Do you believe a Madrid based government would ever willingly create a scenario whereby Catalonia or the Basque region for that matter could vote themselves out?
I sincerely doubt it. So having a legal basis to vote is an unlikely scenario for the Catalans. So they are attempting to take matters into their own hands by exercising their own vote for independence. There are parallels here to the options (albiet legal) available in Northern Ireland.
Btw, had Kosovo a legal right to be annexed from Serbia?
to be honest no i doubt that this madrid government would. But then, why should it? The constitution is relatively new and since it was agreed by over 90% of the country Catalunya has enjoyed large levels of autonomy, has had to suffer no repression, has been free to speak catalan and fly the flag. To basically take pride in their heritage whilst also being part of Spain. What is really left for them to fight for?
Recent polling suggests that if a vote did go ahead then actually the people of catalunya would likely vote to remain part of Spain. But Spain has a responsibility to an entire nation, why should they bow to a nationalist movement in Catalunya that doesnt even seem to represent even half of the region?
I am playing devils advocate slightly here. But i do think its far more nuanced than it will seem after today. Certainly they were horrible scenes that will win the government no sympathy. But the feeling from people ive spoken to here in Madrid, those whove lived here all their lives as well as some who've relocated here from Valencia, Bilbao, is that they are proud of how far Spain has come in the last 30 years, how they feel betrayed by some Catalunyans. There is this romantic notion of catalunya being some sort of socialist paradise longing to be free of a right wing, repressive spain. But its just not true. Indeed the government elected in catalunya is a right wing one. By its very nature its movement is a nationalist one. One that could pave the way to further splits to spain, and descend the country into chaos.