When they drop their legal euphemisms and try to legitimise political action aimed at countering not just secession but Catalanism in general, many unionists —and, in particular, many members of the socialist party— argue that it is necessary in order to avoid inequality among Spaniards. Therefore, one can only conclude that the current state of affairs guarantees equality and, if Catalanism’s claims prevailed, we would enter a state of inequality.
However, do they actually believe that all Spaniards are equal at present? Do they believe that the return on tax revenue in Catalonia is the same as in Extremadura or in Asturias? Do they truly believe that the language rights of a native Catalan speaker receive as much respect as the rights of a Spaniard whose first language is Spanish?
In Catalonia even the most ardent opponents of secession will admit that we do not live in a situation of equality. If anything, they argue that today’s inequalities can and must be resolved within Spain by means of reforming the system in depth, whereas independence supporters believe that this is impossible.
Still, both sides agree that what we have now is not equality, but inequality. One must not confuse supporting a system in the name of equality with supporting a system because one benefits from it.
