24/7: I don’t understand why a unionist ballot should be worth more than a pro-independence one

Vicenç Villatoro
1 min

Spain’s socialist leader Pedro Sánchez said to a newspaper that “it is wrong for one half of the people to impose their identity on the other half”. I dislike the choice of words, because I don’t think this is about imposing an identity but, instead, about coming up with political solutions.

Still, let’s assume it is, indeed, about identity. If one half cannot impose its identity on the other, surely the opposite is equally true. If half the people mustn’t impose their Catalan identity on the other half, it must be just as wrong for the latter to impose their Spanish identity on the former, which does not want it.

However, Mr Sánchez believes that there is one half that is entitled to it, whereas the other isn’t. Of course, we don’t even know whether we are actually talking about two halves or a majority versus a minority.

In the same vein, I have heard some say: independence cannot by imposed with a mere 50 per cent of the vote in favour. Well, it would be even more wrong to stop independence with only 30 per cent of the vote against it.

There are two options: Yes and No. The winner is the one which gets the most ballots. Otherwise, a unionist’s vote would be worth more than a separatist’s. If we do not accept the majority’s stance, we are giving veto powers to the minority.

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