Posted on 11/15/2008 11:07:53 AM PST by J Aguilar
Devolution has been good for Spain, but it may have gone too far
THE hardest problem for the authors of Spain’s democratic constitution was to strike a balance between the central government and the claims of Catalonia, the Basque country and Galicia for home rule. The formula they came up with was known as café para todos, or coffee for all: Spain was divided into 17 “autonomous communities” (plus the enclave cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the Moroccan coast), each with its own elected parliament and government. This estado de las autonomías seemed a neat solution. Over the past 30 years more and more powers and money have been devolved. The regional governments are now responsible for schools, universities, health, social services, culture, urban and rural development and, in some places, policing. But it is becoming clear that even as it has solved some problems, decentralisation has created others.
(Excerpt) Read more at economist.com ...
The Regional Nationalism conflict in Spain is often portrayed as a continuation of the emancipation process of the Spanish colonies, as if Catalonia and the Basque region were territories "oppresed", struggling to survive. However, the facts are simply the contrary. Spain is composed by 15 colonies and two metropolis that enjoy a far better standard of life, and which defend that inequality, inherited from Franco's days, through external propaganda and internal violence, when necessary.
Y que opina el rey?
In the end this may be what must happen.
In the meantime Spain must muddle on.
Muddling through is good. Its how most intractable problems get solved. It may take a few generations, but in the life of a country, there is no hurry.
Nobody expects the Spanish Constitution!
¿Porque no te callas?
Well, it is a fact that General Franco appointed the king as his succesor, and it is also a fact that he was, therefore, endowed with full powers when this asymmetrical (2 metropolis, 15 colonies) Constitution was written down.
Furthermore, I must let you know that in Spain there are strict laws against slandering the crown.
Good thing I’m not in Spain then huh? I’ll bet Bush wishes he had that sort of law at his disposal.
Anyway, I figured from his dealings with Chavez, that “Porque no te callas” might be his reply to your question. ;)
¿Por qué seas grosero a mí? La mía parece una pregunta legítima. ¿Que significa tu pregunta? ¿Sabes? ¿O tu no puedes decir mas que “te callas”? Patán.
Parece que fue un mal chiste, pero quise decir que diría lo mismo que dijo a Chavez. “Porque no te callas?” :)
It is interesting to see how the “¿Por qué no te callas?” issue happened just five months before the National Elections and in a moment when there was an important mass media campaign in Spain in order to “erase” the talks with ETA from the public mind and show Zapatero, who was sitting next to him when those words were said, as a patriotic guy (which he simply is not).
Thanks. Please continue to ping me on Spanish political matters.
Yo tengo un T-shirt que dice “¿Porque no te callas?” y un retrato del rey don Juan Carlos. Tu comentario no tuvo sentido. ¿O, que, las mujeres no tienen una derecha de hacer preguntas?
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