Here are a few articles from today. The Financial Times continues with excellent coverage.
Financial Times: Catalan with Spain's future in his hands, by David Gardner (free registration required)
"With an economy the size of Portugal’s, it has acquired the heaviest debt burden of any region. Catalan officials and economists say they would be solvent if they had a similar agreement to the Basques, who transfer up to ten times less per capita to the Spanish fiscal pot than they do. Catalonia, they say, hands over to Madrid about €18bn a year, or 9 per cent of economic output – an amount that exceeds the demands of equitable transfer to poorer regions, which many federal systems cap at around half that level."
The Wall Street Journal: Don't Underestimate Spanish Democracy
"So it smells like the 1930s all over again. Except it isn’t the 1930s all over again. So put away George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway and Laurie Lee."
Los Angeles Times: Latest threat to the Eurozone: Catalonia Independence Quest, by Carol J. Williams
"Catalonia secession is neither a sure thing nor an imminent one, analysts note. Catalans for centuries have been bandying about the idea of independence for their thriving bastion of manufacturing, shipping, tourism and culture."
Irish Examiner: The pain in Spain, by Richard Fitzpatrick
"Catalonia, the region in the north-east of Spain where the Sant Andreu graveyard deaths occurred, recently cut its disability support budget by 57%. Meanwhile, suicides in Catalonia increased by 10% in 2011 from the previous year admits the Catalan government, which reflects a nationwide trend. "
The National: Catalan independence "impossible to stop", by Eric Randolph
"But that began to change in September 2009 when the local council in a small town called Arenys de Munt tried to hold a referendum on independence that was blocked by the Spanish authorities." (Note that Randolph's claim that they voted Thursday to hold referendum on 25-N is mistaken.)
Time: Why Catalonia Isn't Likely to Leave Spain Anytime Soon, by Lisa Abend
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