The King’s Speech

At the Wall Street Journal former Spanish foreign minister Ana Palacio writes about King Felipe’s speech and the Catalonian referendum:

The other constant in international coverage has been calls for “dialogue” or “mediation” between Spain and Catalonia. This is simply wrongheaded. “Dialogue” in general terms does not mean anything. It is pointless given that Catalan secessionist authorities refuse to live up to or even recognize their responsibilities under the law. “Mediation” connotes a bilateral relationship that does not exist. Catalonia is part of Spain. This is an internal issue that must be addressed by all of Spain.

So far the Spanish government has held back from invoking its constitutional authority to suspend home rule in Catalonia. But as the king said on Tuesday, “the legitimate powers of the state have the responsibility to guarantee constitutional order and the normal functioning of institutions.”

What’s really needed is introspection. As the king rightly noted, “Catalan society is fractured.” Spain needs to respond to what has happened, and to its causes. This will almost certainly involve a discussion about the future of the Spanish Constitution.

Catalonia has been part of Spain for the last millennium. To the best of my ability to determine it has no history apart from Spanish history. To my eye it appears to be a linguistic community rather than a country.

And I repeat the questions I posed before the referendum: what is the unit of measure of sovereignty? The nation? The county? The city? The block? The house? The individual?