Esquerra’s Deputy Secretary General and Spokeswoman elucidates the main ideas of the book that seeks to set forth proposals to attain the Catalan Republic

“A strategic proposal for the independence movement to regain the initiative, for us to achieve the Catalan Republic.” That is how Esquerra’s Deputy Secretary General and Spokeswoman Marta Vilalta describes the book co-authored by Esquerra’s President and political prisoner Oriol Junqueras, and Secretary General Marta Rovira, in exile in Geneva. “We will win again (and how will we do it)”—Tornarem a vèncer (i com ho farem)—is available in bookshops as of today.

The book’s foundations are built upon “the analysis of what was done right and what we lacked in October 2017,” regarding the self-determination referendum organized that year in Catalonia. The cardinal conclusion is that “there have to be more of us and we need to be better prepared in order to begin again and win conclusively,” explains Ms Vilalta. Yet another key idea is that “this is not a time for reproach, but for proposals; there are no magic shortcuts, just more and more work in order to achieve our aim.”

Esquerra believes that “it is essential we put an end to the contest between pro-independence actors once and for all.” We have been calling for agreement on a shared strategy for weeks, and not to try and “wear down our fellow travellers.” Ms Vilalta asserted that “we are placing what we consider to be the only winning strategy at the service of independence, and we will willingly share, debate and agree upon it with everyone, since we have only one obsession: to attain the Catalan Republic.”

Another issue Esquerra defends is to establish agreement on how to respond to the possible disqualification of the President of Catalonia’s Generalitat government, Quim Torra—pending proceedings in the Spanish courts for “disobedience”—as well as the scheduling of elections. “We do not wish to place the government of Catalonia in the hands of a Spanish court; we must prepare a joint response by the independence movement and beyond to counter such a serious intrusion,” said Ms Vilalta. This is a fresh example of Spanish lawfare and a lack of separation of powers in Spain.