CATALONIA AND WHAT IT TELLS US ABOUT SPAIN, THE EU AND THE UK
Catalonia is now amongst the leading nations on Earth in demanding National Sovereignty, National Independence and National Liberty and has done so in the face of outrageous bullying by the Spanish Government and by the EU.
On Sunday, 22nd October the Spanish Foreign Minister, Snr Alfonso Dastis, in his interview with Andrew Marr on the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, The Andrew Marr Show described the Catalan Government as:- “A group of rebels trying to impose their own arbitrariness onto the People of Catalonia.” And he also said that the outrageous behaviour of the Spanish Police was a “provoked use of force”.
The language spoken about “rebels” must not only have been carefully thought out as it came out of the mouth of the Spanish Foreign Minister who would have been thoroughly briefed by his officials as well as worked with English language interpreters to ensure what he said was exactly what the Madrid Government thinks. For a Senior Spanish Government Minister to use the word “rebels” is therefore highly significant.
From a psychological point of view that is in the same area of words in our language as “civil war”, “guerrillas” etc. It thus portrays a very senior Spanish Minster, and therefore the Madrid Government, generally to be thinking in terms of civil war.
Last time such language was used about the Catalonian nationalists it was from the mouth of Francisco Franco, later to become the Spanish Dictator, el Caudillo.
In short it seems evident that the Spanish Government is gearing up to the point where they will not only send in the Guardia Civil but also the Army. Once the Spanish Army is sent in you can be sure that the consequences will be Civil War. It is hard to imagine the Spanish Army coping with the degree of provocation they are certain to get from the Catalonian nationalists without opening fire.
This is the same army that when my father was the Defence Attaché in Madrid that one of its officers shot dead a conscript soldier on parade whilst inspecting his troops guns because he found that this soldier’s gun wasn’t clean enough. The response of the Spanish Military was to back the officer as being within his rights! You can imagine how that kind of attitude is going to play out on the streets of Barcelona!
The leadership of the EU has already disgraced itself by supporting the Spanish Government in sending in the Guardia Civil to beat up large numbers of citizens trying to vote in the Catalonian Independence Referendum. The EU yet again showed that it is bizarre for any genuine nationalist to support membership of the EU – take note Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party!
So far as Catalans are concerned this is particularly a stark betrayal because it is the EU Regionalisation policy which has been busy ever since the Maastricht Treaty trying to create the demand for separatism in the “Regions” of all the bigger states of Europe, including of course Spain.
I expect that most Catalonian nationalists probably originally thought that the EU would support them. If so how misguided they were!
But also how misguided is so much of the multi-culturalist agenda of the EU which is partly responsible for the regionalisation agenda.
Also the UK Government under its inept Remainist Leader has turned its back on the Catalans demonstrating that Theresa May hasn’t really got out of her pro-EU mind-set.
Now that we have voted to come out of the EU, all our leaders should be considering the basis of our foreign policy post Brexit.
For centuries it was England’s policy to ensure that no one Power ruled over continental Europe. All the negotiations with the EU demonstrate, if demonstration was ever needed, that that policy was pure common-sense for England. We ought therefore to be encouraging all the nationalists within the EU to be breaking away, thus dissolving the EU and restoring the balance of power on the continent.
Catalonia is now also leaving the EU as well as Spain and should be welcomed with open arms by any of our leaders who have any strategic vision or understanding!
What a great article, putting it on facebbook...
ReplyDeleteAnother example is how Spain drones on about Gibraltar being unfair, a war Treaty concession - yet holds a part of Morocco (in another continent, as well as canary Islands etc). English Independence will save every man, woman and child £331 each from the Tartan Poll Tax. The Barnett Formula, where English Taxes fund higher public services, mostly in N.Ireland & Scotland and marginally in Wales. £1200+ a year is similar ti council tax for many families. Neil Humphrey.
ReplyDeleteWe need Brexit Now. EU deny art50 trade future talks, and our weak government stupidly waits, whilst the EU negotiates future trade with our Commonwealth buddies Australia & New Zealand after recent Canada. NH
ReplyDeleteHidden with Lisbon, Catalonia should be supported if Spain declares Civil War. As the EU is being petty, sorry mugging, I hope they get money up front! Their words are worth nowt! NH
ReplyDeleteCatalonian independence is another assault on the nation state, which assault is itself a passage to regionalisation and world government.
ReplyDeleteCatalans are not ethnically different from other Spaniards, in fact on the whole peninsula only the Basques really differ in that respect.
One wonders where returned Sephardic Jews will be accommodated post-split (if any). Dual citizenship? Nice if you can get it.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/11687465/Five-centuries-after-expulsion-at-pain-of-death-Spain-grants-citizenship-to-Sephardic-Jews.html
I live in Southern Spain 5 months of the year in an area with little or no British. Our friends are Spanish and wonderful friends they are. There is no support in Spain for Catalonian independence. Like in the UK we need a United country. There are millions of Catalans totally opposed to this ill thought out nonsense of independence. Over 1,000 of Spain's leading companies have now pulled out of Catalonia which spells the end of viable economy. The Catalans have been brainwashing children in schools with anti Spanish propaganda very crude in it's form. Plays depicting the Spanish police as fascists while the Catalan police as heroes. Spanish not being taught in schools only Catalan which is no good for the children. yet again we see close minded idiots making the running while the consequences will be catastrophic for Catalonia. One Spain, One Britain is the only answer. United we stand, divided we fall. The old Roman ethic is as true today as always.
ReplyDeleteI really think it is Spanish/Catalan matter no one else has knowledge or real reason to get involved. Perhaps s confederal arrangement would be best for both sides. If Catalonia does secede from Spain, there will be another Scottish independence Referendum and an Irish unity Referendum, the UK government would probably lose both, with Scotland becoming independent and NI uniting with Eire thanks to the now large immigrant southern Irish population resident in NI. Even many NI unionists have moved into the south so I guess Irish unity is now pretty much a certainty and accepted by both sides. Even the DUP wants an open border with the ROI which will bring about Irish Unification through immigration. The sooner they press on for it the better. I am past caring about the unity of the UK.
ReplyDeleteFrancis