Matthew Parris Matthew Parris

How not to handle an independence referendum

The October referendum on Catalan independence could become a tragic mess

issue 08 July 2017

If David Cameron seeks any testament to his handling of Britain’s difficulties with Scottish separatism, the mess that Spain is making of a very comparable demand from Catalan separatists could stand as grisly evidence of how not to do it.

The government of Catalonia in Barcelona has defied Madrid by announcing an October referendum on independence.

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