Madrid and Catalonia have both backed themselves into corners of their own making

by Dramelin 8:30 AM 0 comments

A significant majority of the Spanish Senate later passed the measures proposed by Rajoy`s government under Article 155 of the Spanish constitution.
These allow the central government to terminate the executive roles of Puigdemont and his cabinet — though they could remain as local parliamentary deputies until fresh elections slated for December.
They also include the stripping of powers from the autonomous police force, which took effect just hours earlier, designed to help Madrid assert its legal authority through force if necessary in the days ahead.
The regional Police Commissioner, Josep Lluís Traper Álvarez, was already facing an investigation for sedition for his inaction during the preparations for the October 1 independence referendum that a Spanish court had deemed illegal; now he is out of a job.
A Spanish news agency reported that the director general of the 17,000-man autonomous Catalan police force, the Mossos d`Esquadra, was also dismissed.
The behavior of local police officers may come into focus soon, but it is the actions of the region`s civil servants that should be watched closely when they return to work, if a general strike called by a local union for Monday does not bring the city to a halt.
Grassroots pro-independence groups responsible for many of the larger protests in cities like Barcelona have called for mass civil disobedience, and the reaction of authorities in Madrid could serve to exacerbate this situation.
Several days ago I had the chance to ask the central government`s delegate to the Catalan region, Enric Millo, how Spanish authorities would seek to enforce discipline.
Speaking from his ornate office in the 19th century Montaner Palace, protected by multiple fences, armored vehicles and armed guards, he insisted that any separatist Catalan bureaucrats who refused to comply would lose access to their salaries and their roles, effective immediately.
Already, Spain`s most senior prosecutor has told a local TV network he would pursue charges of rebellion against Puigdemont, his senior advisers and even some of the Catalan parliament`s governing body who helped make the vote on Friday happen.
It may be more difficult to prosecute the 70 out of 135 parliamentary deputies who voted through the independence motion, since they did so in a secret ballot, aimed at preventing authorities in Madrid from identifying those that could be liable to criminal charges.