Posted on 01/03/2017 8:37:10 AM PST by SeekAndFind
I am not Spanish, but I am following in the path of other Americans -- such as Washington Irving, Ernest Hemingway, and Orson Welles -- who find Spain absolutely fascinating. Recently, Spain has revved up its always impressive offerings of Hispanic chaos, and the cacophony has spilled over into France.
Spain is fascinating because it is not a country, but at least five countries, possibly more: the Basque country, Catalonia, Galicia, Andalusia, and the interior where the hated Madrid bureaucrats live. The closest equivalent might be the United Kingdom. If so, the Basque history of armed insurrection finds its closet equivalent with the Irish. The Catalans find their equivalent with the Scots, with a mix of present legal wrangling and a past of armed resistance. Wales might be similar to Andalusia, in that Andalusia, similar to Wales, is not really able to go it alone.
Galicia is quite surprising. It speaks a dialect closest to Portuguese, and claims a genetic heritage with the ancient Celts, before they left for Ireland about 2,000 years ago. There is no equivalent analog to the UK.
Despite centuries of forced centralized intermingling, and Franco's quasi-genocidal policies to force a unified Spanish identity, separatism is alive and well, and threatening not only Spain, but all of Europe.
Right now, Catalonia is going ahead with a referendum for separation in 2017. Unlike Scotland's push for independence in 2014, the Catalans have laid a strong foundation for separation. Thanks to the local school system, the Catalan language has roared back; and Madrid is furious that Castilian Spanish is being successfully contested and de-emphasized.
"Among those under 25, only 3% do not speak Catalan. Those who can speak the language are 84%, while the remaining 13% understand but are not able to speak it." -- Nationalia.info
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
I don’t really follow this but I think the Catalonians oppose the economic hardship brought on by Madrid’s shift to socialism. They feel they can do better by moving left of Madrid.
Galicia is quite surprising. It speaks a dialect closest to Portuguese, and claims a genetic heritage with the ancient Celts, before they left for Ireland about 2,000 years ago. There is no equivalent analog to the UK.
To continue with his British analogy, the closest comparison to Galicia would probably be Cornwall (also Celtic), if only Cornish weren't an effectively dead language and if the Cornish still had a stronger sense of national identity.
Spain and the UK are hardly unique in being nations of nations - Italy includes Sicily, which has its own dialect and sense of nationhood, Belgium is an artificial composite of French Walloons and Flemish Dutch, etc.
I wouldn't say that out loud in a pub frequented by Mebyon Kernow!
Belgium is like one of Randy Newman’s Short People - it’s got no reason to live.
The Basques having a territory that transects the Spanish French border, separate culture, unique language and ancient presence have the best case for independence.
Spain is really just the Castilen empire. If you check the history books almost all of their great men and achivers came from Castile. You see this a lot with empires, one people becomes overwhelming dominate and ends up takes on a regional name to promote unity with it’s subjects. Nations that don’t work this way tend up basket cases like Italy where there is no single dominate group.
The monks, and others, would still be doing their thing if they were doing it as part of France or Holland, instead of Belgium.
Make mine a Delirium Nocturnum, please.
i have a beer book that calls Belgium the “Disneyland of beer”. Haven’t tried the Delirium yet. I do like the Trippels and the red sour ales.
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