My five years in Catalonia have not once been 'soured' by contact with people who are proud of their heritage or language. But this is probably because I approached life in a new country with an open mind. In short, I don't call the locals stupid or evil for believing in themselves.

I imagine that had I adopted the position that I would never learn Catalan because it's a waste of time, or if I decided to laugh at people who describe themselves as Catalan not Spanish, or if I expected every Catalan to be a sombrero toting expert in flamenco, I too would be feeling lonely and unwanted. But that's because adopting those attitudes would make me a complete prick: it's not for me to tell the people who are originally from here what they may call themselves or how they should behave.

As to the so-called 'cerrado' thing, I've never met a Catalan who describes himself in this way. I live in a suburb of Barcelona which has large populations of Catalans and Spaniards. Both groups go to the Irish pub to get drunk, both groups moan and grumble at the Penya Barcelonista, both groups seem to enjoy the Correfoc when it marauds down their streets.

Maybe it's just that all the Catalans I know are perversely friendly, open, kind and cheerful.

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89% of Catalan Parliament considers itself catalanist. Catalanism is just the will to protect Catalan culture, which doesn't mean being independentist. Catalanist parties are CiU, PSC, ERC and IC. Non-catalanist parties are PPC and C's.

The only cerrado here is you. You don't even know Catalan words for Catalan issues. We don't wanna know who you are, we'd just be pleased if you leave.

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I rest my case

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There are plenty of them. They are not the majority, thank goodness, but they sour the experience nontheless.

I live here despite this and so do many others. No place is perfect. As far as data is concerned, you'll just have to take my word for it. I'm not going to divulge who I am or what I do on the internet.

To deny that Catalans are more cerrado, as they call it is to deny something they freely admit themselves. Catalanistas exhibit an exponent of this cerrado attitude.

The bit about Val d'Aran is a fact. Why don't you ask Catalans who've been there. I've been there half a dozen times, both in summer and in winter.

There are always exeptions to the rule. For instance, Scots hate the english. But during my travels there, I found one who doesn't.

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Secondly, I'd question a lot of your generalisations about Catalanistas, foreigners and the rest of Spain. I've travelled a fair bit in Spain and I've never noticed much of a difference in the treatment I've received. I do know, however, that my mother in law (a Manchega) got told "Fuck off you Catalan" by a Madrileño in Sevilla. I guess that means that all Madrileños are arseholes.

Likewise, your claim that "The reason quoted most often by foreigners who leave Catalunya is that they were made to feel unwelcome and found it almost impossible to make friends" smacks of being a made up statistic. Could you back it up with some data? Also, what of the foreigners who don't leave Catalonia? Do they stay here because of the unfriendliness or despite it? Out of the nearly 1M British citizens living in Spain, some of them must live in Catalonia and not be desperately unhappy about it. I'm one for starters.

"Within Catalunya there is an area called Val d'Aran. It is quite isolated. The people there are notorious for treating people from the rest of Catalonia with the same disdain as with which those in Barcelona treat foreigners" yeah yeah and the Mallorquins refuse to speak Catalan with people from Barcelona. And the people of Zaragoza are racists who throw bananas at black athletes. And all Moroccans are thieves. Way to go with the stereotyping.

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The reason quoted most often by foreigners who leave Catalunya is that they were made to feel unwelcome and found it almost impossible to make friends. This is mostly among younger people with whom it is fashionable to be catalanista and seperatist.

When visiting Madrid, for example, people are shocked at the difference. After having spent a lot of time in Barcelona you almost forget what it's like to be in a friendly city.

Within Catalunya there is an area called Val d'Aran. It is quite isolated. The people there are notorious for treating people from the rest of Catalonia with the same disdain as with which those in Barcelona treat foreigners.

But I'm sure Mr Morrison has never met an unfriendly Aranese person either. He's very lucky indeed…

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Dick, sorry mate but that is utter rubbish. Every catalan person I have ever met has been sound and I am english. In my experience, they dont want to be spanish but they dont hate the spanish. Its your prejudiced attitude that I find disgusting. You are just living up to your name mate.

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I can understand why Catalan people want to protect their culture and their heritage. Everybody does.
But let's discuss some of the arguments presented by the Catalanistas in support of their nationalist cause:
1. Spanish language and culture were imposed upon them and they have the right to impose catalan language and culture on others:
Catalunya was an imperialist, colonialist power. Catalans went out and conquered Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, etc.
If you want to be neutral and keep to yourself, you don't go out and build an empire.
There's no use crying big catalanista tears about language and culture being imposed upon you when you did the same to others.

2. Catalan language and culture must be protected:
No problem. Do so by celebrating your culture openly and with maximum participation by catalans and non catalans alike. Open your arms to foreigners and embrace them. They will embrace you in return and marvel at your self confidence and pride; they will tell stories about how nice an experience it was to break bread with you and to dance your national dance, etc.
Instead, catalanistas use their language to EXCLUDE others. The attitude towards non-catalans is positively negative and xenophobic. Disgusting!

3. Catalanistas complain that they have to pay taxes to Madrid:
One can't help but draw a parallel with fascist Spain during the civil war: Fascists were afraid that the republicans would take their land and posessions. "Hands off our money!!"
Catalans are privileged to occupy some prime real estate. This doesn't mean they are better than people in Extremadura, for example. Catalans have become relatively rich with money pouring in from abroad. Gifts from the EU. Tourism. Foreigners spending their retirement savings here. Instead of being grateful, catalanistas have an attitude.

The idea that rich provinces should keep all the money for themselves and not share with the less fortunate is based on pure greed. No wonder people in the rest of Spain have negative feelings toward catalans.

3. FC Barcelona and catalá are national symbols.
Language is for communication; football is a sport. Language and football are not gracefully used as political tools. Yet that is all that Barça and catalá are: crude political tools in some war for, wait for it….POWER.

In a war for power the weak ultimately lose. Catalanistas display their weakness in their humorous belief that they exist on the peninsula of Catalunya. Ignoring the rest of Spain is not going to make it disappear.
Strength comes from engagement, from dialogue, from inclusion. The more you separate yourself, the weaker you become. It's funny that in today's global village this escapes catalanistas completely.

Until catalans start to operate from their strengths instead of their weaknesses, they will always lose, as they always have.

Dick

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The blogs I was referring to are not simply the product of 'loonies'. That's the sort of language they use – and I don't like it. I'm pretty sure that what their position really comes down to is a hatred of socialism that obliges them to attempt to rehabilitate the truly atrocious history of Franco's Spain. They're revisionists, pure and simple. While popular, I don't find being an apologist for fascism to be a particularly wholesome attitude.

Incidentally, the same writers love to use terms like 'national-socialist' or 'nationalist-socialist' when referring to the Tripartit, PSC or most especially ERC. This has always struck me as both disingenous and malicious: the intention is clearly to give American readers the idea that these parties or government are Nazi-like. And yet, the PP – founded by fascists – is somehow simply 'centrist'. Funny, that.

Those of you in Catalonia: enjoy the lovely weather. I've just made it back to el poble (in England) and it's pretty miserable here.

Fins després.
Tom

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I would say that Esquerra's nationalism takes a different tack from CiU's though (to which I have been mainly referring) and does take a broader look at society rather than just considering its own boys. Unfortunately, the grand idea of creating mass interest in independence is more about moulding society to its own ideas rather than reflecting society, and as such is unlikely to get off the ground. And though Esquerra's key ideas (at least those emanating from Carod's circle) do have a certain logic to them, when it comes to policy ideas, they simply do what their 'bases' (middle-class nationalists of a slightly more intransigent bent) expect of them and abandon their integrationist philosophy. Carod regularly mentions depoliticising the language, which makes sense, but then comes up with policies such as the playground language police referred to in Tom's original piece.

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I don't think Catalan Nationalism is going to disappear overnight, but it's definitely on the wane. I work with young people and over the past 5 years I've noticed a big drop in the amount of youngsters who are committed to nationalism (the ones that are interested have become more radical though). I do straw polls with quite large samples of 18-21 year-olds and 5 years ago about 80% were voting Esquerra (when it was a bit of an unknown quantity), now that's down to about 30%.

I agree that the lack of an attractive alternative option is a problem, especially for young people.

I don't pick Avui up very often, but the content has always seemed fairly hard-line nationalist to me and more or less in line with the ideas of ERC.

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