As the municipal and provincial elections are around the corner, I hoped (not really expected though) that this time maybe I could vote freely for a list I could trust. No luck: the joint left-wing nationalist lists (Bildu) have been all declared illegal by the Spanish Supreme Court (why is the Spanish anything deciding what we Basques do in our country?)
Tainted Basques
Worst: Spanish judicial doctrine is now that if you ever ever in your life did anything that could mean some sort of sympathy for the Basque Nationalist Left and they deem it opportune (this last is important), all the coalition you joined can be banished.
One single candidate that is tainted that way, maybe because they watched a voting in the 1980s for Herri Batasuna or whatever judges wish, can deem the whole list, or even the whole coalition illegal, not just that particular candidate.
There is no rule of law anymore, regardless of whether the law is fair or not: it is total arbitrariness.
I would ask the EU to kick Spain out but I have no real faith in the European institutions upholding democracy anymore.
Approximately some 20% of votes (per previous elections) have been forbidden this way, totally distorting popular representation in favor of Spanish nationalist and conservative forces.
Dead peace process?
I would dare say that this means the definitive end of this peace process because it is clear that Spain does not want to hold any sort of process of any sort.
It basically means, I understand, that there is no hope for peace at all.
I think both PSOE and PP want to send a message to the Basque abertzaleak that they won't be legalized unless ETA disappears, because they don't want to negotiate anything (peace process) but the unconditional surrender of ETA.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that in its anti-ETA (officially called "anti-terrorist") policy, the PSOE government is following the lines of the extreme right-wing within PP.
Nah. I think that they juts have got vicious and want to rob the elections again and again until Hell freezes.
ReplyDeleteThere's no way that ETA can disappear without obtaining concessions from Madrid because some other organization will raise sooner than later. Just look at North Ireland, where, even with a serious peace process with major concessions from London (self-determination), a fraction of the IRA is still reluctant to lay down weapons.
A mere surrender of ETA would only cause the birth of a new ETA. In addition betrayal of independentist or class principles can also mean only loss of votes as one can easily when looking at the successive breakaway factions from the Nationalist Left: Euskadiko Ezkerra in the 80s, Aralar now.
It is not ETA but a major fraction of the Basque People: ETA is just an expression of that popular reality. That's why I am truly pessimistic regarding any peace process because this war can only end one war: with the Spanish retreat to south of the Ebro river.