HOME RULE

By Jason Moore CATALONIA, the all power region whose capital is Barcelona, has made it clear that it wants far greater autonomy, in other-words home-rule. The Catalan parliament passed legislation last week calling for nation status. This is nothing new, during the Barcelona Olympic Games, the words Catalonia nation, first came to light but times have changed. Prime Minister Rodriguez Zapatero can't dismiss the Catalan's latest move, despite the uproar in the rest of the country, because he needs the support of the Catalan Nationalists to give him the necessary majority in parliament. So, he must take the issue seriously and have a debate and hope that the Catalans, are willing to see the issue quite nicely resolved. If they don't he's got problems. Two of Spain's key provinces have been flexing their muscles of late; the Basques want far greater autonomy and now the Catalans want to be declared a nation. On the horizon the Galicians also want more home rule. Is Spain as we know it, in danger of breaking-up? No, but Zapatero has plenty of fast-talking to do. Most of the main parties in Catalonia approved what has now been called the new statute, even Zapatero's own socialist party. I sincerely believe that the Prime Minister will have little option but to accept most of what Catalonia wants because otherwise he risks a major confrontation with a key province in Spain. Unfortunately, his problems will not end with Catalonia. Other provinces in Spain will want the same treatment. Keeping the various provinces under control will almost certainly give Zapatero plenty of headaches over the coming months.