While socialists were in power, Rajoy blocked a deal PSOE was working on with the Catalans. When he came to power, he studiously ignored the Catalan issue, letting things happen, then he let more things happen, then he entrusted the whole Catalan issue to the judicial system, once lines were crossed and things started happening. Judges say that they can’t solve the whole problem by themselves, but they are saddled with it now. Rajoy is stuck between his own instinct to do nothing and his right wing, which would tear him apart if he was seen making any concessions to Catalans – so doing as little as possible is still the best option. He is actually scoring points at home, for how well he handled the crisis, gathering praise from left and right https://politica.elpais.com/politica/2017/11/03/actualidad/1509724975_428992.html.
On the other hand, the Catalan independentist side waged a long campaign of disinformation and lies, promising a guarantee of continued EU membership, financial rewards and happiness forever. The two major Catalan banks leaving before even the independence had finished being proclaimed, followed by hundreds more companies of all sizes, threw a spanner in their works – injecting an unwelcome dose of realism in the procés.
Puigdemont and his associates may have erred in believing their own lies and braggadocio, throwing caution to the wind and jumping off a cliff: previous Catalan governments since 1979, were in the habit of demanding more power, more money and more independence, getting the best deal in Spain and probably within the European context, without crossing the line and realising their stated final aim of obtaining independence. Generations of regional presidents enjoyed long and fruitful careers, some of them making a fortune for themselves and their families in the process, without taking risks and driving their region off a cliff.
Should the Spanish government and judicial system now reward the lies, embezzlement and criminal negligence of the former Catalan government? Is that the outcome we can wish for? We’ve seen demonstrations, but no unrest, the region and Spain haven’t collapsed into chaos, as threatened by the runaway president and his associates.
I reckon the best we can do is to support the Spaniards and Catalans in their return to rationality and normality, where words and actions have meaning and consequences. We shouldn’t be supporting the Russian and US trolls trying to tilt Catalonia, Spain and the rest of Europe into chaos – we’ve put up with enough in the UK, France, the Netherlands and Germany already, with no sign of meaningful resistance on our side to date.