I try to visit Barcelona at least once a year - partly to see friends, but also to soak up the city's unique blend of culture and hedonism. It is a very laid-back place, despite the fact that Catalans are almost as proud and self-regarding as Parisians. Right now, however, their attention is focused on Scotland. If the Scots vote to break away from the UK, Catalans believe it will add weight to their own calls for independence. As you know, many of them feel that their language and identity set them apart from the rest of Spain, whose government is simply stealing their wealth in the form of taxes.
Whatever happens in Scotland, my friends told me it was unlikely that Catalans would be given the chance to vote for independence. They also said that the Catalan government was plagued by in-fighting and corruption scandals, suggesting it was unfit to run a nation. "If we're going to have our own government, it should be one we can respect," observed Marta, over brunch at a trendy restaurant called Meatpacking. Like many things in Barcelona, the place felt neither Catalan nor Spanish - but international. Marta herself has a similar profile, although she describes herself as half-Catalan, complicating the issue of identity. "You can't ask me to choose between Catalonia and Spain," she said. "It would be like asking who I love best - my mother or my father."
