'Libération' wonders: Catalonia, mirage of independence?

The French newspaper 'Libération' has recently published an article in which it wonders how independentism is growing in Catalonia due to the unfair treatment it receives by the Spanish state. In the newspaper's own words: "Catalans pay too much and Spain, their stepmother, does not compensate them. [...] It's true that in this region of Spain - which is one of the richest regions and represents the 20% of the Spanish GDP - the smell of independence is more and more intense".

'Libération' points out that the largest national Catalan party (CIU), which has always had a moderate point of view towards independence, is now changing its mind due to the "discontent of the Catalan society towards the appeals lodged by the Spanish conservative party Partido Popular against the Catalan Statute". Actually, the French newspaper remembers the demonstration taken in Barcelona on July 2010, when more than one million people complained to the Spanish government for having cut the Catalan statute voted by Catalans in referendum.

CIU knows it has the power to make Catalans aware of needing independence from Spain. However, as 'Libération' also asserts, Catalonia's President and CIU's leader Artur Mas is still too ambiguous which makes independence a tangible goal though distant.