculous communist dictatorship

*Pedant alert* Autocratic, maybe, but not a dictatorship. The President doesn't have absolute power, party officials still have legislative and executive powers. In fact, the CCP holds regular internal elections, it's just that only party members (IIRC) vote, the average citizen on the street, of course, doesn't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got the feeling most of them dislike (maybe even despise) mainlanders, but again, never got the feeling that there was secessionist tension. In fact, I'd say that the recent protests against Japanese claims in the Senkaku Islands (which spread to HK and Taiwan as well) suggests a high degree of ethnic unity with people from the mainland.

Regardless, even if HK, Macau and Taiwan were taken out of the equation, the 1.2 billion mainland citizens that are still in the equation, so to speak, are culturally extremely unified (and certainly much, much more so than European people are)

Possibly interesting data point (re: your point on Senkaku)

Out of 54 countries with which Washington has signed mutual-defense treaty obligations, plus two others (Israel and Mexico) that receive our implicit backing, a majority of Americans supports defending just 12. Countries that don’t reach the 50 percent threshold include our oldest ally, France, along with Japan, Poland, and Denmark. The only four countries that 60 percent of Americans are willing to defend are Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Israel.

Anglosphere, indeed (and if the question were asked re: Ireland, it's virtually certain that we'd have a fifth in the 60% club; NZ might also pass that threshold, as well)...

(as for the US being somewhat neutral in the Falklands, well, there was the Monroe Doctrine thing... and I don't believe HM Government had yet formally apologized for Queen...)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

It's sorta coming back to me now , was something about they would have to leave the European Union if they voted for independence

And why te commentator thought it unlikely the vote would ever win

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep they've been after it for years but the crisis has brought on the greater shout. I met a catalan in birmingham very recently. Very nice man, refused to speak spanish and was fiercely promoting catalan independence. He studies politics here too.

I know a bunch of catalans in birmingham, they're proud but not as proud as this chap.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The main concerns seem to be coming from businesses with a strong presence in Barcelona fearing the consequences of independence. Catalonia is economically better off than the rest of Spain, but were they to separate, it seems it would subsequently damage the Catalan economy anyway. A big publisher (can't remember which) has threatened to leave Barcelona should Catalonia become independent, for example.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Should make for a tense Classico....

 

 

Barcelona FC have made their feelings on the matter quite clear, they have adopted a kit which is basically the Catalonia flag (sideways) for this season and they even wore it at home for their league game on Saturday. 

 

sDxIF5Y.jpg

 

KqMfXyT.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...
Â