´óÏó´«Ã½

HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to a man who is currently involved in an election campaign which promises to have a profound impact on the future of Spain and significant reverberations around the whole of Europe. Raul Romeva is a champion of independence for Catalonia – he leads a coalition of pro-secession parties who are attempting to turn regional elections in late September into a de facto referendum on breaking away from the rest of Spain. It’s a cause which has united pro-independence forces on the right, the left and in Romeva’s case the Green wing of Catalan politics. He says that a resounding vote for Yes in this regional poll will put Catalonia on a path to independence within 18 months; but that may well be wishful thinking. The Madrid Governemnt is adamant that any moves toward secession will be unconstitutional. Spain faces a prolonged period of bitter argument. And even if the secessionists in Catalonioa got their way what kind of future would their land of 7.5 million have? Would it be allowed into the EU? Would the prosperous local economy thrive or collapse? These are issues which mirror the arguments heard during the Scottish referendum on independence. In an age of great uncertainty for all Europeans the Scots backed away from going it alone – will Catalans ultimately do the same?