Could catalonia separate from spain by 2019?

Catalan's campaign for independence has been going for some time: a demonstration from 2010 Photo: SBA73

Speaking at the OPPLive London exhibition last week, Catalan real estate lawyer Jonathan Eshkeri told the professionals in attendance that

The Spanish region has campaigned for independence for some time, but the recent Scottish independence referendum has helped the debate to heat up once more. Indeed, Catalonia held its own vote recently in favour of or against separation from the rest of the mainland. The result was an overwhelming 80-plus per cent in favour of the split, although only 35 per cent of the electorate turned out.

The Madrd government has since declared the referendum illegal, but combined, they create a different picture for the future of Spain's Union. Indeed, Eshkeri said that while he once would have said "maybe in 100 years" Catalan would split from Spain, now he would expect it to happen within "five or 10 years". The capital's vote, meanwhile, could only win more converts to the cause.

Nonetheless, Mr. Eshkeri does not believe it will descend into violence - "this is a carefully planned political movement" - but that the peaceful campaign will eventually succeed.

"Where a place has a genuine reason to be independent culturally, and could sustain itself economically, then they have a good argument for independence," he argues.

"In the end, [Madrid] will have to let people vote."