King's Christmas speech: Felipe VI urges Catalunya and Spain to 'understand and talk to each other'

King Felipe VI gave his sixth speech as reigning monarch last night – his first being on Christmas Eve 2014, six months after his father, King Juan Carlos I, abdicated.

In it, he called for 'willingness to understand each other and integrate our differences', but within the framework of, and respecting, the Magna Carta.

References to the Constitution when speaking of Catalunya's desire for independence from Spain – a wish that appears to be held by between a third and a half of the north-eastern region's inhabitants and by a sizeable portion of its politicians, including its leaders – are based upon the fact that the charter of rights, duties and remedies signed on December 6, 1978 contains a clause which prevents any action which 'may threaten the unity of Spain' as a country.

King Felipe recalled that the 'desire for concordance' had, 'at other times', led to 'walls of intolerance, grudges and misunderstanding being broken down' thanks to 'affection, generosity, dialogue and respect between people of very different ideologies'.

This may have been an allusion to the fact that 2019 was the 30^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a momentous occasion in Europe which saw the iron curtain being drawn aside and the end of communism in eastern Europe.

Even though the Catalunya secession issue has been brewing for some time and finally came to a head on October 1, 2017 when the region's politicians held a disputed referendum, leading to many of them having recently been sentenced to between nine and 13 years in jail, this is the first time HRH Felipe has mentioned, in his Christmas speech, that he had 'serious concerns' about the 'challenges' faced by Spain 'at the moment'.

He recalled that 'we do not live in easy times', although did not define these and was almost certainly not referring uniquely to Spain, and encouraged everyone to have 'firm confidence in themselves and in Spain' which, he feld sure, would allow the country to 'overcome the challenges ahead'.

“Let's trust in Spain and stay united in the democratic values we share in order to solve our problems,” he encouraged.

Felipe VI also referred to the current political situation nationally, since Spain has been without a fixed government since the fragmented elections in April – although the left-wing parties seem more willing to negotiate, given that its hold on Parliament following the November vote is uncomfortably similar to that of the far right, gathering sufficient support among the opposition for the socialists' (PSOE's) Pedro Sánchez to be invested as president is likely to involve very fine-tuned mathematics, and is in fact a political emergency.

“It's up to Parliament, in accordance with our Constitution, to take the decision it considers the most convenient for the general interest of everyone in Spain,” King Felipe said.

His numerous references to the Constitution were not all pointedly about Catalunya – the monarch stressed that the Magna Carta his father helped create 'assures our freedom and harmonious coexistence' and that its signing 41 years ago supposed a 'profound transformation like never before in the history of Spain'.

He urged the public to 'defend what we have achieved' and to remember that it had 'not been generated spontaneously', but instead was the result of 'millions of Spaniards sharing the same values' about 'what our life as a community should be based upon'.

Yet again, the Head of State referred to young people, inequality and lack of professional and financial chances – themes which his father was already addressing the public about over 10 years ago.

“The present time is full of great uncertainty, profound and accelerated changes,” Felipe VI said.

He said the financial crisis – which wreaked havoc on the world in late 2008 and continued for many years after – had 'seen a sharp rise in levels of inequality'.

“Lack of employment – especially for our young adults – and the financial struggles of many families continue to be the main concern of our country,” the King stated.

This is part of what has led to a 'general deterioration in trust of our institutions – and, of course, in Catalunya – of many people in Spain, Felipe VI believes.

He pleaded with the public not to 'fall into extremism or complacency' which would 'silence our mistakes and needs', nor in 'destructive self-criticism'.

“There's a lot left to do, to improve and renovate,” said the King, calling for 'a clear and unbiased conscience of our strengths and weaknesses'.

“Time does not stop in Spain, or anywhere, and we cannot just sit still, nor be behind the rest of the world in knew knowledge and skills,” the monarch insisted.

At the end of his Christmas speech, the King pffered his condolences to families and 'those worst affected' by the recent floods and storms, most of which are in the northern half of the mainland.