Spain’s Socialist Party must carefully balance competing pressures over its policy on Catalan independence

Independence supporters within Catalonia have called for a referendum to be held in 2014 on the territory’s independence from Spain. Juan Rodríguez Teruel writes on the dilemma Catalan independence poses for Spain’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). He notes that opposing the referendum may damage the PSOE’s relationship with its sister party in Catalonia, the PSC. Supporting calls for independence too strongly, however, could create internal friction for the party in other Spanish regions, and leave the PSOE open to criticism from Spain’s centre-right parties.