This isn't a matter of concern just for nationalists. This is a matter of concern for democrats, and I think there should be a strong message from our Welsh Parliament to the Spanish and the Catalan Parliaments that the principle of consent must be central to any democratic country.

I was appalled at the events over the summer and recently—the way the Spanish Government dealt in a completely disproportionate and undemocratic way with the perfectly legitimate demands of the Catalan people for a right to express their self-determination in a referendum. For several years, the Spanish Government have denied that simple right that we take for granted in these islands—the principle of consent.

I recognise that, across Europe, secession is not treated in the same way as we in this country have come to treat secession. It's to the credit of the UK Government that, when Scotland made demands for an independence referendum, even though they disagreed with those demands, the UK Government allowed that referendum to be held and made it clear that they would abide by the result of that referendum. And that principle should apply throughout Europe.

I was disgusted, really, that the European Union, which many in this Chamber believed to be a force for peace, democracy and stability over the last 70 years, stood silent while the rights of a constituent part were trampled over. It might have had some explanation within an article over the weekend by the Spanish Prime Minister, thanking Theresa May for standing by the Spanish Government over recent months, and that it wouldn't be forgotten when it came to the Brexit negotiations. That might provide some insight into the internal politics that were going on within European member Governments to explain their silence in this regard.

I don't support Catalan independence. I spent some time in Catalonia over the summer and spoke to a number of people living there who were uneasy with the demands for Catalan independence. This is one of the richest parts of Spain, and its loss from the country would be a clear blow to social justice across the whole country. So, I completely understand the anxieties of the majority of people from the polls in Catalonia. But surely it is right that they were given the chance to express themselves legitimately in a proper referendum, and the continued refusal of the Spanish Government to do that brings shame on them. The way that peaceful protesters were trampled on and their leaders imprisoned is a stain on the whole of Europe, and I think it's right that our Parliament sends a loud and clear signal that we think that this is unacceptable. Diolch.