#the Basque Nationalist Party

[coochiequeens]

By Nuria Muíña García September 10, 2024

A prominent trans activist organization in Spain has put forward a proposal for legislation that would guarantee transgender people pensions upon reaching 65. The pensions would be issued regardless of whether the transgender applicant had ever paid into the pension throughout their life.

The proposal was put forward by Federation Platform for Trans Rights, who presented it last week to the parliamentary groups of the Congress of Deputies. The group, known colloquially as Plataforma Trans, was founded in 2015 “with the aim of uniting specifically trans collectives and entities and to fight for a new trans law that recognizes gender self-determination and depathologises trans identities.” During the meeting, all parties sent representatives except the right-wing Popular Party and Vox Party.

Calling it the “Trans Memory Law,” the policy would grant people who identify as transgender a lifetime pension, along with priority access to public housing and housing assistance programs.

This was the second meeting involving the Federation Platform for Trans Rights and top Spanish politicians, indicating the group may soon see their plans realized.

During the previous meeting, the Federation Platform met with representatives from the governing Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, the SUMAR Coalition, the United We Can Change Europe Party, the Basque Nationalist Party, among others, and asked them to jointly register the Trans Memory Law.

The “historic need” for the law was discussed during the meeting, to provide a form of reparations for “the violence suffered by trans and gender-dissident people during the dictatorship and post-Franco regime.”

The president of the Federation Platform, a trans-identified male named Mar Cambrollé, declared at the time that “the Franco dictatorship and post-Francoism violated the most fundamental rights of trans and gender-diverse people, who not only suffered the worst effects of Franco and post-Francoism with deprivation of freedom, but also suffered [exile].” Cambrollé claimed that trans-identified people were suffering from “extreme poverty” as a result of the legacy of Francisco Franco, a fascist leader who ruled Spain until 1975.

Cambrollé added that “an advanced and democratic society has to repair this systematic violation of a forgotten population, who put their bodies and who, with their visibility, also contributed to bring democracy, widening it with plurality and diversity.”

The lifetime pension proposed by the Federation Platform demands the value represent an economic benefit of the same amount “as the minimum Social Security pension for pensioners over the age of 65 without family responsibilities,” alleging that “the situation experienced by trans, gay and lesbian people who did not conform to the normative roles imposed on men and women during the Franco regime unleashed persecution, imprisonment, stigma and denial of fundamental rights.”

The pension would be able to be collected in addition to any other benefits, employment income, personal or corporate assets, or commercial activities, and would be increased by 50% for those who had previously been imprisoned under the Vagrants and Criminals Act, which targeted “habitual vagrants,” pimps, prostitutes, drunks, drug addicts, and those who supplied alcohol to minors.

Initially introduced in 1933, the law remained in force during Franco’s dictatorship, but made no reference to homosexuals until a reform introduced in 1954. The term “transgender,” however, is not referenced in the law.

The group tells The Objective that people who identified as trans were “discriminated against, pushed aside and for a long time forgotten, and thus consigned to oblivion” during this time.

“These conditions, which were structural in nature, prevented them from having the same opportunities as the rest of the population, pushing them to the margins of society and social exclusion, with a major impact on their physical and mental health. Today, in the twilight of their lives, they are once again hit by the extreme precariousness resulting from a dictatorial regime that was merciless and the neglect of democracy,” it said in a statement.

The proposal caused quite a stir on social media, with many Spanish X users denouncing the apparent preferential treatment trans-identified individuals were set to receive from politicians.

Calling it a “salary for being trans,” one X user added: “And to top it all, priority in public housing, because there is no one more vulnerable than “they/them.”

“Special pensions for trans* people just because they are trans*. And regardless of their income. Priority access for transgender people to public housing and support programmes. What Plataforma Trans are asking for is called privileges,” another remarked.

[jackredfieldwasmyjacob]

yesterday i saw a map where it showed that almost everywhere the pp had won which perpetuates that they should be ruling and that spain is conservative and whatnot, but that map was influenced by the US electoral system where a state is either red or blue and it has no validation following spain's electoral system. this is the real map we should be focusing on (found here)

like in the canary islands both provinces have 3 pp seats and 3 psoe seats. but one is blue and the other is red for some reason. in badajoz the right won, but still, it's red. in pontevedra the left won, but it's blue. even places like madrid where everyone was saying yesterday that they fucked up the psoe winning, the right only won by two seats. honestly, looking at the overall map, things are more 50-50 than the other map wanted to show.

[beautiful-basque-country]

Tens of thousands of people rallied yesterday (Nov 4 2023) in Bilbo to protest against the lawfare that constantly attacks the Basque language and its speakers.

In the last years we've had to comply with

sentences banning call a baby Hazia (seed) because the judge considered it may mean semen;

sentences banning official paperwork just for inner use in the council being in Basque, when said town is 100% Basque speaking;

sentences that exempt a public worker from learning Basque because "it's very difficult";

sentences that impose that the knowledge of Basque language isn't mandatory to become a Basque public worker;

etc.

All of them have come after judicial processes were started by Spanish nationalist and far right parties PP and Vox. So what they can't achieve in the elections - be in power in Euskadi - they try to achieve with their judges.

Aski da!! Stop attacking Basque!!!

[anarchotolkienist]

Nationalism troubles me a lot.

Like as a matter of course and fact I take it as obvious that nationalism is an invention of modernity and of liberalism, that nations do not exist, and that their creation will always be genocidal or aspiring towards genocide as the natural end point of their political existence. It's an effort to match the territory to the map and not the other way around and that it therefore should be rejected.

However - if we accept that the invention of nationalism applied not only to the perceived own nation which needed defining and defending, it also created other nations. To take just one example, French nationalism created the Basques and the Bretons, foreign nations who were a threat to the integrity of the french national state and that needed to be utterly culturally assimilated into frenchness, needed to disappear as distinctive cultures (not as political/legal entities, which is a project of the imperial and medieval state before it, but as cultural entities). This causes massive oppression and discrimination against all Bretons and all Basques under french control along national lines, and in fact to some extent gives them shared national interests across class and other political/religious/social lines - the ending of that oppression. Therefore it arguably creates a Breton, say, nation that actually exists because there are actual shared interests here. Multiply these examples across the globe.

However, I don't know how to deal with this at all. The kinds of liberatory nationalism produced by the above dynamic has rarely if ever worked even as a stopgap, and usually just produces a new national state that goes on to try and exterminate or assimilate it's own national minorities (think of the place of Arab Jews after Arab Nationalism broadly succeeded, despite being early contributord and inventors of that project, or the treatment of Irish Travellers by the Irish Republic, or the 'successful' Vietnamisation campaigns carried out on indigenous peoples to the north of Vietnam by the Communist Party following independence, or Breton nationalist collaboration with the Nazi occupation in exchange for a promised Gautelier of Brittany that never materialised, Norwegian nationalism that as soon as they got independence from Sweden pursued extremely brutal Norweiganisation campaigns on the Sámi, and on and on and on), while also creating a new National Culture that extinguished local culture, dialect, traditions...

Therefore, it's clear to me that nationalism isn't a workable solution to the problems supposedly adressed by it, but I frankly don't know how you can struggle on behalf of minoritised peoples and their culture(s) without either being some kind of a nationalist or without the liberal appeal to a seat at the table of the imperial national project. It depresses and troubles me deeply, politically, because I don't see any way out. I worry that liberalism let the national genie out of the bottle and the only thing that can happen now is another two centuries of rolling genocides.

[thoughtlessarse]

The leftwing separatist coalition EH Bildu, widely viewed as the political heir of the defunct armed group ETA, made a major breakthrough in Sunday's Basque regional elections although falling short of the win predicted by pollsters. With 99 percent of the vote counted, Bildu increased its representation from 21 to 27 mandates in the 75-seat Basque parliament, giving it the same result as the centrist Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), which has ruled the region for decades. Polls had predicted a tight race, seeing a narrow victory for Bildu -- a coalition which has worked to disassociate itself from ETA, whose bloody struggle for an independent Basque homeland claimed 850 lives before it rejected violence in 2011. And six years after ETA's dissolution, EH Bildu has pursued a winning strategy, putting its pro-independence demands on the back burner and focusing strongly on social issues, securing a solid following among young people under 40.

continue reading

[mapsontheweb]

2023 Spanish General election results. Right wing opposition blocfalls short of expected majority, Sánchez might be reelected.

via u/SkylineReddit252K19S

Parties:

• PP: right/center-right (opposition leader).

• PSOE: center-left (govt)

• Vox: far-right

• Sumar: left/far-left coalition (govt partners)

• Bildu, ERC, BNG: Left wing moderate (ish) separatists.

• PNV, CC: center-right Basque/Canary nationalist. Do not want independence.

• Junts: right wing Catalan separatists. Tried to declare Catalan independence in 2017.

• UPN: Similar to PP but with a Navarrese regionalist (anti Basque nationalist) twist.

Majority: 176 seats

PP+Vox+UPN+CC: 172.

Everyone else except Junts (aka the parties that made Sánchez president in 2020): 171.

Junts (7 seats) said they will support whoever gives them an independence referendum. But that's impossible. So the possibilities are:

• Junts reaches a more reasonable compromise with Sánchez (more likely than with Feijóo) and risks being seen as traitors by hardcore separatists.

• The elections are repeated around Christmas.

[useless-catalanfacts]

What the current elections in Spain will mean for our germans and germanes in the Catalan countries?

It will most likely go badly and mean we lose many rights: language/cultural rights, LGBTQIA+, women's, working class rights, sex ed in schools... This will happen for sure if there's a PP+Vox win, but to be fair it won't be much different for us with a PSOE win (PSOE is also very Spanish nationalist, pro-police torturing dissidents, pro-monarchy, pro-capitalism, etc, they're the ones who created the GAL and who keep sending secret police and illegal surveillance to investigate Catalan independentist movement and related leftist movements like the housing movement).

Many independentists are refusing to vote this time, because they see that no parties can actually apply independentist/leftist policies from inside the system (despite how Junts and CUP are really trying, but find their work frustrated by the judicial system or by what's legally limited). As a result of this and the difference in how we should react to Spain's repression, the independence movement is quite distracted with in-fighting, while the right-wing is united as always.

Despite what we feel about the parties and indirect/bourgeois democracy limited by this fascist state (Spain's laws are not great and separation of powers is non-existant), it's very dangerous to hand the control of laws, police, army, education, and all public office to those who want us dead. This "punishment abstention" will have consequences, and they won't be the consequences that those who chose not to vote or to vote null would have liked.

The only good news is that BILDU seems to be going up a lot. That's good work from our friends in the Basque Country.

[bayofalgecirascranes]

Started taking adhd medications today and now i've found myself watching a completely uncut session of the Spanish Congress of Deputies. Mr. Sánchez gave a few light jabs at the far right and both the leaders of the center-right and the far-right responded with accusing him of embezzlement of public funds. The leader of the Far-left shot back by insinuating that Vox are fascist wannabes and demanding the leader of the center-right apologize on behalf of his entire party for spying on him when Rajoy was in Government. The leader of the Nationalist Republicans essentially said "i respect none of you people." in both Castillian Spanish and what might be Galician but might be Catalan. The leader for Junts is doing what sounds like advocating for major Constitutional Reform in Catalan. The leader for EH bildu is alternating between Basque and Spanish calling the government ineffective and both major parties antidemocratic.

They're debating about how to implement an anti-disinformation law that the EU already passed.

[mariacallous]

Talk of a right-wing wave breaking over Europe has become a commonplace of political punditry, but the reality is more nuanced.

Is a right-wing, even a far-right wing, wave crashing over Europe? A lot of pundits would have it so. A recent article in Politico, with the trenchant title “Springtime for Europe’s Fascists”, ran through the usual suspects, with a special focus on the rise and rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany, AfD.

There’s no doubting the right’s momentum in large parts of Europe. Far-right parties are either in governments, or are propping up governments, in “normally” social democratic Finland and Sweden. The AfD, as the Politico article noted, is scoring 20 per cent in the polls in once staid and centrist Germany – above the 18 per cent support for Chancellor Scholz’s governing Social Democrats. “Never in the history of post-war Germany has a chancellor’s party had such low approval ratings,” as Germany’s Deutsche Welle, DW, remarked.

Conservatives romped home in this year’s elections in Greece – which not that long ago, under Alexis Tsipras, was the flag carrier of the European left. A new far-right constellation, Confederation, is polling strongly in already right-wing-governed Poland. Georgia Meloni’s right-wing “Brothers of Italy” are presiding over Italy. In Austria, the far-right Freedom Party, FPO, is tipped to come first in next year’s elections. It’s a long list, and not a compete one. Who knows what elections in a jittery Netherlands, due in November, will yield?

However, even if the right, in various guises, is on a roll in Europe, talk of a fascist takeover remains wide of the mark, not least because right and far right are ideologically loose terms – umbrella words for a range of insurgent forces with a grab-bag of often conflicting agendas and few commonalities, beyond often vaguely expressed identitarian politics, opposition to large-scale immigration and much talk about helping “the family”.

Some, like Hungary’s and Poland’s rulers, are welfarist, some are not. The AfD and the FPO and Hungary’s ruling Fidesz are pro-Russian but Meloni’s Brothers of Italy don’t fit that description. Nor do rightists in Poland. Some echo US Republicans in their obsession with limiting or even outlawing abortion, but not all of them do. Some flirt with anti-EU-ism, others don’t – and dream of taking over European institutions and reshaping them, rather than getting rid of them.

Some, like Viktor Orban’s Hungary – echoing Putin’s Russia – trumpet a noisy if flakey “traditional” Christianity, which usually involves ignoring the modern variety of the faith as espoused by the current Pope. Others can’t be bothered with that, seeing no votes in a moribund Church, posing instead as defenders of the Enlightenment and of a Western secularism they see as threatened by Muslim immigration.

Moreover, in another complication, the victorious Greek conservatives are more of a classic old-style pro-European centre-right party. That suggests the doom supposedly hanging over the European centre right, and its imminent annihilation by the far right, is not a foregone conclusion.

Then there’s Spain. Right up to polling day in the Spanish elections in July, those predicting a far-right tsunami in Europe were practically salivating over the expected outcome – a victory of the conservative right, which would be propelled into office on the back of a strong vote for the far-right Vox party.

It didn’t happen. Instead, the conservatives and the left polled similar amounts of votes and the Vox vote slumped, leaving the Spanish Socialists within reach of staggering on in alliance with, or supported by, Catalan and Basque nationalists. That wasn’t on the playbook.

The Spanish vote either points to Iberian exceptionalism [with the left also in power in Portugal], or to a possible alternative explanation for what’s going on in Europe, or parts of it – which isn’t necessarily a growing tilt to the right but a growing polarisation, with right and left-wing voting blocs crystallising and entrenching their positions.

Polarisation, of course, is not necessarily a much better outcome than a simple right-wing surge. The last time voters in Spain locked themselves into fiercely opposing left-right options, in the mid-1930s, the result was a civil war.

Either way, the immediate future looks bleak for Europe’s once formidable social democrats. They remain in the saddle in Germany, may cling on in Spain – and will likely take power in Britain next year – but both those latter two countries are literally on the margins of Europe; neither sets the European weather.

Next year’s European elections will formalise the way the political wind is blowing. But for now, the only question is whether the most gains are made by the centrist conservatives of the European Peoples Party, EPP, or by the more right-wing Conservatives and Reformists. Divided and baffled, the left seems out of puff.

[almanach-international]

20 novembre : le rendez-vous des nostalgiques du fascisme en Espagne

Commémorée par l’extrême droite espagnole, la journée du 20-N, pour 20 novembre, est l’anniversaires du décès de deux personnages controversés de l'histoire du pays, José Antonio Primo de Rivera et Francisco Franco. Le premier, fils de l’ex-dictateur Miguel Primo de Rivera, est le fondateur du parti fasciste la Phalange espagnole. Il a été fusillé le 20 novembre 1936 à Alicante après avoir été jugé par un tribunal de la deuxième république espagnole pour complot et rébellion. La guerre civile espagnole avait déjà commencé, suite au coup de force du général Franco, figure de l’extrême droite. Celui-là même qui imposera son pouvoir autoritaire à l’issue de la guerre d’Espagne, avec l’aide de la phalange et des nazis. Sa dictature ne se terminera que le 20 novembre 1975, jour de son décès. La date était déjà célébrée sous le régime franciste, comme le “Jour de la douleur”. D’ailleurs, on se demande si l’annonce du décès de Franco dont l’agonie a duré des semaines, n’a pas été repoussée de quelques heures pour coïncider avec cette date déjà mythique pour le monde fasciste.

Chaque 20 novembre, parfois la veille ou le lendemain, tout ce qui reste de nostalgiques du régime du général Franco ou de la phalange espagnole manifeste dans diverses villes du pays, en particulier à Alicante et à Madrid. Cette année, dans la capitale, c’est dimanche 21 novembre à 12h, place d’Orient que les franquistes se rassembleront. Chaque année, des militants de gauche se mobilisent pour protester contre ces manifestations hors la loi. Longtemps ces manifestations ont été tolérées par les autorités, aujourd’hui, elles tombent sous le coup des lois mémorielles qui interdisent toute promotion du fascisme et du franquisme, sa variante locale. Ce qui n’a pas dissuadé un certain nombre d’églises partout en Espagne, et même en France, d’annoncer des messes à la mémoire de ces deux héros de l’extrême droite espagnole. La Conférence des évêques espagnols est totalement muette sur le sujet, car divisée. On se souvient que l’Église catholique, avec l’armée, a été un des principaux soutiens du régime franquiste et une partie du clergé n’a toujours pas renié cet engagement en dépit d’une levée des tabous sur les crimes du franquisme et l’ouverture des fosses communes où reposent plus de 100 000 victimes. 

Chaque année, le Mouvement catholique espagnol (MCE) appelle à un pèlerinage à la Vallée des morts (la Valle de los Caídos) d’où la dépouille de Franco a été retirée en 2019 mais où repose toujours José Antonio Primo de Rivera. Chaque 20 novembre, la Phalange organise sa traditionnelle Marche bleue en l’honneur de son héros. Le bleu en référence à la division des volontaires espagnols, mieux connue sous le nom  de Division bleue, qui était la contribution de  l'Espagne de Franco  à  l' armée allemande d' Hitler  pendant la  Seconde Guerre mondiale .

La date du 20 novembre demeure une date symbole pour l’extrême droite espagnole. Est-ce un hasard si le nationaliste basque Santiago Brouard a été assassiné le 20 novembre 1984, puis cinq ans plus tard, Jusu Muguruza, à nouveau un 20 novembre. En 1992, c’est une fusillade contre un groupe d’immigrés qui cause la mort de la dominicaine Lucrecia Pérez, encore un 20 novembre… Chaque année se rejoue ce jour-là les affrontements politiques qui ont ensanglantés l’Espagne, il y a plus de 80 ans. Longtemps, les nostalgiques du fascisme sont restés discrets et très minoritaires. Depuis peu tout a changé, les tabous sont tombés aussi bien du côté des républicains qui osent évoquer les victimes et demander réparation, que du côté de l’extrême droite, aujourd’hui représenté par Vox, un parti qui en quatre années s’est imposé comme la quatrième force politique du pays.

#N20

Un article de l'Almanach international des éditions BiblioMonde, 19 novembre 2021

[swldx]

BBC 0430 21 Apr 2024

12095Khz 0359 21 APR 2024 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from TALATA VOLONONDRY. SINPO = 55445. English, dead carrier s/on @0358z with ID@0359z pips and Newsroom preview. @0401z World News anchored by Chris Berrow. The US House of Representatives has passed a major package of military aid for Ukraine after a six-month hold-up in a move Volodymyr Zelensky praised for keeping “history on the right track”. Democrats waved Ukrainian flags on the floor of the House as the bill authorising $60 billion (£48.5 billion) in lethal aid to be sent from US stockpiles passed by 311 votes to 112. Joe Biden’s plan to send aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan had been held up in Congress for six months, amid opposition from Republicans who argued the war with Russia had become too expensive. One person was dead and seven missing after two Japanese military helicopters crashed after possibly colliding while out to sea, officials said. Sierra Leone authorities on Saturday burned $200,000 worth of narcotic drugs and chemicals used to manufacture the synthetic drug kush, two weeks after drug abuse was declared a national emergency. A candlelight vigil is being held for the victims of a stabbing at Bondi Junction Westfield in Sydney. Thousands of people are expected to attend the event to pay their respects to those who were injured in the attack. The vigil is a way for the community to come together in solidarity and support for the victims and their families during this difficult time. The turnout for the vigil is expected to be large, showing the strength and unity of the community in the face of tragedy. Israel will summon ambassadors of countries that voted for full Palestinian UN membership “for a protest talk” on Sunday, a foreign ministry spokesman said. It came after the Palestinian Authority said it would “reconsider” its relationship with the United States after Washington vetoed the Palestinian membership bid earlier this week. Thursday’s vote saw 12 countries on the UN Security Council back a resolution recommending full Palestinian membership and two, Britain and Switzerland, abstain. Two mayoral candidates were killed in two different parts of Mexico as the country heads to elections in June, authorities said. Center-right mayoral candidate Noe Ramos of Ciudad Mante was fatally stabbed in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, said state attorney general Irving Barrios. Authorities are searching for the suspect. Meanwhile, in the southern state of Oaxaca, another mayoral candidate Alberto Antonio Garcia, was also found dead on Friday, according to the state prosecutor. More than 46,500 voters have been called to cast ballots on Sunday in four Serb-majority municipalities in the north of Kosovo. In an unprecedented process, they will not vote to elect mayors but to dismiss them. This is the first time Kosovo has organised this type of ballot in which voters can exercise their right to dismiss the mayors of Leposavic, North Mitrovica, Zvecan and Zubin Potok that they never considered as legitimate. But on Wednesday, the Central Election Commission, CEC, announced that 33 school premises in the four municipalities will not serve as polling stations because their directors refuse to allow the votes to be held there. The Basque Country will head to the polls this Sunday for a crucial regional election that could prove to be a political headache for incumbent Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Opinion polls ahead of this weekend’s ballot show the left-wing separatist EH Bildu party, partly descended from the political wing of the now-defunct terrorist group ETA, with a narrow lead over the ruling centrist Basque Nationalist Party (PNV). @0406z "The Newsroom" begins. 250ft unterminated BoG antenna pointed E/W w/MFJ-1020C active antenna (used as a preamplifier/preselector), Etón e1XM. 250kW, beamAz 315°, bearing 63° . Received at Plymouth, MN, United States, 15359KM from transmitter at Talata Volonondry. Local time: 2259.

[head-post]

Left may pull ahead in Basque elections

The far-left Basque party EH Bildu, has a good chance of coming out on top in the regional elections on 21 April, Spanish media reported.

Founded in 2012, EH Bildu is a coalition of pro-independence and nationalist Basque parties with six representatives in the Spanish parliament, led by former ETA member Arnaldo Otegi.

Following the return of democracy to Spain (1975-1976) and the creation of the so-called “state of autonomies”, a quasi-federal model developed between 1979 and 1995, these Basque elections are set to be the closest in recent history, EFE news agency reported. Young people in particular find EH Bildu’s proposals interesting, especially regarding unemployment, the difficulties of emancipation and access to a first home.

EH Bildu “reinforces itself as a useful party capable of rejecting maximalism and extreme positions, and this is rewarded in the ballot” at a time when “social issues are more important than the (pro-independence) debate,” Braulio Gomez, professor of political science at Deusto University and director of the Deustobarómetro poll, told Spanish public television RTVE last week.

Read more HERE

[terrecorse]

Lettre de Ange Rovere à Monseigneur Bustillo

Éminence

Je me permets, une nouvelle fois, de venir vers vous après avoir lu et relu l'entretien que vous avez accordé au journal « Le Pélerin ».

Que l'homme Bustillo soit favorable à l'autonomie de la Corse est son droit le plus absolu. Même si, pour cela, il met en avant des raisons que la simple raison ne saurait, du moins à mes yeux, admettre : les cas du Pays Basque espagnol et de la Vénétie. C'est oublier deux choses : l'histoire de l'Espagne et de l'Italie n'est pas celle de la France, le raisonnement par analogie n'est pas un raisonnement par la preuve. Mais laissons cette controverse.

L'évêque justifie sa position en évoquant « le principe de subsidiarité porté par l'Église ». Cet argument fait problème. Il est au cœur, vous le savez mieux que moi, de la théologie de saint Thomas d'Aquin ; il sert de fondement à « Rerum novarum » qui en 1891 définit ce qu'on appelle la « Doctrine sociale de l'Église », prolongée par Jean-Paul II dans « Centesimus annus » et confortée par le Cardinal Ratzinger du temps où il était Préfet pour la Doctrine de Foi » avant d'occuper le trône de Saint Pierre. Il ne vous a pas échappé que ce principe figure en toutes lettres dans le traité de Maastricht puis dans celui d’Amsterdam. Il ne s'agit pas ici d'analogies mais d'inspirations partagées. Si l'Église affirme qu'existe un « ordre moral transcendant et universel qui ne peut que s'édifier que sur Dieu » s'imposant à tous les chrétiens, les traités, et vous l'assumez implicitement, ont transposés ce principe en droit européen : la subsidiarité européenne s'impose aux États membres mais a également pour vocation de réguler les relations des « collectivités de base » (communes, régions etc…) avec l'État dont elles sont constitutives. Elle substitue une méthode de répartition des tâches aux valeurs dont est porteur l'État-Nation construit par les citoyens dans leurs luttes multiformes pendant des décennies. Pour la France, ces « valeurs » s'appellent la « solidarité nationale » caricaturée sous le vocable « Jacobinisme ». Savez-vous, Éminence, que le budget de l'État inscrit dans ses dépenses 500 millions d'euros pour que le prix du KW/H soit le même à Dunkerque et à Bonifacio ? Vous pr��conisez que la CDC ait la maîtrise de la santé ; Dieu nous en préserve alors qu'elle n'arrive pas à régler le problème des déchets.

Vous êtes, Éminence, évêque de l'Église de Corse, communauté de chrétiens aux options politiques diverses, incluant, je suis bien placé pour le savoir, les communistes qui, pour la plupart, se marient à l'église, baptisent leurs enfants et tiennent à un enterrement religieux. Par-delà leurs choix citoyens, tous les catholiques de cette île doivent être, par leur pasteur, respectés dans la manière dont ils vivent leur foi. L'évêque se doit de rassembler « le Peuple de Dieu » devoir d'autant plus impérieux que vous soulignez « l'unité culturelle...autour de la tradition catholique » qui est effectivement une des composantes de notre culture, comme d'ailleurs la laïcité ou notre attachement aux services publics, vecteurs essentiels de la démocratie française.

La question de l'autonomie fait d'autant plus débat que ses contours ne sont pas définis. Une partie de la droite s'interroge par crainte de voir disparaître le socle républicain sur lequel s'est construite la nation française ; une grande partie de la gauche aussi, et pour les mêmes raisons. Les diverses composantes du nationalisme sont au bord de l'affrontement. La mission de l'évêque est-elle d'endosser l'habit du militant politique en faveur d'un camp ? À un moment dramatique de notre histoire récente Mgr Thomas a su prendre la hauteur nécessaire et gagner le cœur de tous les insulaires par ses engagements pour la paix. Dans les années 1990, la voix de l'Église a accompagné et cautionné le « débat identitaire » qui s'est finalement soldé par ce que les nationalistes qualifient « d'années de plomb : plus de 40 assassinats par ans entre clans rivaux. Le Ciel fasse que l'avenir ne nous réserve pas ce bégaiement de l'histoire tragique et sanglant. À la place qui est la votre vous pouvez contribuer à l'éviter. Vous évoquez, Éminence, la Vierge Marie. Le « Dio salvi Regina » qui appelle à l'unité des chrétiens autour de la mère du Christ, Mère de Miséricorde, n'est pas celui que vous entonnez tous les dimanches. Je vous ai fait parvenir le texte original qui n'a rien à voir avec l'hymne qui clôture chaque messe et transformée, pour des raisons politiques, en chant xénophobe et d'exclusion. Il serait temps que l'Église de Corse revienne à ses fondamentaux : la paix dans les cœurs dans le respect de l'autre.

Pour finir, permettez-moi de vous poser une question. Vous êtes cardinal, membre de la Curie, donc du gouvernement du Vatican État souverain. Vous intervenez de plus en plus dans le débat politique d'un autre État souverain : ainsi votre préconisation d'une forme de « laïcité corse » dans le sillage de Monsieur Talamoni. S'il s'agit d'une démarche personnelle, elle outrepasse le rôle que vous confère la loi de 1905 ; s'il s'agit d'une initiative cautionnée par le Vatican elle est en violation du droit international et suscite en moi nombre de questions.

Veuillez pardonner Éminence la longueur de cette lettre. Mais j'ai la faiblesse de croire que les questions posées méritaient de l'être. Au moins pour deux raisons : une vie consacrée à l'engagement citoyen mais aussi à l'histoire de cette île, notamment de son Église.

Croyez, Éminence, en ma parfaite considération.

Ange Rovere

[beautiful-basque-country]

This video is clearly not meant for Basque people, but for Spaniardas that don't know Euskara. It's just an example of how Spanish fascists spread Basquephobia.

The members of Bildu celebrated their elections results with the expression "Jo ta ke". But do you know what it really means? Jotakes are grenades designed and developed by terrorist band ETA in the years 1987-88. They were used in attacks like the one against the headquarter houses of Zarautz on Aug 7th 1987. They were also used in the attack against the headquarter houses of Mungia on March 23rd 1991. In fact, ETA former leader Txapote used this same expression during a trial at the National Audience. This expression was popularized by ETA-supporting band Su Ta Gar and that's why now it's used in different contexts meaning "hit it hard until victory". What do you think about Bildu now using this saying?

[x]

Jo ta ke means, literally, hit and smoke. It's believed it comes from what was said at the iron factories: hit (the iron) and then burn, hit (the iron) and the burn, all the time until the work was done. With time, it became a synonym of tirelessly. So the super usual saying in political or sport contexts Jo ta ke irabazi arte! just means Tirelessly or non-stop until victory.

It existed long before Su Ta Gar's song ffs.

The grenades were called jotakes because of this same meaning: we keep going towards victory non-stop, as the weapons were means for ETA to achieve their goals.

Jo ta ke - and Basque language in general - isn't something that was born for ETA or ETA-supporting environments as these fascists like to make people believe, once and again. They're indeed jo ta ke until more and more people hate Basques. Luckily, many know better but still this is plain misinformation and blatant Basquephobia.

They're just bitter EH Bildu had an incredible result at the Basque elections and because ~70% of Basque votes were for Basque nationalist parties.

[cristiansspanishlitblog]

WEEK 11 BLOG

This week I read pages 166-176 of Mark Kurlanskies, Basque History of the World. 

This week's quote can be found on pg. 176: “But sabino gave the Basques their colors, a flag, a vocabulary, the name of their country, and the political party that would produce many of their future leaders.” Arana Sabino was an avid Basque nationalist. Time and time again he fought for basque name and recognition. Even  after the “fall of Spain” after they lost “The places with which they traded…the places that were Spain’s claim to being a world power…”(172) Arana still wished upon their demise. He went as saying “It doesn’t matter to us if Spain is big or small, strong  or weak, rich or poor. They have enslaved our country and this is enough for us to hate them with all our soul..”. The reason that Arana was so successful is that he was able to amass a large number of nationalist to take up his cause. That and with the rapidly growing population, (Bilbaos populous being 20,000 in 1850, to 100,000 by the end of the century), it was easy for him to spread Basque nationalism to take up his hate of Spain with.

Ok, so. Even though I had not registered this quote for this week, I still read the 10 pages, and felt like this might count for something(hopefully). Arana was one of the handful of people that is accredited for a wide variety of basque identity. I think it’s pretty cool, and scary at times, how much influence one person or a group of people can have over the masses. Luckily, Arana’s work was mostly positive. I say mostly because his vision of basque nationalism was soon joined with the question: “what makes someone Baque?” This brought up incredibly racist  exchanges, and subclasses in basqueland. Because of population and industrial boost, there was an influx of non-basque workers. They were referred to and looked down on as lesser. Referred to as, after Eukera translation, “maketo”, usually referring to anybody who was a poor immigrant at the time. 

Word count(345)

[thefree-online]

Riotous Spanish Pantomime as Sánchez gives Amnesty to persecuted Catalans in deal to stay in power

ROLL Up. Join in the Pantomine CHEERS /BOOS /ECSTASY/ BLOOD/ The Spanish far-right were mad as a tortured bull as Sanchez finally cobbled together a Fun-Coalition of Basque, Galician, Canary and Catalan nationalists, plus a vast array of smaller parties allied in Sumar, to stay with the PSOE Party in power. The most hilarious Panto twist came when Pedro Sánchez had to woo the hated Catalan…