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| British expats unconvinced by Catalonian independence | British expats unconvinced by Catalonian independence |
| (4 months later) | |
| Contrary to the stereotype of the Brit in Spain, there are many Britons in Catalonia who are integrated, speak the language and are raising trilingual kids. But however well ensconced they are, there is a residual suspicion of the independence movement and all that it might mean. | Contrary to the stereotype of the Brit in Spain, there are many Britons in Catalonia who are integrated, speak the language and are raising trilingual kids. But however well ensconced they are, there is a residual suspicion of the independence movement and all that it might mean. |
| "Personally, I don't feel included at all," says Nick Bedford, who has lived in Barcelona for 30 years and is married to a Catalan. "No mention has been made in the independence project of other Europeans who actually live here. This is hardly surprising, since not even the much larger immigrant populations from Latin America, Africa and Asia are asked what they think." | "Personally, I don't feel included at all," says Nick Bedford, who has lived in Barcelona for 30 years and is married to a Catalan. "No mention has been made in the independence project of other Europeans who actually live here. This is hardly surprising, since not even the much larger immigrant populations from Latin America, Africa and Asia are asked what they think." |
| He says his two sons, aged 14 and 22, don't feel Spanish, Catalan or English. "They say they're from Barcelona. Their sense of belonging to the city seems more tangible to them than any sense of belonging to an imagined community like a nationality." | He says his two sons, aged 14 and 22, don't feel Spanish, Catalan or English. "They say they're from Barcelona. Their sense of belonging to the city seems more tangible to them than any sense of belonging to an imagined community like a nationality." |
| Deborah Rolph has lived here for eight years with her Galician partner. "I have an aversion to the pseudo-religious nature of the independence movement," she says. "I have had conversations in which Catalans have, with no hint of irony, compared Catalonia to Tibet." | Deborah Rolph has lived here for eight years with her Galician partner. "I have an aversion to the pseudo-religious nature of the independence movement," she says. "I have had conversations in which Catalans have, with no hint of irony, compared Catalonia to Tibet." |
| For Ryan Chandler, the editor at Barcelona INK, the city's leading literary journal in English, after 20 years as a resident "I definitely feel it's their thing and whatever opinions I have are kind of irrelevant to the argument they seem to be conducting. Who is 'included' in this project anyway?" | For Ryan Chandler, the editor at Barcelona INK, the city's leading literary journal in English, after 20 years as a resident "I definitely feel it's their thing and whatever opinions I have are kind of irrelevant to the argument they seem to be conducting. Who is 'included' in this project anyway?" |
| He adds that if the separation from Spain were amicable it would be fine but believes the probability of that is nil. "I think, living in Barcelona, which is a vibrant and ethnically mixed city, it wouldn't make much difference at all. These days, most major international cities are almost republics in themselves." | He adds that if the separation from Spain were amicable it would be fine but believes the probability of that is nil. "I think, living in Barcelona, which is a vibrant and ethnically mixed city, it wouldn't make much difference at all. These days, most major international cities are almost republics in themselves." |
| After 25 years in Barcelona, Judy Thomson doesn't feel Catalan. "But I don't feel particularly British either; European if anything. For the kids, who are 17 and 22, Barcelona is home but they have a strong sense of being English. I'd be afraid that in an independent Catalonia horizons would be more limited, issues would become smaller, interests more and more parochial. However, if Catalans no longer have to fight with a central government in Madrid, perhaps they would become less self-involved and perhaps more outward looking." | After 25 years in Barcelona, Judy Thomson doesn't feel Catalan. "But I don't feel particularly British either; European if anything. For the kids, who are 17 and 22, Barcelona is home but they have a strong sense of being English. I'd be afraid that in an independent Catalonia horizons would be more limited, issues would become smaller, interests more and more parochial. However, if Catalans no longer have to fight with a central government in Madrid, perhaps they would become less self-involved and perhaps more outward looking." |
| Nick Lloyd, who runs tours of the civil war sites in Barcelona, has also been a resident for more than 20 years and his partner comes from Barcelona. "I don't feel Catalan as I refuse to see myself politically in terms of any national identity, but I do feel as much Barcelonan, and proudly so, as anything these days," he says. "I don't feel included in the independence project and neither do most of my Catalan friends and family. At least in its present form it seems a useful smokescreen for the terrible cuts and privatisation of public services going on here. | Nick Lloyd, who runs tours of the civil war sites in Barcelona, has also been a resident for more than 20 years and his partner comes from Barcelona. "I don't feel Catalan as I refuse to see myself politically in terms of any national identity, but I do feel as much Barcelonan, and proudly so, as anything these days," he says. "I don't feel included in the independence project and neither do most of my Catalan friends and family. At least in its present form it seems a useful smokescreen for the terrible cuts and privatisation of public services going on here. |
| "I think independence would be potentially extremely divisive with large elements of Catalan society, principally from poorer, working-class areas feeling excluded. The process could take decades to heal." | "I think independence would be potentially extremely divisive with large elements of Catalan society, principally from poorer, working-class areas feeling excluded. The process could take decades to heal." |
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