Once upon a time, the current King of Spain, famous for his extensive contacts among regimes devoted to the destruction of Israel, decided that it was necessary to reinforce the Royal Household's links to Catalonia. Instead of using the country's language in public, as repeatedly advised, or trying to mediate in the constant conflicts with the Spanish Government, he chose instead to parachute one of her daughters and his would-be husband, who very conveniently happened to be playing handball for FC Barcelona and thus already in place. No surprise here, anything goes when it comes to keeping one's milking cow.
A public wedding was duly organized, attendance figures manipulated in the best dictatorial tradition, and to complete the operation, his daughter forcibly hired by Catalonia's largest financial institution.
Things started to go wrong, however, when they allegedly decided to set up a small pension fund. One has to worry about the future after all, and we are all living in an uncertain world. The rest, as they say, is history, or will soon be. It has already been announced that he is moving to Qatar.
Needless to say, while saving for a rainy day is indeed a virtue, so is expanding worldwide. We live in a global economy, and autarchy went out of fashion long ago. Why open branches in Malaga, with its brand new empty underground paid for by Catalan and EU taxpayers, when one can do so in civilized hard-working countries? Of course, before doing so a bit of baggage had to be shed, but how to do it diplomatically, without too much of a fuss?. That was the question that La Caixa was asking itself when the media and the judge in charge took care of the matter. Now the bank finally has the chance to get rid of their little problem, while blaming others. Does anybody doubt they will seize the chance?
There is a big world outside, with myriad business opportunities awaiting us. Catalan companies can either become truly international, or die.
Alex Calvo is a Professor of International Relations and International Law, Head of the IR Department, and Postgraduate Research Director, European University (Barcelona Campus). An expert on Asian security and defence issues, he got his LLB from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS, University of London) and is currently doing an MA in Second World War Studies at the University of Birmingham. He is a former teaching and research fellow at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan).
