Facilitators, middlemen, discrete openings so that both sides could start to talk to – and not scream at – each other again and try to reach a compromise, are these now European dirty words?
It is time for the Spanish establishment to realise that their country, like any other democracy, can’t be maintained harmoniously only by threatening the use of force and prison sentences.
The time has now come for Europe to make its voice heard, after Madrid’s brutal repression and its failure to listen to that many of its own people.
If there were one word to characterise these elections, it was crafted by Melenchon and is “dégagisme”, or cleaning-out.
The French have used their democracy to give this young man in an old country a chance to experiment with a new type of politics. But have we tried everything?
So, this new situation which looked simple with a choice between two different types of societies, has to face once again a bitter resistance from entrenched political interests from all sides.
Every country, just like any individual, has to live with its own mess and pay the price for it.
On the eve of 2017, author of ‘Catalonia vs. Spain - a clash of two nationalisms’ has second thoughts about what’s possible.
The Big Tent model has given way to a fight to the finish between ideologues and pragmatists, both further and further away from the “People” they are supposed to represent.
Referenda are a populist gimmick drafted to unite as many people as possible on a single issue. They work when leaders are popular and voters vote for the messenger.
After Sunday's regional elections, will the French be able to stop FN from finally breaking through the fragile glass ceiling? And what about the renewed political world that voters want?
No European country, even Britain, can defend herself any more on her own and each one is now a potential target for ISIS.
