Aznar managed to fool some newspaper editors with the ETA story on 11 March 2004. Over the next few days, text messages and international newspapers exposed the fact that a lying government had tried to muddy the waters about the train bombings in Madrid. Now, nothing makes the PP, Foreign Minister Margallo and their friends more uncomfortable than the Catalan independence process being mentioned in foreign media. That is because they don't control them and because, despite Madrid’s meddling, more and more journalists are relying on Catalan sources and the result is closer to reality than to Rajoy's wishes.
Mas' international strategy receives all sorts of attacks that are just ridiculous, because they contradict each other. The same people who ridicule it claiming that it is futile are also angered by the fact that it is being carried out. They deny it having any influence and decry the expenses it entails. Now the PP claims that journalists who sympathise with the process are being bribed and have their trips paid for. You can imagine them waiting for the press cuttings every morning, laughing and being outraged at the same time, looking through each piece of news, stating that it is nonsense and then finding it very worrying.
This reaction confirms that the path we have taken is the right one. It was vital, it still is and will be increasingly so. If they are so worried about it, then Rajoy's government has a great opportunity to improve its international image and to spare itself criticism: to allow Spain, on the 27th of September, to be seen as a democratic state and to allow all Catalans living abroad to vote without any hitches. Just in case it doesn't happen this year either, which would be very serious indeed --although sadly foreseeable-- we will have to start warning the foreign media, as it is the only thing which makes them nervous.
