EU: Spain's Catalan separatists win election but punish Mas

The Telegraph ^ | 11/26/2012

[bruinbirdman]

Separatists in Spain's Catalonia won regional elections on Sunday but failed to get the resounding mandate they need to push convincingly for a referendum on independence.

Catalan President Artur Mas, who has implemented unpopular spending cuts in an economic crisis, had called an early election to test support for his new drive for independence for Catalonia, a wealthy region in northeastern Spain.

[AuH2ORepublican]

The patronymic suffix (meaning “the son of” what precedes the suffix) is “es” in Galician and Portuguese (e.g., “Peres,” the son of Pedro) and “is” in Catalan (”Peris”), but “ez” in Asturian (”Pérez”).

Many languages have patronymic suffixes: “son” in English, “son” or “sen” in Nordic languages, “sz” in Dutch, “vich” in Russian, “ian” in Armenian, etc.

Other languages have patronymic prefixes meaning “son of” what follows: “Mc” or “Mac” in Scottish Gaelic, “Fitz” in Norman French, “ben” in Hebrew, “ibn” in Arabic, etc. Similarlym, the suffix O’ in Irish Gaelic means “grandson of.”

[Hedra]

When I read the headline, I automatically thought of the “Cat Duet” by the “Catalunia Catholic Boy’s Choir”.

I don’t even know if the spelling is different because it’s a Monastary, or if it’s a whole different place.

It just the first thing that came to my mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=d63jKihoYRg

[Lurker]

We, meaning America, should have stayed the hell out of it entirely.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I think in terms of genetic studies the Basques are the same as their surrounding neighbors

Only in a "we are all human" sort of way. Other then that, according to the Genographic Project, the Basques share unique genetic patterns that are not found in their non-Basques neighbors.

They appear to be a DNA as well as a linguistic isolate.

[GeronL]

You have to wonder what the point of “independence” is when you imediately join the EUSSR upon getting it?

[GeronL]

apparently not all socialists want to destroy their economies.

[HiTech RedNeck]

I guess an irony... they don’t want to be owned by big bad ole Spain. They want to be owned by the whole bloomin’ EU.

[GeronL]

Apparently some in Scotland think that way too.

crazy

You know what’s scary?

The number of people who could read (or have it read to them, illiterate morons) “Brave New World” and think it’s a really good idea.

[HiTech RedNeck]

can’t even grok irony.

[GeronL]

bump

[piasa]

You’re just a bundle of information. Thank you!

[Cronos]

weelll, I wouldn't go so far as that. Socialism had its place in the 1800s when it eliminate 80 hour or more work weeks and child labor, but now the modern day socialists seem to go hand in hand with stupid liberal social policies. Sweden seemed to have done well as a socialist country because it was small and had accumulated wealth (it wasn't in WWII), but then took in tons of asylum seekers and the money is gone.

Perhaps it ties in the idea thatsocialism can work in a small group of similar minded people?

[Cronos]

I was wrong. you are correct. I just searched about the Genome project Basque Origins Predate Arrival of Farmers in Iberian Peninsula, DNA Analysis Finds -- fascinating stuff, thank you!

[Cronos]

well, militarily, yes. But, as the only super-power, we were going to be involved one way or the other. I just don’t know what could have been the good way or least bad way

[Cronos]

Quite frankly for regions like Catalonia, Basque country, Brittany etc., the fact of belonging to a supra-national union is better -- just like it was better for little princedoms etc. in the larger Holy Roman empire -- more freedom by in name submission to a far-off higher authority

They won't be "owned" by anyone -- and quite frankly as I said above, they are not "owned" by Spain in the sense that Spain has a very decentralized state

Being part of the European community with its common market had advantages -- the EU bureaucracy is another thing.. the EU would do well to stay as just a commercial union allowing free movement of goods and ideas and having the Schengen. The Euro was a mistake to be added so quickly to so many countries - but then that was a French idea to keep the Germans in check (and one of the conditions of Mitterand's ok to allow German reunification)

[Cronos]

Geron -- you do know that Aldous Huxley wrote "Brave New World" was written because he feared the Americanization of Europe? The ideas of sex as recreational, incredible consumption, state-created "social clubs" and Henry Ford's assembly line is there in the EU's bureaucratic genome and also in the Democrat's plans, but the EU's is bound to fail for the same reason we see Catalan's "independence" -- the EU is too diverse. There is no melting pot as we have, which is the same reason why European workers are not as mobile as America -- in the USA, one can shift from NY to Atlanta a lot easier than from Athens to Hamburg -- language, cultural differences, even laws are too different.

And the funny thing is that the Euro, which was meant to unite, has succeeded in creating disunity -- yay :)

[Lurker]

The “good way” would have been to keep the US out of it entirely. There was zero strategic threat to America and that should be the sole criteria for committing the American military anywhere on Earth.

[NFHale]

Awesome history lesson, Cronos, of a historically volatile region and the people that live there.

Thank you for posting it!

[A'elian' nation]

I got history-lessened today Cronos. Fascinating reading.
I saved this post with your many great comments to Zotero on Firefox.

That’s a compliment. Don’t often do that.

Thanks for taking the time to educate.

[Cronos]

no worries. Note though that that is my opinion based on what I've read. I'd suggest to all to read through things on all sides of the story -- not just Croat or Serb sides, but also Bosnian and even Turkic and Austrian and Russian sides to get a wider perspective

Like everywhere else in the world, what we see right now has a lot of depth historically behind it