Manuel Valls, once Prime Minister in Francois Hollande´s discredited administration, has thrown his hat into the mayoral race for Barcelona. Elections are due in May 2019.

His credentials are that he was born in Catalonia and speaks fluent Catalan and Spanish. And that in the true traditions of the Hexagon, he is bitterly opposed to Catalan independence. Hence, the Rightwing Party, (Ciudadanos ) Citizens are backing him to the hilt, with bags of finance, guaranteed wall-to-wall coverage in the Spanish media and bussed-in flag-waiving supporters.

The objective is to rally the Unionist forces and depose the current mayor, Ada Colau of the Comuns (a distinct entity but allied to the Podemos network). Lacking sufficient deputies (having only secured a quarter of the votes in the last election), Ada Colau has been largely ineffectual and unable to get major projects off the ground. She has been dealt a heavy blow with the resignation of Xavier Domenech.

Meanwhile, the pro-independence forces are wondering whether to go it alone or announce a joint candidate. The ERC or Left Republicans have nominated a candidate while the CUP (the genuine left party with anarchist tendencies) and the rightwing Catalans (PDeCAT or Party of Catalonia) are still dithering.

They will want to get through the painful celebrations of the events last October, with the attempted referendum, the 30-second life of the proclaimed Republic and the jailing of prominent politicians.

Ultimately, if a candidate reflecting the Left or Left-of-Centre Independence parties were chosen, then he or she would win.

Ada Colau has come out as opposing independence after years of carefully choreographed ambiguity. While the stated philosophy and principles hang to the Left, it seems a little jaded and, like the Podemos Party in Spain, very removed from the original 15-M or 15th of May Movement which took off in 2011 with such a radical and refreshing threat to the ossified, decaying Spanish State.

By Christmas, it should be clear what lies ahead (IF the independence movement can group together).