The country’s media whipped into a frenzy over Scotland’s decision not to become independent. While it was all well and good to examine the minutiae of the results town by town or city by city, I thought that using my passion for Europe might put into perspective what exactly this result might mean for other parts of the continent. One case study that I am very much interested in, having studied the culture and language for many years, is that of Catalonia, which faces a non-binding vote on independence in November.

The circumstances under which this illegal referendum has come about differ greatly from the diplomatic agreement struck between Cameron and Salmond. For Madrid and Barcelona, it has been soundbites and newspaper headlines that have swayed the debate, as the question of Catalonia breaking from Spain is not one that Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has vowed not to consider. So, having been exhausted by breaking news straps flashing for hours about the all-important NO result, I decided to step back and see how Europe took to this either-or scenario.

I decided this time to make a radio package, having wanted to do something in the style of BBC Radio 4’s Six O’Clock News, which uses mostly voicover and few clips to build up a narrative for the listener. Not only does this show some skill in editing – I wanted little more than 2 minutes, typical of this sort of report – but equally it is enough for me to go through the nerve-wracking experience of recording and listening over and over again to my own voice! Writing the script and editing proved to be very quick, given I’ve been following the Spanish/Catalan angle for quite a while through a daily dose of the Spanish/Catalan press and TV news.

Here is the SoundCloud piece: