Catalonia Today, April 27, 2006 | Will PP unite the dispersed sovereignists?

Only one man, the Spanish opposition leader Mariano Rajoy, can help Catalan sovereignism to join forces over the Estatut referendum. The image of Rajoy unloading boxes containing four million signatures against the statute reform, in an open expression of anti-Catalanism, could animate the referendum. Rajoy's actions might well help the "yes"-vote parties (PSOE, PCS, CiU and ICV), who will have serious problems in getting their electorate to vote on June 18. But Rajoy might also be doing a favor to the chaotic pro-sovereignty sectors, who will thereby find arguments not to vote "no" and to take refuge in other opposition to vote that will mark a half-way point between the cutdown version of the text that was approved by the Catalan parliament and the antiCatalan centralism represented by Rajoy and the shadow of Aznar behind him. This week, ERC have to make a decision about how they will vote in the referendum. Rajoy and his four million signatures might even lend the pro-independence parties a helping hand, even if he does so involuntarily.

(Article de Saül Gordillo al setmanari Catalonia Today, 27 d'abril de 2006, pàgina 3.)