The paradox at the heart of Catalan separatism

Driving out of Barcelona, into the rural hinterland of Catalonia, you soon lose count of all the Catalan flags flying from lamp posts along the highway. This isn’t the state-sanctioned Catalan flag, La Senyera, but the banned rebel flag, L’Estelada – red and yellow stripes, like the official flag, but with a rebel star upon it, like the flags of Cuba and Puerto Rica (two other nations that threw off the Spanish yoke, with variable results). Yet when you arrive in Lleida, Catalonia’s only landlocked province, and get talking to a few locals, it soon becomes clear that the Catalan independence story is actually a lot more nuanced.

I’d returned to Spain, after a few weeks away, to visit Sorigué, one of the country’s most successful and innovative companies. A family-run firm, based in Lleida, it’s a fine example of why Catalonia has become Spain’s economic powerhouse. Founded back in 1956, it employs 3,200 people, and boasts an annual turnover of over £358m (€400m).