Chalk and Cheese
A Catalan Nationalist I know produced a map of the Catalan lands, with the slogan "Let's join the map for an Own State for the Catalan Countries" - and right away, in that slogan, we can see the biggest problem for Catalan independence, the thing that will mean it is Scotland, not Catalonia, which will be the trail-blazer of the re-emerging nations of Western Europe.
Nobody talks about unifying "the Scottish Countries", because there is only one. Just one, really quite remarkably homogenous, Scottish country, with recognised borders, and no desire to exceed those borders. What about the “Ulster Scots”, you might ask - but no political organisation seeking independence for Scotland has the slightest intention of claiming a single inch of any part of Ireland. As for Berwick, the general concensus appears to be that the English are welcome to it. In short, we all seem remarkably content to have independence for the territory which is at present administered by the devolved Scottish Parliament - the territory which has been administered for HUNDREDS OF YEARS under Scottish Law, which has always been different from English Law, since long before the two kingdoms of Scotland and England were united as the United Kingdom.
But if we look at the map of the "Greater Catalonia" created by "the Catalan Countries" joining together, no way is that just the "province" at present administered by the Catalan Parliament. It includes a lot of extra territory in the North, West, East, and South. In the north, that "Catalonia" includes considerable territory which is at present ruled as part of France, including Perpignan, at one time the second city of Catalonia. In the West, it swallows up the principality of Andorra, as well as other territories. To the South, a long stretch of the coast of Eastern Spain is included, including Valencia. To the East, Majorca, Minorca, and the Balearic Islands are included.
Now, maybe there is a case for including all of this as "Catalonia". But picking a fight with France ( !!!!!!! ) as well as Spain, and including a lot of other territories which are certain to be hotly disputed, shows us why we are lucky to have a less-complicated fight here in Scotland, and why we should concentrate on our own campaign, and not get dragged into the complications of other peoples' struggles.
Nobody talks about unifying "the Scottish Countries", because there is only one. Just one, really quite remarkably homogenous, Scottish country, with recognised borders, and no desire to exceed those borders. What about the “Ulster Scots”, you might ask - but no political organisation seeking independence for Scotland has the slightest intention of claiming a single inch of any part of Ireland. As for Berwick, the general concensus appears to be that the English are welcome to it. In short, we all seem remarkably content to have independence for the territory which is at present administered by the devolved Scottish Parliament - the territory which has been administered for HUNDREDS OF YEARS under Scottish Law, which has always been different from English Law, since long before the two kingdoms of Scotland and England were united as the United Kingdom.
But if we look at the map of the "Greater Catalonia" created by "the Catalan Countries" joining together, no way is that just the "province" at present administered by the Catalan Parliament. It includes a lot of extra territory in the North, West, East, and South. In the north, that "Catalonia" includes considerable territory which is at present ruled as part of France, including Perpignan, at one time the second city of Catalonia. In the West, it swallows up the principality of Andorra, as well as other territories. To the South, a long stretch of the coast of Eastern Spain is included, including Valencia. To the East, Majorca, Minorca, and the Balearic Islands are included.
Now, maybe there is a case for including all of this as "Catalonia". But picking a fight with France ( !!!!!!! ) as well as Spain, and including a lot of other territories which are certain to be hotly disputed, shows us why we are lucky to have a less-complicated fight here in Scotland, and why we should concentrate on our own campaign, and not get dragged into the complications of other peoples' struggles.