Alastair Kneale's blog

Nearly 900 people were reported to have been hurt yesterday after riot police stormed polling stations, dragging out voters and firing rubber bullets into crowds. Intimidation by the Spanish state did not prevent millions of Catalans managing to cast their ballots, however, others were forcibly stopped from voting as schools housing ballot boxes were raided by police. On a day that saw the reputation of Spain in absolute tatters, the bravery of the Catalan people stands in stark contrast to the cowardly and abusive behaviour of the Spanish national police and paramilitary Civil Guard. 

News from the Celtic League:

A Catalan Member of Parliament (MEP) I used to know posted on Twitter this morning:

“Spanish police using violence against Catalan voters. Don’t ever call it a democracy again #CatalanReferendum"

There is strong support from those in the Celtic nations for the democratic right of the people of  Catalonia to hold a referendum on independence from Spain. This has been clearly stated by the Scottish government and progressive nationalist parties in the Celtic nations of Brittany, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The Celtic League has also been clear in its support for the right of the Catalan people to determine their own future.

News from the Celtic League:

There has been a fair amount of criticism levelled against the Manx government over recent weeks. It has come from a variety of sources as you would expect in any democratic society where freedom of expression is recognised as a human right under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognised in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The comments pointed towards the Manx government recently have come from a variety of sources, including political organisations, pressure groups and individuals.

The northern most point on the Isle of Man (Mannin) is the Point of Ayre (Manx: Kione ny h-Ayrey). It is the closest point on the Isle of Man to the island of Britain, being some 16 miles (26 kilometres) south of Burrow Head in Scotland. The name Ayre comes from the Norse word Eyrr meaning gravel bank. A name that reflects the Scandinavian influences after the arrival of the Vikings on the Isle of Man at the end of the 8th century. Resulting in a mix of Norse and Gaelic place names throughout the Island. 

Raids on Catalan government offices this morning saw Spanish police arrest Catalonia's junior economy minister Josep Maria Jove. This comes ahead of the Catalan referendum on independence from Spain on 1st October, which the Spanish state is doing all in its power to prevent. Local reports say that Spanish police entered offices of the Catalan region's economy, interior, foreign affairs, welfare, telecommunications and tax departments with at least 12 high-ranking local officials being arrested.

News from the Celtic League. The General Secretary of the Celtic League has issued the following statement:

Outrageous Behaviour by Spanish Authorities

On the weekend before the National Day of Catalunya (11th September) it is disappointing , but not surprising that the Spanish authorities have started making overt attempts to disrupt the Catalan referendum on independence.

In this news item on Yn Commeeys Yn Celtiagh - Celtic News Mannin, the escalating tensions in Catalonia are dicussed ahead of next months Catalan referendum on independence from Spain. The Spanish government's hard line stance to prevent the Catalan people from exercising their democratic right to vote is set to see the biggest confrontation in Europe since the events in Ukraine:

TENSION GROWS AHEAD OF CATALAN REFERENDUM

Quite rightly Manx people are very cynical about their elected representatives. Not least because once elected they undertake actions for which they have no mandate and they fail to represent those that voted for them. Over the years there have been some notable exceptions, however, the feeling is that MHK's (members of the Manx parliament) are above all self serving rather than servants of the public. There have been so many examples of this over the years that thinking of them can induce nausea.