After last week's passing of the bill by Catalan's government and parliament, which allowed the autonomous community of Catalonia to hold its independence referendum, on October, 1, Spain's state prosecutor could not have reacted in more bitter ways: By repudiating the referendum all together, labeling the whole affair as an illegal act.
Not to be taken lightly, the Spanish government's message was made loud and clear, by promptly laying criminal charges against every single member of the Catalan parliament, (those voting in favor of the bill).
This last Wednesday, though, it was time for 712 Catalan mayors to feel the fury of the Spanish state.
After finding themselves under criminal investigation on suspicion of collaborating with the referendum, and with possible arrests for those not complying with the law, the anti-democratic alarm bell sounded, with rippling reactions throughout the world.
Catalan referendum: Will that be how the cookie crumbles?
With 16 days for the illegal referendum to take place, it becomes necessary putting it into context. Catalonia's desire to break with the Spanish Kingdom is anything but new, one knows. If succeeded on heading towards an independent republic state, a piece of the pie will disappear from EU's political and economic block. The echo it may send, then, to its neighbors will have one meaning only: Join Catalonia and free your Nation from the regulations of Brussels.
As for the EU, getting a grip on matters as such will undoubtedly be a constant topic in future years, as the recurrent symptom grows - Economic pain, the only aspect shared by the majority of citizens in the block.
Historically, there is yet to be seen a revolution which rose in times of prosperity. The mounting pressure from an insurgent rise of so-called war refugees, (mostly men, not entirely Syrian citizens, who simply look for better jobs) into the EU block, already poses a real threat to a deeply saturated economy.
Trailing on finding solutions to please Greeks and Trojans, the proportions of this seemingly tiny little affair in the Catalonia community is bound to strike another blow on the bleeding wound that recently opened with Brexit.
Catalan referendum: History taking a ride by jumping on the bandwagon
Unable to admit its guilt, loss, and fears, with the aftermath of Brexit yet to come, EU's stance on pushing the UK, (so that others won't follow) lacks insight into its inner borders.
Instead, what it shows is pretty much the picture where severe negligence always paves the way for incompetence.
As nationalist uprising surge daily and on every corner within the block, perhaps what the world repeatedly fails to grasp, here, is the tell-tale of a fight for territory and power, between far, too old egos.
Failing, also, to ever address its first economic mistake of not consolidating the European debt as a whole, 32-years after the famous Plaza Accord, (in 1985), which intended to break the dollar's strength, as world's reserve currency, (hence, the creation of the euro), the raw truth is that EU members never really understood, nor accepted, their multitude of cultural differences and languages.
Having that said, the Catalonia referendum may well be just another piece of a domino effect, progressively falling ever since Europeans realized how the common currency came in too cheap for Germany, and absurdly expensive for all of the others.
Preparing for rack and ruin
Ultimately and in perspective, to not see how it all relates might be Europe's final blow, with bitter end results. When economic pain is all that the European Union really has in common, no one wonders anymore about the reasons, let alone the causes.
And in the final conclusion, it actually seems odd trying to foresee a continent where its main, common language for business and all other purposes is and shall continue to be that of English, the Nation that is just about to jump off the boat.
