So, the Catalan political compass, like the Basque one, has for its main axis the nationalist one, and for its secondary axis the left-right one.
On this note, given the Social Democrats' acceptance of the conventional economic wisdom, the economic left-right axis is losing importance also in Spain as a whole, and being replaced by a nationalism axis. When the economic left-right distinction between the main parties fades, "left-right" begins to refer more and more to libertarian/authoritarian.
So, on the nationalist axis we have:
CiU is part of the Europe of the Nations group in the European Parliament. Like the Basque PNV they belong in the European People's Party more than the PP, but the PP shut them out, and they may have put their nationalism ahead of their Christian Democrat/Liberal ideology. CiU represents the traditional Calalan bourgeoisie.
ERC is the Catalan equivalent of Batasuna, extreme left independentists with past ties to violent independentism (ERC under Heribert Barrera was the political arm of Terra Lliure, which was active in the 1970's) and current ties with the squatter/anarchist movement in Barcelona. ERC has a 25-30 year lead on Batasuna in their transformation into a mainstream political party, obviously.
The PSC's mistake has been to try to out-nationalist CiU in order to attain power. They have paid dearly as people have voted for the real thing, especially after Zapatero imposed the replacement of Maragall [of 1992 olympic fame] with Montilla, though bilingual, is a charnego (immigrant from outside Catalonia).
Finally, let us not forget that the Catalan Statute was hammered out in one long Saturday by Zapatero and CiU's Artur Mas, much to the surprise of Maragall and Unio's Duran-Lleida, and to the chagrin of ERC's Carod-Rovira, who then tightened his position until Maragall was forced to throw ERC out of the 3-party government. [Note: CiU is a coalition of Christian Democrat Unio, led by Duran who is the CiU leader in the Madrid parliament and might become a minister after the next election cycle; and Liberal Convergencia which is the senior coalition partner and led by Mas and formerly by Pujol who was Catalan President for 5 consecutive terms] Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
Conceptualizing the vertical axis as the nationalist cleavage, and the horizontal as the left right you get the following:
Nationalist ERC | CiU Left ==|== Right PSC | PP Anti-Nationalist And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg
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2nd try.
Nationalist ERC | CiU Left =|= Right PSC | PP Anti-Nationalist And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg
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The PSC is going to have its electoral space eaten away because it tries to be all things to all people while ICV, ERC, C, and CiU have a narrower focus and thus a clearer message. Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
Note also that the Left swept the National Senate elections in Catalonia last time (12 senators to 4 for CiU) but the way this was achieved was that the PSC did not run under the PSC/PSOE banner but under Entesa Catalana de Progrès [Catalan Progressive Entente, see this old comment of mine], in other words, the 3-party coalition under a progressive catalanist banner. Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
What you say about the nationalist element superceding the left/right element is important. In the Basque Country, the PNV has no credible left opponent. The PCTV/EHAK is a marginal force, not of the relative equivalence of that ERC has to CiU. ERC is the kingmaker, a nationalist coalition would render national national poltics meaningless in Catalan elections.
The development of divergent political systems like this will lead to the divergence of the Spanish regions, and possibly the disintegration of Spain in the long term. That would entail Balkanization, not a bright prospect for Western Europe. Thus only a CiU-PSC coallition is acceptable. No one will pact with the PP save possibly the CiU, that means the two coalitions above are the only viable options. And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg
I hope I am right to think that not even CiU would dare pact with the PP, given the acrimony against anything catalan they have created. Our knowledge has surpassed our wisdom. -Charu Saxena.
Honestly, if the National PP had not been so rabidly anti-catalan, Josep Pique could have taken a catalanist anti-nationalist position and done better at the expense of Ciutadans. Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
EA is the credible left opponent of the PNV. It is a splinter party founded by the former PNV lehendakari Carlos Garaikoetxea and has in recent years been running in a coalition as PNV/EA, but I think the coalition is splitting apart again.
Aralar is also a credible left threat to the PNV, but if Batasuna does refound itself and renounce violence Aralar is likely to disappear by merging into it or into the PSE (as Euzkadiko Ezquerra once did). Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
I heeded MfM's advice and put ICV to the left of ERC. Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
