No, you dont understand how democracy works.
1-The referendum didn't demostrate nothing, the not participation was promoted by the spanish government as answer for a NO and a huge % of the poblation didn't participate because of this huge NO, if you care about the will of the people and the truth, what Catalunya feels and not only listening your fanatism and your own interest you have to consider that.
2-The majory of catalans doesn't take it as a good, only 2 millions that went to vote (the poblation is more than 7 millions I remember you). The biggest part of the catalonian society (the rest) we are tired of the same bullshit day after day, annoyed of the fanatism of both sides and we would like to focus our economy in things more importants instead of this entire BULLSHIT that is spending a lot of our money and not doing nothing important, because you can live in a illusion but the result of this entire thing is gonna be the reiforcement of the PP in Spain (for a long time probably unfortunately) and the down of the catalonian economy, we are gonna need years to be the same and the social fracture is gonna be here for generations. There is not international support (dont let you lie for the propaganda of the social media, the catalan media is so manipulated as the one in Madrid, a real shit) and there is not ways to become a country, the only thing that is doing this is wasting the time a giving votes to the PP.
3-In a democracy you cannot create a new country with only a 49% of the representation, you are making a new country fractured and in another times would be a civil war. Also, if you support something like that you should let to Barcelona to become independent of Catalonian, because a HUGE % of its population and the majors of the Barcelona province are not supporting the DUI and force them to stay in Catalonia would be the same that you are claiming that Madrid is doing.
This DUI is not something to follow for anyone that respects the freedom, the democracy and the will of the people. The catalonian government and their supporters are turning away their faces to the real situation here and taking benefit of the fanatics and the feelings of a poor fellows. The spanish government is another that is not respecting the human rights and democracy, they should let a real referendum to see the real results and finish with this entire circus, this has been long for enough time.
I think that the one who is not being critic is you, both teams of this match are full of shit. I have to remember you that Puigdemont supported decisions as giving more money to private schools (christian legion and similas) and giving less to the public ones? I have to remember you that he was not supporting another international referendums that they were in the same positions than Catalunya? I have to remember you all the corruption and the money that they stole from our wallet? Or that you are supporting with this kind of messages the economy of a political groups that has approved a lot of bullshit and hit people that was doing manifestations about the public heal system, the education and the freedom?
1- Goverment taking the not participation as the no is full bullshit, "la mayoria silenciosa" (the quiet majority) argument is so bad that can be understood very easily with the demonstration of today. Today around 300k people were at a demonstration in Barcelona for what they call the unity of Spain, with some violent acts by the way, if we follow this rule, then we can say all the people who didn't demostrated are in favor of the Catalan Republic, you can see by yourself that this is false.
For the referendum is the same, not everybody who went to vote was a no, also there are people who simply doesn't care, and for sure there's people who should voted yes but or couldn't go or the boxes of the referendum were stealed by the police (catalan and spanish). Even I know people who couldn't vote, or didn't went to vote even they will had voted yes.
2- I repeat, you don't know how democracy works, if you don't like a thing you should vote against it, not voting means your opinion doesn't count, and you should deal with the result.
I'm agree that PP and C's are reiforced by this situation.
I'm not agree this is afecting the catalan economy, at least for now, most of the companies only moved the social headquarters, maybe if we leave the european union yes, but a lot of people think that at the beggining it will be hard but then the economy will recover.
And for the international support, we are following the Slovenia way, they didn't have the first support after six months of the declaration of independence, maybe we even take more time, but if we remain strong we can do it.
Saying the Catalan media and the Spanish ones are the same is lying, if you are catalan you could easly check that La1 (spanish national TV) is actually manipulated while TV3 (catalan public tv) is not. Of course there are things that TV3 look by our side, but the maniputacion has nothing to be with the spanish ones. Take the today demonstration, TV3 did a full coverage, while the spanish channels usually didn't cover more than 5 seconds the catalan demonstrations.
3- We are all agree that a pacted referendum will be the best way, but you can't say that the way we followed to declare the independent isn't democratic. Everybody want a pacted referendum in the independentist movement, but the spanish side don't want to because they aren't democratic and fear to lose.
For the Barcelona being different than Catalonia I don't see the problem, we voted as an entity, so you have to take into account all the territory. Even that every territory should have the right to be selfdependant, and if there's some part, a logical, not a city more like the Barcelona or Tarragona province that want to be independant they should do a referendum and let them go if they win. It can happen with Val D'Aran, an occitan territory that exist in Catalonia and I'm very ok that they could decide his own future since they have a different language, economic interests and history.
4 - Almost all the countries in the world had done a DUI, some of them even without any referendum. We have to build another legal system that I'm sure can be better than the Spanish one.
5 - Believe me that being equidistant is never the good option, if not you can be allow a lot of things that actually are very bad.
About what you are saying of Puigdemont is true, but this has nothing to do with the independence, I'm not a Pdcat supporter and even that I support indepence, you have split that.
About not supporting the international referendums is another goal made by the centralists to the general opinion. That was a motition proposed by ICV (left-eco party of catalonia) for the support of Palestine and West Sahara but that also included a boycott to the Isrealian products and companies, CIU said they didn't want to do that boycott.
The corruption that appeared in Catalonia is actually less than the other autonomous regions, the spanish media sell it that in catalonia we have a lot of opened cases, but what they don't tell is that with the percentage other regions win by large, please check:
http://www.elmundo.es/grafico/espana/2014/11/06/5458f3c1268e3e962f8b457b.html
Also think about the central goverment is using the legal system to show all the corruption to lower the support of the independist parties, in the last months they couldn't show anything more because thanks this process we are clear. Thanks Spain!
And for the last sentece you mean CIU, yeah sure, we don't like CIU neither, but can I remmember you that just in the last few years CIU became independentist? that almost for sure they do it because they fear to lose votes? that actually the independentist movement came from the people it self and not what the spanish media said like it was a Mas strategy?
Edit: A typical news when there are spanish nacionalist demonstrations:
http://www.naciodigital.cat/noticia...t/manifestacio/espanyolista/al/passeig/gracia Racist aggresion by spanish nationalists.