Sir, – As a Catalan living in Ireland for many years, I would like to congratulate your newspaper for the excellent reporting of the present situation in Catalonia.
I was born and grew up in Barcelona during the time of Gen Franco’s dictatorship, a fact that undoubtedly has influenced my view of many things. At that time anything Catalan (except such things as the old traditional dress and a few folksongs) was viewed with suspicion and therefore had to be suppressed. Fortunately we have moved on, but it frightens and saddens me to see today’s Spanish government using some of the same methods that were used then, eg the constant use of threats and prohibitions instead of dialogue and compromise, the refusal to listen, the suspicion and the authoritarian attitude.
Has intransigence, whether in the political or private area, ever yielded any positive outcome? –Yours, etc,
CONCHA GILLESPIE,
Ballinteer, Dublin 16.
Sir, – Niall Gillespie's assertion that Catalonia is a "colony" of Spain is ludicrous. Perhaps he is ignorant of what a colony actually is?
Catalans have full rights within Spain and a free vote in electing members to the national parliament. Catalonia is an autonomous community with more self-governance than probably any other region in Europe, with the exception of the Basque Country. Obviously I am referring to the Spanish Basque region since the French Basque region has no autonomy worth mentioning. – Yours, etc,
MATTHEW GLOVER,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.