Instead, the central government in Madrid and the seething northeastern province of Catalonia can each now claim some dubious moral victory, and dispute each other’s boasts of having accomplished what they set out to do.

For Catalans who had hoped to use 1-O (the first of October) to declare independence from Spain, it was a bitter day of elation turned into frustration. Tens of thousands of them were able to cast ballots, but they will never know just what percentage of their neighbors agree with their desire to form a separate country in Europe.

That’s because the National Police, on the orders of the government in Madrid, stormed some balloting places – schools among other locations – smashed windows to gain entry, confiscated ballot boxes, and refused to let other would-be voters in to make their choice known.

Fortunately, there was no reported loss of life, though more than 300 people are said to have been injured – mostly by club-swinging cops and rubber bullets fired by the National Police to disperse pro-independence protesters. A dozen or so police were also reported injured.

In citie