I'm curious about this, having done some reading on the subject from a Reddit post. I noticed many people aren't happy with Catalonia trying to secede, seeing as to whats the point, and rather how selfish it is since it will hurt both them and Spain. I've also read some posts stating that Catalonia economic miracle was partly due to people and machinery leaving Andalucia, and by being apart of Spain, whilst stating that tourism alone won't save Catalonia if it seceded? On the other hand, I've read complaining from the Balearics about people seeing first-hand being denied the application for wanting to build new rail lines and trains in the islands whilst the south of Spain gets most of the funding?
I honestly don't see why Catalonia should secede though, its an autonomous region, and I've read Barcelona collects its own taxes separate from Spain, has its own Parliament, so as an outsider on the outside I don't get it. I don't seen any oppression, or any legality recourse to do so. To me, its the equivalent of Texas or California being yielded greater autonomy more than what the fifty states currently have in the non-unitary government, and being treated extra special, yet seeking secession still. The way I see it, its purely an economic issue under the guise of culture and language, or at least what the politicians are selling Catalonian's.
If anyone deserved special autonomy, it would be African Americans in the United States congregating somewhere, or if anyone Native Americans since their tribal land isn't actually owned by them, since they have to contact the government to build something. Unless I'm missing something, I don't see Spaniard's beating the **** out of Catalonian's around Spain proper, or the Spanish equivalent of KKK torching Catalonian schools and houses, so the local sentiment is lost on me. I wanna see both sides though.
https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/6g7741/catalonia_sets_independence_referendum_the_1st_of/ I find these discussions very interesting.