Time for Mariano Rajoy to think about a new deal for Catalonia

A SECESSIONIST leader flies into exile, seeking protection after being threatened with a 30-year prison sentence for sedition and rebellion. In the capital the government takes emergency powers, suspending a regional parliament after it illegally declares independence, assuming direct control of its police and civil service. Pinch yourself. This is not some poor, decrepit country but, incredibly, a modern western European democracy—Spain.Nobody emerges well from the sorry tale of arrogance, inflexibility and even violence in Catalonia (see ). Although the immediate crisis seems, thankfully, to be over, the impact of the October madness will be felt for years to come. Nearly 2,000 businesses have moved their headquarters out of Barcelona and other Catalan cities. For many people, Spanish politics has become harsher and more divisive than at any time since the death of the dictator, Francisco Franco, in 1975.