Pro-independence parties win votes in Spain’s Basque Country

 

Inigo Urkullu, the candidate of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), casts his ballot at a polling station in the northern Spanish Basque village of Durango, October 21, 2012.

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/22/268080/basque-separatists-win-votes-in-spain/

Nationalist and separatist parties have won the regional elections in Spain’s northern autonomous region of Basque Country, with the winners expected to call for a referendum on independence.

The moderate Basque Nationalist Party came top in the Sunday elections in one of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions, winning 27 seats in the 75-member regional parliament.

The left-wing separatist EH Bildu coalition, which campaigns for an independent country within the European Union, won 21 seats. The two parties jointly took almost two-thirds of the parliament seats and brought an end to the rule of the socialist government that took office three years ago.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s center-right People’s Party retained its majority in his home province of Galicia, despite the government’s unpopular harsh austerity measures.

The prosperous Basque region, which is home to 2.2 million people, has been racked by decades of separatist violence.

The poll results are expected to lead to more anti-government sentiments, which has been under fire over its austerity measures and public spending cuts and tax hikes.

Public protests have grown in Spain over the speculation that the government will seek a Greek-style European bailout to keep its borrowing costs in check.

Over the past few months, anti-austerity demonstrations have turned violent in Spanish cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, as well as in rural mining locations in the north.

Battered by the global financial downturn, the Spanish economy collapsed into recession in the second half of 2008.

Catalonia Independence from Spain: When Will We See Tanks in Barcelona?

By: Esther Vivas

Original Source: Socialist Project
http://www.socialistproject.ca/

Source: Global Research

http://www.globalresearch.ca/catalonia-independence-from-spain-when-will-we-see-tanks-in-barcelona/5308313

Independent Catalonia? Over my dead body and those of many other soldiers.” It was with these words that on August 31, retired infantry lieutenant-colonel Francisco Alaman Castro referred to the possibility of an independent Catalonia. And he added: “We will not make it easy. Although the lion seems to be sleeping, they have no interest in provoking it too much, because it has already given enough proof of its ferocity over the centuries. These plebs are not up to much, if we know how to confront them.”

In the current verbiage that some politicians have adopted, these statements are not the only ones that we might call “undemocratic,” “putschist” and “anti-system.” After the demonstration on September 11,[1] the UPyD spokesperson[2], Rosa Díez, called on the government to suspend the autonomy of Catalonia if the region used money from central government aid “to finance its secession.” Not to be outdone, the MEP (representing the Popular Party, in power in Madrid) and vice-president of the European Parliament, Alejo Vidal Quadras, requested that a brigadier-general, preferably from the Civil Guard, take charge of the “Mossos de Esquadra”[3] to curb the independence process.

The El Mundo newspaper, in its editorial of September 27, demanded from the government “a penal response to the challenge launched by Artur Mas” who has called for a referendum on self-determination in Catalonia. El Mundo urged the government to amend the Criminal Code to “punish by imprisonment any call for an illegal referendum.” And for good measure, the extremist “Reconversion,” platform, whose leaders are Alejo Vidal Quadras and José Antonio Ortega Lara, demanded that if such a referendum were to be held the government place Catalonia under tutelage, on the basis of articles 161.2 and 155.1 and 2 of the Constitution.

Role of the Military

And that’s not all. The Spanish Military Association (AME), composed of former members of the army, has threatened Catalan president Artur Mas with a Council of War and has warned those who promote “the breaking-up of Spain” that they will have to answer before a military court on charges of “high treason”. Nothing more than that! It speaks volumes about the present situation when a conservative politician such as Artur Mas, enmeshed to the marrow of his bones with the powers of finance, especially with the La Caixa and Aberti banks, who is leader of a party as un-subversive as the CiU[4] elicits such reactions. What will happen then when it comes to someone on the left, who is opposed to the interests of the employers and is a sincere defender of the right to self-determination?

In the light of the above, I ask myself a question. If all of this was happening, for example, in a Latin American country, how would it be characterized? The BBC has published a long report that makes the link between the threats to Catalonia and the “pact of silence” introduced during the Transition.[5] And this is quite right. The Amnesty Law of 1977 guarantees immunity to those who committed crimes against humanity under the Franco regime and during the Civil War. These individuals are still there, and today they are raising their heads again, without any restraint.

At a time where the Hispanic Titanic is taking in water on all sides, with a crisis which worsens each day and scaffolding that is creaking everywhere, it is the true nature of the regime that is revealing itself. And so are the limits of a transition that has been so beatified that it has prevented people from seeing the reality for decades. All of a sudden, the mask of “democrat” has fallen from their faces. Crises have at least the advantage of clarifying things.

Limits to Democracy?

According to them, democracy is a good thing as long as it does not go beyond a certain framework. As a result, all those who disturb things, whether it is these “hooligan” Catalan independentists or these “dangerous” 25S activists, must be quickly silenced. Broadcast television images of police charges? What a scandal! People will become indignant and will demonstrate even more. Solution: limit the right to demonstrate and the right to be informed and the business is settled. The president of the Popular Party group in the European Parliament, Jaime Mayor Oreja, and the Delegate of the Madrid government Cristina Cifuentes have understood this well.

The current crisis is not only an economic and social crisis, but really an unprecedented regime crisis that calls into question the state model that came out of the Transition, its “pacts of silence” and the very shaky democratic system that we have today.

In the middle of this mess, we must support all democratic demands that come up against the monarchical corset of the Transition, starting with the right of the Catalan people to decide its own future. Who is afraid of such a referendum in Catalonia? Those who are not willing to accept its result. We should not, however, let the Spanish chauvinist fury against Mas make us take such a politician – whose only achievement in government is to have reduced social rights and taxes for the rich – for a herald of democracy and freedom. On the contrary, we, Catalans, will have a better life when we get rid of Mas, his squire Felip Puig and their team.

Infantry lieutenant-colonel Francisco Alaman Castro said that “the current situation resembles that of 1936.” That is quite a declaration of intent. Today, as then, our democracy, our rights and our future are threatened. What is at stake is important. When will we see tanks in the streets of Barcelona? It would not be the first time. But there is one thing I am sure of: the people will not remain silent. The most important thing will be not to make any mistake about who the enemy is, and while we fight against the badly recycled Francoists, we should remember that the interests of the majority of the Catalan people have very little to do with those of the Messiah Artur Mas. •

Esther Vivas is an activist in a variety of social movements in Barcelona and maintains a blog at esthervivas.com.

Notes:

1.on September 11, 2012, at the call of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), constituted on March 10, 2012 in Barcelona by 269 Catalan municipalities, nearly two million people marched for the right to self-determination and independence.

2.Unión Progreso y Democracia (Union, progress and democracy) is a political party of the radical populist Right, founded in 2007, which defends an uncompromising Spanish nationalism.

3.Catalan police, responsible to the Generalitat (regional government).

4.Convergència i Unió (Convergence and Union) is a federation of centre-right Catalan political parties.

5.Transitional period between the death of General Franco in 1975 and the adoption of the new Constitution establishing a “parliamentary monarchy” in 1978.

Catalonia - Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalonia

UK PM Cameron to sign deal greenlighting Scottish independence referendum

 

David Cameron (R) shakes hands with the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond (Reuters / Toby Melville)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/scotland-independence-referendum-cameron-453/

UK Prime Minister David Cameron is set to sign a historic deal with Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond to hold a separation referendum in 2014. The signing followed give-and-take negotiations over the vote on whether Scotland will leave the UK.

Cameron and Salmond will finalize the agreement in Edinburgh on Monday, launching a 100-week battle over the future of the United Kingdom.

The 35-clause deal will greenlight Scots to vote on a single, yes-or-no issue: Whether Scotland should leave the UK. Salmond’s negotiator, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, shelved the possibility of a second question on the ballot asking voters whether they would support partial succession, with much greater powers for the Scottish parliament. Whitehall insisted on an all-or-nothing referendum.

Michael Moore, Secretary of State for Scotland in the UK, agreed to other points pursued by the Scottish National Party (SNP), which dominates the Scottish government. These issues included allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote, and empowering the Scottish parliament to decide the date, the question and the franchise of the referendum.

“We've compromised, as have the Westminster government in these negotiations, but I'm very satisfied indeed that the outcome of these negotiations is the guarantee of a referendum made in Scotland,” Sturgeon told BBC One's Sunday Politics Scotland program.

"I think it's a good agreement. I believe it will now allow us to put up in lights the big issues about the big debate… on what is best for Scotland,” Moore told Sky News, adding that the referendum would be “legal, fair and decisive.”

Proponents of independence will have to campaign hard to swing public opinion in their favor: The latest poll by NS BMRB suggests that a majority of Scotts, 53 percent, favor staying in the UK, while only 28 percent want to separate.

The SNP’s call for separation from the UK comes amid rising sentiment in Scotland that the country’s national interests are being undermined by the government in London. Scotland joined with England and Wales in 1707, and participated in the British monarchy before that.

While a majority of Scots want more powers for their own government on issues like economy and defense, the prospect of full independence is viewed more skeptically.

Even if it declares independence, Scotland will likely retain Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch, as does Canada, Australia and other members of the British Commonwealth.

Northern Kosovo Serbs go ahead with referendum on Pristina

Hard-line ethnic Albanian protesters of the nationalist Self-Determination Movement protest near Podujevo, a town in northern Kosovo on January 22, 2012.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/226503.html

Serbs in northern Kosovo are going ahead with a referendum this week, in which citizens voice their opinion as to whether they accept the institutions of the so-called Republic of Kosovo.

On Monday, Serb leaders in northern Kosovo said they will hold the referendum despite opposition from Pristina, the international community and even Belgrade.

“The referendum will be held Tuesday and Wednesday. ... We printed 35,000 ballots," a member of the electoral commission that is organising the vote, Ljubomir Radovic said.

Residents of the Serb-dominated north oppose Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia and believe the referendum will underscore their opposition to concessions that Belgrade has made to the ethnic Albanian government in Pristina during EU-brokered talks.

Voters will be asked whether they “accept the institutions of the so-called Republic of Kosovo seated in Pristina”.

However, the Serbian government does not support the move, even though Belgrade also opposes Kosovo independence. Serbian officials fear the referendum may damage Serbia’s European Union membership bid.

“The referendum ... cannot help solve the crisis," Serbian President Boris Tadic said.

The Belgrade and Kosovo Serbs reject Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence, recognized by Western powers, and regard the region as a part of greater Serbia.

The European Union (EU) leaders have delayed Serbia's bid to become a formal candidate for membership in the EU until March 2012, at the earliest. The decision was made due to Serbia's fraught relations with Kosovo.

Break up in the air for United Kingdom

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/220494.html

The days of the United Kingdom of England and Scotland seem to be numbered as the Scottish government has intensified the drumbeat of independence amid British efforts to undermine such efforts.

The newly retired British Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell predicted, while still in office a few weeks ago, that it would be an “enormous challenge” to hold the Union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, formed in 1707, together.

Scottish first minister Alex Salmond said at the time that O'Donnell has been “extremely fair in recognizing and respecting the democratic mandate of the Scottish government.”

Salmond is now moving full steam ahead on the path to use the mandate based on the absolute majority of his Scottish Nationalist Party in the Scottish parliament to secure Scotland's independence from Britain.

SNP said just before the New Year that Scotland would have its own army, navy and air force after independence, like its Nordic neighbors, Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

The party said they are working on a detailed plan to join the Scandinavian circle of countries in a bid to reduce ties with Britain and its western European allies.

Their unshaken push for independence, however, raised an angry response in London though the British government later tried to whitewash the issue.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg claimed a few days ago that those who believe in Scottish independence are “extremists.”

Clegg said the Scottish government should follow the Liberal Democrats' “center-ground” proposals of constitutional reforms to give Holyrood greater powers short of independence.

This is while the SNP had already proposed to hold a referendum that offers voters three choices: keeping the current arrangements, full independence or greater devolution powers.

In effect, the SNP was already offering the choice proposed by Clegg to the Scottish voters yet his suggestion that full independence should be removed from the available options angered the party.

A SNP spokeswoman said Clegg is using “the old and tried Tory scaremongering” to prevent the Scottish people from gaining “full financial powers.”

The duplicity behind Clegg's remarks was exposed, however, when the government announced they would make any referendum on Scotland leaving the UK, legally binding, only if the plebiscite offers a yes/no question on independence and if it is held within a maximum 18 months rather than in 2014 as proposed by the SNP.

Prime Minister David Cameron cited legal and economic uncertainty to justify his proposal but Scotland's deputy fist minister Nicola Sturgeon hit out at Cameron saying the offer is “a blatant attempt to interfere” in an issue which is not London's business.

This is while London seems keen to prevent a vote in 2014 as it would coincide with the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn during which England suffered a humiliating defeat against Britain.

Thousand of Spaniards March to Madrid

Spanish protesters gather in Madrid on Sunday, July 24, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/190588.html

Thousands of Spaniards have gathered in Madrid after spending a month marching from across the country to the capital in protest at the government's handling of the economic crisis.

The movement started in May, as the government's austerity measures came into effect to tackle budget deficits.

The demonstration, also known as the May 15th revolution, was organized on social networks.

Young demonstrators began camping at Sol, one of Madrid's busiest squares on May 15, in a protest that lasted three weeks. At the same time, similar actions were initiated across Spain and Europe.

The marchers set off from Barcelona and Bilbao in the north, Valencia in the east and Cadiz in the southwest on June 25. They were joined by other people angered by Spain's troubled economy, Associated Press reported.

Several dozen demonstrators stopped outside Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's official residence just north of Madrid.

Unemployment has risen to 20% in Spain, reaching the highest in the 17 nation Eurozone, and many fear the number will hike in the future,

The Eurozone plunged into a financial crisis in early 2010, as the specter of insolvency threatened heavily debt-ridden countries such as Greece, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Spain.

Spain public debt tops 13-year peak

Spanish protesters gather at the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, during a protest last month against Spain's economic crisis and its sky-high jobless rate

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/185187.html

Spain's public debt in the first three months of 2011 has risen to 970 billion dollars, the highest level in 13 years, Bank of Spain figures show.

Spain's accumulated public debt amounted to 679.78 billion euros ($970 billion) or 63.6 percent of annual gross domestic product, at the end of March, the central bank data released on Friday showed.

Spanish savings banks' public offerings must go ahead as planned for the financial sector and the country as a whole to recover markets' confidence, Reuters reported the Bank of Spain's deputy governor as saying.

Bank of Spain said on Friday that the banking sector's bad loan rate rose in April to 6.36 percent, the highest since June 1995. The rate had fallen in March for the first time in five months.

According to Bank of Spain, the rate among loans made to real estate promoters stood at a record 15.24 percent.

Meanwhile, unemployment has gone up over 21 percent in the first quarter, the highest rate of joblessness in the industrialized world.

Spain is struggling to recover from nearly two years of recession triggered in large part by the collapse of an overheated real estate sector.

The latest figures come against the backdrop of recent protests against the Spanish political establishment. The protesters recently held days of rallies against their country's political system, calling for fundamental political and economic reforms.

Spain holds polls amid protests

Demonstrators have defied a ban by authorities and continued their protests

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/181108.html

Voting begins in Spain's local elections as tens of thousands of angry demonstrators remain camped out in squares to protest the government's economic policies.

Polls opened at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) and close at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) with first results expected between 10 p.m. (2000 GMT) and 11 p.m. (2100 GMT).

The outcome of Sunday's regional elections are unlikely to be effected by the pressure of the protesters; however, the ruling Socialists are expected to suffer major losses in the elections for city councils and regional governments, according to the state-run BBC.

More than 34 million people are eligible to vote, choosing 8,116 mayors, 68,400 town councilors and 824 members of regional parliaments for 13 of the 17 semi-autonomous regions.

Disgruntled Spaniards, who began their protests on May 15 to demand jobs, housing and "real democracy," vowed to stay until Sunday elections if police try to use force to disperse their peaceful protests.

Demonstrators defied a ban by authorities and poured into Madrid's central Puerta del Sol square and in several cities, including Granada, Seville, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza and Palma de Majorca.

"I hope this changes our situation. We have a right to regular jobs, a future and a decent salary, to more opportunities in life, the chance to get a house, to pay for that house without being enslaved, but especially a better quality of life," said one protester.

Spain's unemployment rate soared to 21.29 percent, with 4.9 million jobless for the first quarter of 2011, according to the government statistics published in late April.

In May 2010, the government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero introduced a slew of drastic austerity measures, including cutting civil servants pay as part of plans to curb budget deficit from 11 percent a year earlier to within the 3 percent of GDP limit set by the European Union by 2013

Spain protests persist ahead of polls

Thousands of Spanish protesters demonstrate at the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid on May 18, 2011 to protest against the economic crisis

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/180629.html

Thousands of Spanish protesters have camped out in Madrid and several other cities to demand jobs as well as political change ahead of weekend local elections.

Outraged by Spain's economic crisis and soaring jobless rate, demonstrators defied a ban by authorities and poured onto Madrid's central Puerta del Sol square and in several cities, including Granada, Seville, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza and Palma de Majorca, AFP reported on Wednesday.

Many protesters held up placards reading "Make the guilty pay for the crisis" and chanted "They call this democracy but it is not", as they tried to draw attention to their economic hardships ahead of the regional and municipal elections on Sunday.

Disgruntled Spaniards, who began their protests on May 15 to demand jobs, housing and "real democracy," have vowed to stay until Sunday elections if police try to use force to disperse their peaceful protest.

Reports indicate that about 15 police vehicles took up positions in and around the emblematic square in the capital Madrid on Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, opinion polls by the centre-left El Pais and the conservative El Mundo portend humiliating losses for the Socialist candidates in the forthcoming regional and municipal elections, as voters are expected to punish them for the government's handling of the economic crisis, including the failure to curb high employment rates.

Spain's unemployment rate soared to 21.29 percent, with 4.9 million jobless for the first quarter of 2011, according to the government statistics published in late April.

In May 2010, the government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero introduced a slew of drastic austerity measures, including cutting civil servants pay as part of plans to curb budget deficit from 11 percent a year earlier to within the 3 percent of GDP limit set by the European Union by 2013.

Spain protests austerity measures

Spanish students and youth groups protesting austerity measures

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/180145.html

In Spain, tens of thousands have staged rallies against the government's austerity measures which it says is aimed at resolving the country's financial crisis.

In over 50 cities, University students, social group members, activists, and unemployed people protested against the government and politicians responsible for the country's struggling economy, The Associated Press reported.

“We the unemployed, the poorly paid, the subcontracted in precarious jobs, the youth of Spain, want change and a future with dignity,” unemployed Ines Bajo told reporters.

The rallies were organized by activists, youth groups, and some protesters who wore T-shirts handed out by the Youth Without a Future group.

"I have several degrees, speak many languages and still get paid a miserable salary," said Cristina Corbera, 25, who has finally found a job after one year of searching.

The Spanish capital Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao, and Zaragoza were among cities which witnessed protests.

Spain has eurozone's highest jobless rate of 21.3 percent, currently with 4.9 million unemployed people.

The Spanish government is predicting a 1.3 percent growth this year. However, the country's central bank does not agree with the prediction

Spain youth rally against unemployment

Demonstration scene after youths protest poor economic situation in Spain.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/173655.html

Thousands of people have marched through the streets of the Spanish capital Madrid to protest the country's poor economic situation which continues to plague the unemployed, particularly its youth.

"Almost half of Spain's youths are unemployed," said Ivan Alonso, a university student at the demonstrations, which were held to protest high unemployment, job insecurity and the government's spending cuts.

"I have been unemployed for three years,” noted Alonso, adding that “the government is starting to reduce scholarships and without a scholarship or a job it will be impossible to continue studying."

The youth protests in Madrid were inspired by the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as anti-austerity protests in other European cities, including Lisbon where in March 11th there was a huge demonstration against similar austerity problems.

"Italy, France, Greece and Iceland taught us that mobilization is indispensable; the Arab world has shown us that victory is possible," reported Youth Without a Future, the group which started this campaign.

Protesters felt frustrated at the lack of jobs with little available for even the most qualified graduates.

Rates for those unemployed and less than 25 years of age stand at 43.5 percent in February, being more than twice the national average and the highest youth unemployment rate in the European Union, the report said.

Pro-independence rally held in Basque

Inaki Zabaleta, spokesman of the Basque outlawed party Sortu, right, during a rally, in Bilbao in northern Spain, Saturday April 2, 2011, calling for the legalization of the Basque outlawed party Sortu

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/172816.html

Tens of thousands of supporters of a new Basque pro-independence party have protested a Spanish court ruling that bans it from entering politics.

Protesters carried placards in support of the Sortu party as they marched through the city of Bilbao on Saturday, calling for the government to legalize the party, the Associated Press reported on Saturday.

Late in March, the Supreme Court ruled that Sortu is illegal and cannot run in the local elections in May. The verdict says the party has close links with the Basque separatist group, ETA.

The Spanish government has repeatedly said all parties in the Basque region must reject ETA in order to gain legal status.

Sortu which officially rejected violence to achieve the independence of the Greater Basque Country, a region that encompasses parts of north Spain and southeast France, can appeal to the Constitutional Court. But even if it does that, the court's ruling will likely come after May's elections.

The new party, which was unveiled on February 7, is the culmination of intense internal debates within ETA-linked pro-independence groups. Some are skeptical of the newly-established party because it is backed by the ETA militant group.

ETA is responsible for the deaths of some 800 people during its four-decade-long fight for an independent Basque state. ETA's previous political wing, Batasuna, was also banned by Spanish courts in 2003.

The Spanish government has repeatedly said Batasuna and its members must reject ETA and condemn violence in order to regain legal status and take part in Basque politics.

Separatists claim that around 15 percent of the Basque population would vote for Batasuna, a number too large to disenfranchise.

Opponents to Basque separatism say Batasuna militants must be stopped from accessing local government budgets to back ETA.

ETA, which concluded that bombs and bullets were no longer an effective way to seek independence, declared a cease-fire in September 2010 and went further in January by calling it permanent.

The separatist group has called 11 truces throughout its 40-year history of fighting for independence.

Ron Paul's Revolution March July 12th

March for your independance! March for your Freedom! Make a stand!!! Fight the tyrany that is sitting in Washington. Show the World you do not support the monsters in power!! This is it!!! This is your chance to take your country back!

For those of you that can't make it to DC, don't worry! Live coverage of the march will be provided by www.revolutionbroadcasting.com . Bummed you can't see your favorite speaker in person? Tune in to hear their speech live!

Please contact your meetups and anyone else that can't be in DC and let them know we will cover the event for them. www.revolutionbroadcasting.com

Don't forget, if you have not pledged to march, there is no time like TODAY to do so: www.revolutionmarch.com.



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