This is a website for buyers, owners, and sellers of property in Spain, offering reliable information and resources to help you get things done with confidence. It is run by Mark Stücklin, author of the Spanish Property Doctor Column in The Sunday Times (2005-2008), and the book ‘Need to Know: Buying Property in Spain’ published by Collins.
The legendary (in these parts anyway) Catalan leader Josep Tarradellas once said something along the lines of ‘in politics anything goes except being ridiculous’ (“En política ‘espot fer tot, menys el ridícul‘” in Catalan). Radical Catalan separatists, who are now pressing their territorial claims in France, and promise “independence or barbarism” for Catalonia, are long past the ridiculous.
For weeks now catalan separatists have been causing trouble, mainly by blocking roads and burning rubbish containers, plus a bit of rioting. Last week radical separatists from the shadowy ‘Democratic Tsunami’ world and the ‘Committees for the Defence of the Republic’ blocked a motorway on the French side of the border, but were kicked out by French police when France returned to work after a public holiday. Following that, radical separatists have warned Paris, or at least the French consulate in Barcelona, that they intend to liberate what they call Northern Catalonia, which the rest of us know as the Roussillon region of Southern France (see their propaganda picture above).
The riots in Barcelona have died down, and the disruption campaign in the rest of Catalonia looks like petering out. On Saturday the radicals called for a “total blockade” of Barcelona, but in the end just a small crowd tried and failed to shut down a train station.
But much damage has been done in the process so far, and tales of woe abound. I’ve read of sick people having to soil themselves in bed because carers can’t reach them, lorry drivers attacking protesters because their jobs are on the line, and many businesses under pressure. Economic damage is inevitable, and many families will find themselves in trouble as breadwinners lose their jobs and can’t pay the mortgage. It can’t be good for the local property market.
Living in the centre of Barcelona, in the heart of the small area where most of the rioting has taken place, I’ve had my fair share of inconveniences to deal with in the last month, but none more so than being stuck in a massive traffic jam on a rainy night in the Pyrenees thanks to a separatist road-block on a wooded road. It was distressing for my family, especially my wife, who is not well, and no way to win people over to your cause. Seething in the traffic jam I also found myself blaming David Cameron for fueling the independence movement in Catalonia by caving into nationalist demands for a referendum in Scotland. Funny how the mind works when looking for someone to blame.
benjicat says:
Brilliant article that perfectly summarises the frustrations most of us have experienced to some degree or other, although I suspect the Woods episode will be hard to beat! My heart went out to the four of you.
oldjonesey says:
I can echo the concerns regarding the current problems in the Catalan Region. We were looking to buy there a couple of years ago and got caught up in one of the motorway blockades, which fortunately at that time was non-violent and only lasted a couple of hours. However our worries about this sort of activity increasing dissuaded us from buying in the region, as a result we began looking in Valencia and are now very happy with our property in Ador, and we have been made very welcome. I see no end in sight for the seperatists activities which can only be to the detriment of the region and the country as a whole.
brittanyman says:
Hello,yes Mark,I can also echo your sentiments,about David Cameron! He really has messed up everything!
My wife and I live in Brittany,and now with a General Election next month in Britain,we really are extremely concerned about the outcome,because if Johnson stays in power,we are in the direct line of fire,let me explain,we have already lost out by thousands of euros,due to the collapse of the Pound,the Tories have taken away our Winter Fuel Allowance,e.g..Ian Duncan Smith,and now we have read in our excellent English language newspaper the Connexion,that they plan to FREEZE our State Pensions!
This is said to go ahead in 2023,the excuse is that this will bring us into line with people who EMIGRATED for work to Canada,New Zealand and Australia,but those people were young,they went to these countries for a new life and work,not to retire,they were told that when reaching retirement age,there pensions would be frozen,but they probably had new pension plans with the new companies and also the country they were living in,but now these extreme Right Wing Conservatives want to put the people like us who retired in Britain and THEN moved to a European Union country in the same bracket!
What a vindictive move! They seek to punish us in every conceivable way,that is why we are so worried about the outcome of this election,I am trying to persuade friends and relatives to not vote Conservative,but so far no joy!
Not only will Johnson make life extremely difficult fir all the ex.pats in Europe,he will if elected,destroy all the things that have been enjoyed by the British people due to being a member if the European Union,workers rights consumer rights,environmental standards,the country will finish up back in the 1970,s with strikes every day,what are people thinking about when they believe the outright lies that Johnson spouts every time he opens his mouth!
We will fight this outrage tooth and nail!
Mark Stücklin says:
Yes, it’s a sad state of affairs, but the Lib Dems are the only alternative to the Tories this time around. Labour under Corbyn would be a disaster for the UK. I’m curious, what brings you to SPI if you live in Brittany?