No, Spain is not ‘different’: it too needs a grand coalition

Spain has long been in need of a new constitution, to address not only the problems associated with rising nationalism, but also to modernise the country’s institutional structure. A grand coalition could make long-lasting reforms. Spain’s quasi-federal model, based on an asymmetric devolution of powers is no longer working: for example, the Basque country enjoys fiscal autonomy whereas Castille does not. A grand coalition could turn the Spanish regional model into a federal system, with a clear-cut and symmetric devolution of powers, based upon a principled, national debate about what powers should be held at the regional level and why.