Or, in this case, merely intensifies:
Catalonia’s push for independence from Spain received some unexpected
help this week: the Spanish minister of education proposed an attack on
the system of Catalan-only instruction in core courses in the school
curriculum. The FT reports:Under the current “immersion” programme used in
Catalonia, all core subjects are taught in Catalan. Primary
schoolchildren study Spanish for three hours a week, similar to the time
dedicated to a foreign language, such as English. Under Mr Wert’s plans, any region that cannot satisfy the wish of
parents who want their children taught core subjects in Spanish, would
have to meet the costs of that child being educated privately.The Education Minister’s proposition to “establish parity” between
Spanish and Catalan has predictably sparked a backlash and inspired
secessionist sentiment:
When one considers how many empires have fallen apart since the end of World War II, and that the Union of the current United States was imposed by force, it should not come as any surprise that support for secession will continue to grow throughout America as the economy worsens and the divisions between American culture and the immigrant cultures widen.
This is particularly true given that the union between Spain and Catalonia is older than the United States union, and unlike the younger unionn, was not imposed through violence.