This is an accepted manuscript of an article published in The Guardian on 06/11/2017, available online: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/06/catalonia-carles-puigdemont-belgium
The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.By heading to Belgium, the president of Catalonia missed his chance to stand up to Madrid – and to show himself as a leader sticking to his principle
