Yeah, well. Things are pretty much as you say.
There is a government in Madrid, totally out of sync with today's reality. But they are not alone in this, there are several factions in Catalunya, living in a parallel universe. This is not strange, all they want is a return to the comfortable past, with fat salaries, secretaries, cars, etc, and the privilege of granting contracts with 3% backhanders. The "process" never intended to improve the quality of life of citizens of Catalunya. All it wanted was to improve the amount of power for a group of half-witted politicians. Wit the added value, of course, of not having to report to a higher authority….An they are still at it.
But please don't be fooled by virtual reality in the business world. The Mobile World Congress will be out of Barcelona in a flash if the city no longer fills its needs. And, believe you me, its needs are changing daily!!! If you think Barcelona has a hold on the Mobile, sorry, you are dead wrong!!
I witnessed a number of Asian participants totally flabbergasted to be told to return to their hotels quickly because of a little snow.
Hi Tech events move faster than any municipal bureaucracy. This is a fact of life in the XXI century.
And, oh!…BTW: Hi Tech events are no longer ruled by Western enterprises. If yo don't know this, catch up on your reading of Nature, to mention but one scientific publications.
If your starting point is that the movement for Catalan independence is a smokescreen for Catalan 3% corrupt politicians, you'll never reach an analysis which actually helps you to understand what's going on here.
A precise description, as a Catalan I thank you very much.