The European Union is not the right body, but an independent third party could help Madrid and Barcelona ease the confrontation before it is too lateEverything about the increasingly polarised stand-off between Spain and Catalonia suggests a crisis that could and should have been averted by earlier and wiser actions on both sides. Instead, the two antagonists are now becoming too deeply entrenched for either of them to de-escalate with honour or with the agreement of their most fervent supporters. The situation is volatile and dangerous and it is getting more so. The president of Spain´s Basque region, Iñigo Urkullu, is clearly right to say, in our Opinion pages today, that a political solution based on dialogue and negotiation is required.There is no mileage in the blame game. Spain´s weekend move towards the imposition of direct rule did not start this process, any more than Catalonia´s declaration of independence did. Both actions were provocative, part of a ratcheting of defiance between two leaders, Mariano Rajoy in Madrid and Carles Puigdemont in Barcelona, who have each made mistakes while at the same time appearing keen to keep the dispute from getting out of hand. Yet events may now be slipping quickly out of their control. Mr Puigdemont is under pressure to get Catalan MPs to vote for a unilateral declaration of independence as early as Thursday. A day later, however, the Spanish senate is expected to strip the Catalan administration of its powers and transfer them to Mr Rajoy in Madrid. The crisis remains resolvable and overwhelmingly peaceful. But neither of these things may last. Continue reading...
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