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Will Europe disintegrate? (Movements in Catalonia, Belgium and Scotland may only be the beginning)
American Thinker ^ | 02/02/2013 | Rick Moran

Posted on 02/02/2013 1:46:47 PM PST by SeekAndFind

Despite a thousand years of history, the nation-states of Europe contain within them ethnic groups and nationalities who yearn for their own country.

In some cases, the national and ethnic character of these minorities have been deliberately stifled. There has also been organized movements that have sprung up to fight for the national aspirations of the minorities.

Next year, votes for independence will occur in Scotland and Spain's rich Catalonia region. Some analysts believe that success in either case may lead to other minorities to seek their own path to independence.

From Reuters:

__________________________

Some suspect the two campaigns will feed off each other in the months to come. Each cause is marshalling a similar range of emotional, practical and cold-blooded economic arguments as well as trading off widespread frustration with those in power in the traditional national capital.

Alfred Bosch, leader of the Republican Left, or ERC, bloc in Spanish parliament that has long lobbied for independence, said separatist politicians in Spain do keep an eye on what's happening in Scotland.

In both countries "there are the underlying emotional arguments for independence, then there are the more rational economic ones. What we are seeing is that they are coming together."

Polls vary, but at least one survey has suggested more than half of Catalonian voters would vote for a separate state if given the chance. That compares to figures of just over a third in Scotland - although those on both sides of the argument in that country say it is entirely possible numbers could change between now and the final vote.

Pro-independence activists in both countries are quick to stress they see themselves as part of a wider trend.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: basques; belgium; catalonia; disintegration; europe; europeanunion; europeoftheregions; eussr; nato; scotland; spain; unitedkingdom

1 posted on 02/02/2013 1:46:53 PM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

No disintegration here; just a reshuffling. The elites always wanted to redraw Europe’s internal borders along what they perceived as “ethnic” lines.

And besides, did not van Rompuy declare “separatism” to be a “word of the past” just recently?


2 posted on 02/02/2013 1:54:23 PM PST by Olog-hai
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To: SeekAndFind

Bring back Fiefs, Duchies, Principalities, walled towns, Abbeys and Convents.


3 posted on 02/02/2013 2:05:36 PM PST by xkaydet65
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To: xkaydet65

van Rompuy......the personality of a damp dishrag and the appearance of a low grade bank clerk.


4 posted on 02/02/2013 2:10:59 PM PST by Kolath
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To: SeekAndFind

And every single group will want the borders to reflect whatever the greatest extent of that ethnic group was, even if it was 1000 years ago.
This will not end well.....


5 posted on 02/02/2013 2:27:07 PM PST by Kozak (The Republic is dead. I do not owe what we have any loyalty, wealth or sympathy.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Ironic that just as the anonymous functionaries of the EU seeks to impose a supernational unity on the European peoples, those same peoples are becoming energized by ancient centrifugal forces.

The gnomes of Brussels have thought they were herding sheep, but it appears that they corralled a bunch of goats in their paddock as well.

6 posted on 02/02/2013 2:44:01 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: Olog-hai
No disintegration here; just a reshuffling.

Precisely.

Disintegration = atomization.

7 posted on 02/02/2013 4:05:22 PM PST by BfloGuy (Money, like chocolate on a hot oven, was melting in the pockets of the people.)
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To: SeekAndFind

don’t really care. the future is pacific rim and indian ocean. let europe fend for itself.


8 posted on 02/02/2013 4:14:55 PM PST by bravo whiskey (“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.”)
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To: SeekAndFind

If it will bring down the EUSSR, so be it. Kick the Muslims out as well. They have their own countries to wreak havoc in.
It would be the pinnacle of stupidity if these groups win their own land for their own people... and then embrace ‘multiculturalism’ all over again.


9 posted on 02/02/2013 4:42:45 PM PST by Viennacon
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To: bravo whiskey

Just the newest form of Balkanization —the breaking up of states—soon to be replaced by Imperialism, the creation of super states. This has been going on since Sargon of Akkad many thousands of years ago. We should worry about the break up of the United States! It could become three nations if not more. Same could go for Mexico and Canada (Two there). India could break up so to China. Then will come new Empires and a redrawing of the map of the world. The electronic age just speeds thing up that’s all. In The USA, I could see a new form of the CSA around Texas, and a new form of Pacifica made up of California, Oregon and Washington, Hawaii becoming a kingdom again, and Alaska going to become a semi-independent nation aligned with Russia. Mexico going into three parts, French Canada becoming La Republique Qubec.


10 posted on 02/02/2013 8:05:06 PM PST by Forward the Light Brigade (Into the Jaws of H*ll)
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To: SeekAndFind

The referendum in Scotland looks unlikey to succeed at this point, and unless England starts quartering troops in Scottish people’s houses and closing their ports to outside trade or something else stupid, that probably won’t change. The Scots have it pretty good as things stand.

As for Catalonia and Spain, well, its hardly a surprise that people there want independence. Spain has hardly been a prime example of the concept of ‘good governance’. The wars of independence fought be Spain’s colonies against the Spanish authorities were fought with far more animosity towards their ‘mother’ country than was the case with the American colonists during the American War of Independence.


11 posted on 10/07/2013 6:46:24 AM PDT by sinsofsolarempirefan
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