I wouldn't that rich region separatism as some sort of rebellion against austerity or whatever.

It's worse than that. The right-wing Catalan nationalists won the regional elections at the end of 2010 and they embarked on austerity with gusto, with parliamentary support from the Catalan PP. When the indignados movement started in May 2011, the strongest police brutality took place in Barcelona. Already in June 2011 Catalan anti-austerity protesters were picketing the regional parliament. That's 15 months before the Spanish surround the Congress protest in Madrid. At the end of 2011, the Spanish nationalists of the PP win the national elections.

Then in 2012 the Catalan government finds itself bankrupt and impopular due to austerity, and what do they do? Blame the bankruptcy on Rajoy's austerity, call early elections, lose a bunch of seats in the regional parliament to the Republican Left of Catalonia.

And then what does the Republican Left do? They agree to support the reappointment of the incumbent government on condition that they lay down a calendar for independence. And they are willing to support an austerity budget, on condition that the austerity budget is publicly, officially blamed on Rajoy.

Meanwhile, the Spanish nationalist crazies are making noises about military intervention in Catalonia.

I distribute. You re-distribute. He gives your hard-earned money to lazy scroungers. -- JakeS