On Tuesday morning Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, welcomed an apparent declaration from the Catalan government that the referendum could not go ahead. Joan Herrera, head of the leftist party ICV, said Mr Mas told leaders of pro-vote parties at a meeting that ended late on Monday that the referendum plan would have to have to be changed. That meeting, called to decide whether to carry on the consultation vote as was planned or to launch instead an alternative - in view of the total opposition from the Spanish authorities to the current self-determination process - ended without concensus.