However, Xavier Sala-i-Martin, a professor in economics at Columbia University, says that Mas is simply "following the crowd" on calls for sovereignty.
He said: "Up until September 11 his strategy was to go to Madrid and ask for a better financial deal or "fiscal pact" as he called it. I guess that the massive demonstrations convinced him that his people no longer want a better financial deal from Spain. They want independence. And he joined the bandwagon... Mas doesn't lead. He follows." [...]

Link to the article (CNN site)