Thread by Ramir de Porrata-Doria on the Catalan economy (4 OCT 2020)

This is an English rendering (by MS, with the author's permission) of a successful (more than 2,000 retweets) Twitter thread by Ramir de Porrata-Doria on the way Spain damages the Catalan economy. 

Click to read the whole post, if need be.

Source, first tweet:

Ara que s'acosten eleccions catalanes, és incomprensible que els partits indepes estiguin obviant un missatge essencial: els beneficis econòmics de la Catalunya independent.

Aquest missatge és clau per aconseguir més vots per l'independentisme.

(Fil)

— Ramir De Porrata-Doria (@ramirp) October 4, 2020

Now that the Catalan elections are approaching, it is incomprehensible that the independent parties are ignoring an essential message: the economic benefits of the independent Catalonia.

This message is key to getting more votes for independence.

(Thread)

That Catalonia is part of Spain implies a loss of welfare and a significant economic loss for all Catalans, whether independent or not.

Spain is bad business for Catalans.

Here are just a few examples of facts that prove it.

Catalan pensioners are the ones who have lost the most purchasing power.

Retired people in Catalonia have accumulated a 40% decline in purchasing power.
https://www.viaempresa.cat/economia/pensionistes-catalans-perden-mes-poder-adquisitiu_52335_102.html

The Spanish government disobeys the TC and continues to pay for the axed Castor oil rig.
https://elmon.cat/politica/el-govern-espanyol-desobeeix-el-tc-i-continua-pagant-el-castor_744251102.html

The Spanish state cuts regional funding in Catalonia by 780 million.
https://www.elperiodico.com/es/economia/20180103/el-estado-recorta-en-780-millones-la-financiacion-autonomica-a-catalunya-6530154

The Social Security debt has increased its debt by 40% in a year and has a deficit that will exceed €16 billion for the fourth consecutive year.
https://www.vilaweb.cat/noticies/pensions-analisi-jordi-goula/

The Bank of Spain increases the cost of aid to banks to €65 billion.
https://www.efe.com/efe/espana/economia/el-banco-de-espana-eleva-a-65-725-millones-coste-las-ayudas-la-banca/10003-4115127

The bank bail-out that was to cost us "not a single euro" according to the Rajoy Government, devoured €73 billion of public funds. And in recent years banks have made more profits than this figure and have destroyed 90,000 jobs.
https://www.publico.es/economia/rescate-no-recuperar-ayudas-banca.html

The State allocates to Catalonia only 11.9% of the investment in the first half of the year.
https://www.naciodigital.cat/noticia/191970/

The Social Security capital shortfall shoots up by 142% and reaches a record €33.26 billion.
https://www.elmundo.es/economia/macroeconomia/2019/12/02/5de3e73afc6c83d2278b45e9.html

Public investment in Catalonia in the first half of 2019 fell by 9% and was 11.8% of the total executed by the Spanish state, whereas Catalonia's contribution to Spanish GDP is 19.2%.
https://www.vilaweb.cat/noticies/escanyar-economia-analisi-jordi-goula/

According to the Spanish Ministry of Public Works (Fomento), in 2020 the Port of Barcelona will contribute €5.8 million, 19% of the total, which is estimated at €30.5 million.

On the other hand, it will receive €315,000 in Fomento (Ministry) investments.

So the Port of Barcelona will contribute 19% to the system but will receive only 0.68%.

Barcelona Airport contributes 55% of Aena's profit and receives only 7% of the Agency's investment.
https://www.vilaweb.cat/noticies/laeroport-del-barcelona-arriba-al-87-de-capacitat-sense-cap-gran-inversio-planificada-per-ampliar-la-infraestructura/

In the period 2015-2018, the State executed in Catalonia only 66% of the budget in infrastructure, while in Madrid the percentage was 114%.
https://www.lavanguardia.com/encatala/20190730/463773090169/lexecucio-pressupostaria-real-es-del-66-a-catalunya-i-del-114-a-madrid.html

A federation of Catalan industries, Foment del Treball Nacional, describes the infrastructure shortfall as "shameful": €28 billion in 10 years.
https://www.elnacional.cat/ca/economia/foment-deficit-infraestructures-28-000-milions_403942_102.html

Catalonia has lost 3.3% of its GDP and 111,500 jobs due to lack of investment by the Spanish state in infrastructures since 2001, according to the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce.
https://www.vilaweb.cat/noticies/el-preu-de-la-dependencia/

From 2013 to 2018, Catalonia received 12% of Spanish [regional] investment in infrastructure, compared to 16% in the first twelve years of the millennium.

This 12% is far from the weight of the Catalan economy in the state context (19%) and the weight of its population (16%).

The Economists' professional association destroys the catastrophic tales about the [independence] process.

Period 2017-2019:

GDP CAT + 4.5%
GDP ESP + 4.2%

Trade CAT + 7.4%
Trade ESP + 6.9%

Active Population CAT + 2.7%
Active Population ESP + 1.7%

Exports CAT + 4.3%
Export. ESP + 3.9%

https://www.elnacional.cat/ca/economia/col-legi-economistes-relats-catastrofistes-proces_452382_102.html

The Ministry of Industry invested 200 times more in Madrid than in Catalonia in the first half of 2019.
https://www.lasrepublicas.com/2020/01/16/el-ministerio-de-industria-invirtio-200-veces-mas-en-madrid-que-en-catalunya-el-primer-semestre-del-2019/

The State allocated to Catalonia only 10.8% of the investment executed in 2019.
https://www.naciodigital.cat/noticia/203641/estat/va/destinar/catalunya/nomes/10/inversio/executada/2019

The effective budget implementation is 66% in Catalonia and 114% in Madrid.
https://www.lavanguardia.com/economia/20190730/463773077203/presupuestos-generales-inversion-comunidades-cataluna-madrid-obras-infraestructuras.html

Spanish state investment in CAT is between €86 and €119 per capita while in Madrid it is €156 - €171 per capita and the rest of the autonomous communities in the general [funding] regime is €144 - €226 per capita.
https://www.elnacional.cat/ca/economia/concentracio-sistemica-recursos-publics-madrid-inversio-residual-greuge-catalunya_523065_102_amp.html

The grievances of the Barcelona suburbs: The same [Spanish state] investment as in Cadiz, with 40 times more travelers.
https://www.totbarcelona.cat/mobilitat/el-greuge-de-les-rodalies-de-barcelona-mateixa-inversio-que-a-cadis-amb-40-vegades-mes-de-viatgers-89615/

The Catalan GDP in 2017 would have been 23,820 million higher had the State invested according to the weight of the Catalan economy in Spain.
https://www.ara.cat/economia/deficit-inversions-estat-perdre -PIB-Catalunya_0_2504149673.html

Spanish military spending will once again be over €20 billion this year.
https://www.publico.es/politica/gasto-militar-espanol-volvera-superar-ano-20000-millones-euros.html

It is essential to spread this message and repeat it at all times: the independent Catalonia will bring economic prosperity to all Catalans. To all of them. 

Independent Catalonia = higher salaries, higher pensions, higher benefits for SMEs and the self-employed, better infrastructure, better hospitals, better schools, ...

This message needs to be spread by politicians with a prestigious economic profile, especially now that we are facing an election...

We cannot restrict our message to the fight against repression and the appeal to justice and democracy.

We must also talk about [money in people's] pockets.

You can follow @ramirp on Twitter. (Source: https://threader.app/thread/1312701902912663552)