Both sides could suffer in Catalan independence from Spain

With Barcelona and the Catalans on the precipice of achieving independence,

Last Monday, the Catalan parliament in Barcelona voted to begin the process of secession from the Spanish state, kicking off a process that could end in the establishment of a new Republic in north-eastern Spain.

The authorities in Madrid, the Spanish capital, have been quick to respond. The country’s Constitutional Court struck down the move while the country’s normally reticent King Felipe made a rare intervention, insisting that he would uphold the unity of his Kingdom.