Nobody asked but …
I know how I feel relative to the problem in Catalonia. I favor Catalonian Independence. But it makes me really examine how I feel about separatist situations in general.
I look first at the situation with the province of Ulster in Ireland, a province that was broken out and retained by the British Crown when the Irish had finally impressed upon them the idea that they wished to be free. In the case with Ulster, it was that an interloper in Ireland had cordoned off a section of the country that they wished to keep as extortion for the freedom of the rest of the country. I feel Ulster should be rejoined to Ireland — then if they want to be separate from Dublin, so be it.
In Catalonia it is a case where ancient territorialism is coming into play. I am in favor of the separatists just as I am in favor of any other province of Spain breaking apart from the statist whole. I was in favor of the efforts in Scotland to separate from Great Britain. I am in favor of any fictionalized territorial group deciding to break free from their historical masters.
In this country, I generally favor secession of any state that wants to do it. For instance, right now I’m kind of pulling for California to secede, not because I have any sympathy for Californians, but because I am curious to see whether it will work. In principle, I support any action that is generated from within the territory by the people themselves, in other words, self-determination. I am suspect of any action that is generated by outsiders. This leaves the not inconsiderable problem of how decisions get made (as in referenda, or voting events of any stripe, or street movements). Stay tuned.
— Kilgore Forelle
