[J Aguilar]

No, they are not negotiating, tanuki. Everything was negotiated before 3/11, the question now is how to sell it to the public opinion.

Among other issues, it was agreed that ETA's political branch was going to return to the local and regional governments, which yields them access to tax and census information to identify the targets of their extortion; and subsidies to political parties up to €320 million. Therefore, the police operation against ETA's economic branch, in which was also involved a high rank officer of the Basque Nationalist Party, then and always allied of the Zapatero's government, contradicted what was agreed, and it had to be stopped at any cost, even in such rude way.

[tanuki]

They have access to tax and census data as well as subsidies of a third of a billion euros. Wow! Legitimacy, immunity, enabling and subsidy in one go. I guess as a ‘legitimate political party’ and an important ‘ally’ of a major party, they would.

Well, that finishes the legitimacy of the government-their purpose is to stand between danger and the populace, not open the door and pay them to go in. I wonder what other politically convenient deals with devils are there that the European taxpayer is paying for.