Spain, Catalonia and the Scottish Referendum: A Study in Multiple Realities

The Scottish referendum was a high priority topic, seen as a domestic issue by the Spanish media, throughout the campaign. Coverage was heavily influenced by demands for Catalan independence, with which Spanish politicians and the Spanish media heavily associated Scottish constitutional demands. The chapter discusses press and broadcast coverage from both Madrid and Barcelona, the media coverage being very extensive, to the point that on polling day itself several newspapers each carried over a dozen pieces on the referendum, with much advance coverage. Scotland was often depicted as a ‘mirror’ for Catalan aspirations and a source of ‘lessons’ for both Catalonia and Spain. The chapter concludes by noting that Scotland’s importance during the referendum phase was as a resource in negotiating territorial tensions inside Spain.