Catalan Update

The Spanish federal government is doing just about everything possible to prevent the succession vote on 1 October by the state of Catalan.

Two days ago, the high court of Spain stepped in and basically ordered the election process to end.  They've given enough orders that the federal cops can step in and grab ballots anywhere they find them.

As for what likely happens on 1 October?

I would imagine that ballots will be printed out via regular copy machines and thousands of locals will stand in the way of the federal cops who have orders to halt and prevent the state election.  The end-result will be at least 100,000 legit ballots cast, and 99-percent voting to exit the Spanish state.  At that point, the Catalan folks will give some directions and start some exit.  The federal cops will react and try to prevent that.

All of this goes to a rather simple scripted mess.

Of all the regions of Spain....Catalan represents twenty-percent of the GDP of Spain itself.  It's a big chunk of money that they create there.  It's region represents roughly 15-percent of the nation of Spain but makes almost a quarter of it's exports.  Without Catalan?  Spain won't be able to hand out the 'gifts' to the rest of the country at the same level it's been doing. Catalan?  I would imagine that they'd dump military requirements entirely, and be able to reduce the sales tax rate (the VAT) from the present 21-percent down to 14-percent....rather quickly.  Attracting companies to relocate into Catalan?  That'd probably become one of the major problems in Spain and start a trend of disintegration.

But this whole exit thing would then start to come back up in Italy and a dozen other European countries.

It's worth watching Catalan over the next three weeks, and how this election goes.  The federal cop involvement?  It'll only make public view of the federal cops more negative in the end.