ON February 14 there will be elections to the Catalan parliament. These are not normal elections in a regional parliament but are yet another chapter in the confrontation between the Catalan independence movement and the Spanish state.

The European institutions are hoping that the Socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, will defuse the independence movement with some kind of negotiation. The problem is that Sanchez is very reluctant to negotiate, firstly, because his party is deeply Spanish nationalist and, secondly, because any concessions in Catalonia would be used against him by Spain’s ultra-nationalist right-wing parties.

Sanchez would need to be the party with the most votes in the elections to force a pact that would allow him to expel the pro-independence supporters from the Catalan institutions and end the crisis. If he succeeds, he will be able to say in Europe that the Catalan problem is deflating and that there is no need to worry.

READ MORE: Pro-independence Junts per Catalunya leading Catalan election race in poll

Will things go as the Spanish prime minister wishes? After three years of relentless repression, the grassroots independence movement remains determined and mobilised. Catalan pro-independence supporters see these elections as an opportunity to show that the Catalan problem has not gone away and will not go away as long as their demands are not heard.

Polls show a three-way tie between Junts, the pro-independence party of Carles Puigdemont, ERC, also pro-independence, and the PSC, the Catalan branch of the Spanish socialist party. The pro-independence parties could repeat the absolute majority and exceed 50% of the votes. Therefore, it seems unlikely that Sanchez’s party will win enough seats to form a non-independence government.

Europe has so far been inclined not to interfere in the Catalan case, for fear of stirring up other separatist movements and to avoid angering Spain. However, if pro-independence supporters achieve a resounding victory on February 14, Europe will have to accept that the Catalan problem will not be solved by looking the other way.

Maria M Garayoa
Barcelona

THE Scottish Land Commission’s 2019 report on concentration of land ownership is described as “the most substantial investigation into the issue conducted” (Measures proposed for land ownership, February 5).

In actual fact, the evidence for that report was based on a self-selecting survey of just 407 individuals. A substantial number of the respondents were positive about the benefits land ownership patterns provide and the report itself found there is no direct link between large scale land ownership and poor rural development – something the Scottish Government’s own research has confirmed. Where negative interview data was found, it was given added prominence in the report through highlighted case studies.

When the 2019 report was published, a debate was held in the Scottish Parliament to examine its contents. On the issue of a public interest test for land purchases, Cabinet Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said that a “great deal of work would be required” in order for such a test to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights. This is an important point that should not be overlooked.

Landowners operate as modern businesses involved in delivering Scottish Government policy in key areas such as agriculture, forestry, energy, leisure and tourism – and pursuing innovation, economic prosperity and employment opportunities. The stereotypical view of landowners held by some simply does not reflect current-day reality.

Mark Tennant
Chair, Scottish Land & Estates

NOW you hear it. Now you don’t. Little snippet on the BBC. The Queen lobbied Westminster in the 1970s not to disclose her personnel wealth. Should be a big media deal. Buckingham Palace spokesman puts out a statement. She didn’t. Problem vanishes. In the famous phrase coined by Mandy Rice-Davies during the call girl scandal at the Profumo case: “He would say that, wouldn’t he?”

Seems she also stepped in so that Balmoral and Sandringham would not have to put up with traffic regulations like everybody else.

This is the family, that every time there is a crisis, Her Britannic Majesty, The Queen Empress, Elizabeth the Second of England, gets her slot on the sycophantic media, telling how wonderful we all are at these difficult times and she shares our hardship. Aye right.

Hardship for her and her ever-expanding brood is having to squeeze their own toothpaste tube. When did they ever worry about meeting paying the bills? When did they ever worry about having a job next week or even have to do a night shift? Answer: they never have.

The royals, the pinnacle of the class system in this declining and decaying UK. What, in this 21st century, are they for – other than perpetrating this pathetic nonsense of Lords, Baronesses and Knights of the Realm? A gourmet meal ticket because of accident of birth should no longer be acceptable in a modern democracy. Time for change.

D Smart
Brechin