Laurence Dollimore
CATALONIA has begun developing ID cards that will be issued to its residents in the case of gaining independence from Spain.
The new cards will feature the residents’ names, addresses and dates of birth as well as their social security numbers and tax data.
Catalan authorities are splashing €9 million on the cards, which are an attempt to show its inhabitants that their rights and benefits will be preserved in the case of secession from Spain.
Madrid has long been declining the region’s push for independence, saying it would violate the Spanish constitution.
let me see…
the region’s push for independence???
it is the SEPARATAS , not the REGION who are pushing for “independence”.
and most of the separatas are not catalan, not even spaniards.
and it is NOT Madrid who says that they violate the Constitution.
The CONSTITUTION says that.
Capito??
You seem to shape your political views in the manner of that noble bird the ostrich, Pablo.
The ID card is an invent of Himmler for the control of the III Reich population. I wonder if he said to the German people, the same words that the catalan separatists had employed.
No doubt that it is an intent for to separate the population in two groups; the true catalans, and the not catalans, and it is remember to the project that Hitler outlined in his famous book, Mein Kampf. He exposed his purpose of to deprive to the German Jews of the German nationality.
In this aspect the nazis not were very original. Some decades before them, in Spain, the father of the basque nationalism Sabino Arana, declared the necessity of the expulsion of all not authentic basques of vizcaya (he thought that only the inhabitants of the province of Vizcaya were basques).
At this time in Spanish history there are perhaps only two pressing political issues: they are minority rights, and citizens’ abilities to think independently, outside of any political party’s doctrine or the Catholic metaphysical worldview that has generated hierarchical rigidity and the crippling notion that a ruling party takes all.
Until voters organize movements at the municipal level, that is, learn think outside ubiquitous ‘party discipline’, the most one can expect to develop is another, smaller flock of sheep, as the good shepherd Iglesias has shown us with Podemos. ‘Yes, we, too, can have the power.’
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Regional movements that reject legacy domination by Madrid should be cheered on by citizens and immigrants alike. In order for democracy to develop in Spain We need many more of them. People need to learn how democratic politics work through practice.
Is a nonsense to speak about minority rights. Only is posible to speak about rights and obligations of individuals.
The idea that the majortity takes all is called democracy, the opposed is oligarchy.
Separatist movements are nationalist, they want to impose his own tyranny. They have a soul oligarchical and ethnicist. They speak about democracy but they are enemies of the popular representation, the goverment elected for the majority and of the separation of powers.
An ethnicist , or a racist, or a classist, usually will think that the inmigrants are citizens, or even men, of inferior category.
The catalans have the word “charnego” (dog without race) for to speak contemptuously of the inmigrants. The basques have the word “maketo”. These vocables nowadays are out of use, because the separatists have integrated to the grandsons of the charnegos and the maketos in the masses that back them. But for to be admitted in the inner circles of the nationalist movements, the condition of to not be descendent of inmigrants, is a requisite.
Anselmo, you said “The idea that the majortity takes all is called democracy, the opposed is oligarchy.” What you describe is not democracy, but the underlying motive force of despotism, in this case the mindset of Spanish politicians and sadly, the sheep they shepherd. As to ‘separatist movements’, they may or may not be separatist. Most often they are protest movents who can no longer bear the old Catholic-Francoist fachas and their presumption that they and only they represent the ‘true Spanish soul’. They may, too, suffer the exclusionary disease, because almost no one in Spain understands inclusionary democratic politics.
Yes for many, as you say, it “is a nonsense to speak about minority rights”, because there has never been democracy in Spain nor an educational system to develop it. The public’s grasp of democracy in Spain is now at the level of believing democracy is being permitted to choose between Seats and Renaults, or between diverse brands of chorizo. That is the real and crippling over-arching nationalism from which the Spanish citizens suffer.
Your comments well illustrate my argument.
I agree with all that you say, with the exception of the following points:
If you think that I have a wrong idea about democracy, try to explain to it to the North Americans that the goverment of the majority is not democratic.
Minorities not have rights. An human group can not have rights nor obligations. Only the individuals can have it.
I fear that you have mistaken ideas about democracy because you live in UK that is a parlamentary system,lacking of separation of powers, etc.
Until you understand how the concept of minority rights is an integral part of democracy, you cannot understand how diversity and human rights of minorities fullfills the potential of democracy.
You are operating in a pure category universe in which difference must be banned, eradicated or ignored for the sake of those with the dominant ideology. That notion of homogeneity is the basis of all totalist regimes, and is not democracy.
Democracy only is separation of powers, power legislative elected by the people, power executive elected by the people (not by the Parliament), jugdes nor dependent of another powers.
Minorities rights are privileges,proper of feudal societies.
Workers rights, miners for instance, do not enjoy the level of pay and safety conditions they live on, as a privilege, it is won by force of pulling together, usually as a union and by dint of strikes, forcing employers, often the State, to temper their practices towards them.
Hard-won rights are not a privilege. You are simply wrong Anselmo.
chas, it’s pointless discussing anything with Anselmo, it’s like trying to have a discussion with the remainders about Brexist.
I think that you are a bit unfair with respect to me. I am capable,…..I know that you think that it is impossible ,of to ackowledge my errors.
You baffle me Anselmo. How can you possibly believe that minorities have no rights? Is your head still frozen in a Francoist mindset?
Only the individuals can have rights and obligations. The colectivities , never .
Please, say me one colectivity which have obligations.
Since you said “Please…”, I will: – A government has obligations to all its people – minorities included.
Chas, I’m not agreeing with Anselmo but as you well know it doesn’t quite work out like that. The minorities are usually trodden on. Take the Brexit as an example and pressure from the minority may involve certain changes but overall will not alter the facts made by the majority which the government will adhere to.
In a democracy there is always accomodation for minorities – often not enough, but at least they are to be recognized and humanely treated.
The LGBT community have the right to marriage, to be free from active prejudice and the obligation to stand and be counted in support of those rights.
Workers unions have the right to exist and the obligation to fight for their members rights to fair pay and safe working conditions.
Just two examples Anselmo, remove your blindfold.
Sadly Anselmo is totally misusing the word ‘individual’ – the root meaning of the word individual is undivided ie. to be connected to everything. It is now used to express the idea that it defines a single entity – so it goes.
Chas, you have rightly defined the ‘thinking.brainwashing’ of not only the majority of the Spanish but of eastern Europeans as well. Most East European countries never knew any form of democracy even before the Red Fascists took over. These same Red Fascists morphed into ‘democrats’ with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Right now the Polish Right is going to ban all abortions, destroy a huge forest, the last primal forest in Europe and the EU will do what – absolutely nothing. Only a brutal collapse of Spain will make any differfence to their mindset – so it goes.
The only democracies that I kow are USA and France . UK is not a democracy because there is not separatión of powers. The trade unions are legal persons,with rights and obligations.
Also minorities Anselmo. Do you even know what the word means?
Minorities are not legal persons. For to be legal persons they need to be organisations with hierarquies and rules, with obligations and rights for his members.