Again, The Spanish government is not allowing Catalonia to exist. Not only in the material world but also in the virtual world. The Spanish Congress voted with a big majority against Catalonia having an own country code for the internet. Country codes with two letters are reserved only to independent nations, they say. Therefore PSOE as well as PP are against Catalonia having the country code ".ct"
Today Catalonia has got the code ".cat" (codes with more than two characters are not reserved to independent countries).
Again a reason to vote for and support the independence of Catalonia.
If Spaniards in Madrid are deciding that we are not allowed to have an own country code (.ct) because we are not an independent country, let's become independent and we won't have to ask for permission for such futile things. Things that one by one are perhals futile, but as a whole they all enforce and form our national identity and the projection of Catalonia as a nation.
I don't want foreign people in Madrid to decide for us if we are or not allowed to have an own country code.
I want my own people, my own politicians to decide that.
If we want it, what is wrong with it?
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You can read about this here (only in Catalan):
http://www.directe.cat/article/el-congres-espanyol-impedeix-que-catalunya-tingui-el-domini-ct-reservat-als-estats-4885
Stop telling bullshit, man: You want to have privileged access to the whole Spanish market keeping all your tax money. If you were independent you would blame Brussels. Europeans buy your products - yes. Pay taxes to construct infrastructure in less wealthy parts of Europe - no thanks. Thats called "greed", mate.
Will you have the "collons" to publish this post or will you keep it censored?
Hi Anonymous,
I don’t know why you are talking about markets in this article about having an own Internet country code. But I will reply to your remark.
First of all I will tell you that the old idea that Catalonia has got a privileged access to the Spanish market is bullshit. Catalonia still sells 40% of its products to Spain. And it imports only 35% from the Spanish communities. These amounts are only decreasing because of the globalisation and because there are many Spaniards who boycott our products. The only place in the world where Catalan products have a boycott is Spanish speaking Spain. And for a very shameful cause to be honest.
According to Spanish paper ABC 21% of Madrid inhabitants participate to this boycott.
The Spanish market is also absorbed by the EU. And all tools to control this market are in hands of the EU, no longer in hands of the Spanish government.
Keeping our tax money is not about greed. Greed is what Madrid has been doing in Spain the past 15 years, getting 10% of the Catalan national income to multiply by three their own infrastructures and abandon any structural investments in Catalonia ever since.
Apparently you don’t know anything about the disasters caused in all infrastructures that are ruled by Spain (the railroads, electricity, airport). My advice to you: read the Catalan papers.
Did you know that the Spanish government has signed several contracts to forbid airlines to make intercontinental flights to or from Barcelona? And you know why? To keep all intercontinental business in Madrid. Now who is being greed here?
So you're talking about disasters... looking at the latest PISA ranking of catalan pupils and the recent increase in highway taxes made by your populist pro-independent politicians, I doubt you'd be better off being independent. But you'll always blame the rest of Spain for everything that goes wrong in catalonia. The '92 olympic games in Barcelona were paid by the taxes of all of Spain. Now that Madrid wanted to have olympic games as well, guys like you would openly prefer London! And how about the boycott of Rioja wines in Catalonia? Why do you never mention that? We are brassed of with your hypocrite and fake victims' attitude, buddy.
“So you're talking about disasters... looking at the latest PISA ranking of Catalan pupils and the recent increase in highway taxes made by your populist pro-independent politicians, I doubt you'd be better off being independent.”
You doubt if we’d be better off being independent? I don’t.
Catalan politicians would NEVER forbid airlines to make intercontinental flights from or to Barcelona. They would never neglect the Catalan infrastructures, they would never stop the plans Catalans have such as to make a cargo railroad from the harbour of Barcelona to Europe (stopped by the Spanish government) they would never be against Catalonia existing abroad and having own representation (such as own international sports associations, having own embassies, etc).
Besides, no matter how bad the Catalan government would be they would never screw up Spain with unfair laws. And Today Spain is screwing up the development of Catalonia with unfair laws. I rather the Catalans screw up their own country than have people from Madrid doing that.
“But you'll always blame the rest of Spain for everything that goes wrong in Catalonia”
You don’t know me. So don’t make useless assumptions about me. If you have no arguments please leave my person out of this.
“The '92 Olympic games in Barcelona were paid by the taxes of all of Spain. Now that Madrid wanted to have Olympic games as well, guys like you would openly prefer London!”
What do you mean with “guys like you”.
You know, the 'Barcelona model' for the Olympic games is famous and it was a very good investment for Catalonia and for Spain. Its cost was only eight billion euros. While it brought a financial impact of 20 billion. It was a good business.
Madrid has been taking 10% of the Catalan national income which is 19 billion a year. So the Olympic games are just a small portion of that. The coming year, because of the new statute and the complaints of Catalan politicians (after the Spanish politicians admitted to have been punishing Catalonia for the past 15 years by not investing anything in Catalonia) Spain will take still 15 billion from our tax money.
Who’s being greedy here man?
No country can survive by throwing 10% of its national income down the drain! NONE!
I personally am not against Madrid having Olympic games. I am against them making unfair Laws that affect in a negative way the development of my country.
And how about the boycott of Rioja wines in Catalonia? Why do you never mention that? We are brassed of with your hypocrite and fake victims' attitude, buddy.
Listen, I had never heard of Catalans doing a boycott to Rioja wines. So I went to Goggle and searched over the Internet and had only 1 hit of relevance.
To be honest, the only thing I ask to companies is to respect the Catalan consumers. If a Catalan company is not showing any interest in communicating and connecting with Catalans (and only does so with Spanish speakers) and there is a company from La Rioja offering the same product and showing interest to connect with its Catalan costumers in Catalan language I will purchase the product from La Rioja! It is not a matter of boycott; it’s a matter of love and respect.
If you search over Goggle for boycott Catalan products you will find 44.000 relevant hits. I don’t like to read this kind of things, so I stopped at the 30th page. The Spanish paper ABC wrote an article saying that 21% of people of Madrid participate on the boycott of Catalan products. We are talking of millions of people. So, what are you talking about?
And one more thing:
Do not make any insults to me personally again. I am not hypocrite. Comments with insults to my person will not be tolerated. I am not going to insult you and say things like “people like you bla bla bla”.
I want arguments. That’s all. If you have no arguments, just shut up. Next time there are comments against my person I will stop including your comments and answering to you.
Miquel,
Very good two rebuttals of two very prejudiced posters.
It is clear that the Spanish State pursues a policy with the objective of ensuring the economic, political and cultural decline of Catalonia and since it is taking longer than expected to achieve their aims, they bark like mad dogs.
Your blog is an excellent collection of how the Spanish State treats Catalonia at all levels and anyone who is not prejudiced against Catalonia will find your posts very difficult to argue against.
Keep the good work and Happy New Year 2008.
Hi Rab,
Thank you for you remark. It is important to have a positive response every now and then, instead of people barking at me. I try to be clear with my posts. I wish the best to Spain and all Spanish people, and I wish the best to all Spanish speaking people who live in Catalonia too, but I really would like them to stop interfering with Catalonia, with how Catalans want Catalonia to be and with plundering, robbing Catalonia. And even worse, deciding for us whether we should or not have an own national representation in international entities. Who do they think they are actually? Do they own us? Are they our boss? Are we their slaves?
Catalonia is a part of Spain. Is that so hard to understand? Always has, always will be. Don't you study history and geography in your part of Spain? This anti-Spanish hysteria is pathetic and tragic. Leftist politicians inyecting posion among the youth. A true copy of the communist Balkans.
I used to go a lot to Barcelona, a city I used to love. But I don't want to be ridiculed och hated for talking Spanish so I go where I feel welcome.
/ A Swede living in a country where regions live in peace, colaboration and coexistence and where local languages and traditions enrich the nation as a whole.
Hej Anonimous. Hur mår du?
Countries marry and separate, is this so hard to understand?
It is not for ever!
You don't seem to know anything about history. Do you know how many countries have separated the last years?
Finland WAS part of Russia until 1916, and Ireland WAS part of the UK, and so on and so on.
Skåne was part of Denmark, and A part of Finland was part of Sweden.
You are wrong when you say it 'always have been'. Because it hasn't.
Spain is a quite 'new' country.
So what you say is impossible.
I would give you an advice. If you don't know what you are talking about, don't mingle in the conversation.
I am Catalan, have been born and bread in Catalonia and studied Catalan history for years. So who hasn't studied history?
And what version of history are you talking about?
There are Spaniards who say what you say, that Spain had always existed. God created the earth and then Spain. Is that your version of history?
Are you a Swede and live in a country where regions live in peace? What a short sighted vision you have of history. That might be today (even though I ask myself if the Sami people would agree with you).
It was not so long ago that Sami culture and language were oppressed. In your lovely country.
So don't be so proud of your country.
Study history and find out.
Catalonia did not always belong to Spain. But ever since it did, Catalonia has been oppressed by Spain. And still today it is being oppressed. And you think I should live in peace with the oppression we are getting?
I wonder what you would say if Sweden would be a region of Russia.
I am sure you would talk a very different talk.
The end of your comment tells me that you don't understand anything of my blog. It is precisely what I want. Respect for the diversity of languages, cultures in Spain. And because I don't believe it is possible (the last 300 years are a proof of that and counting on..) I believe that by being an independent state we will have the tools to become a country where diversity and equality are more common. Passi-ho bé!
great blog but i suspect from your name that you ets a charnego... not 100% catala
Hi,
I don't know how far you know Catalunya, but the word 'xarnego' (Charnego in Spanish language) is an offensive word Catalan nationalists used in the past for Spanish immigrants.
We live in a different era at the moment. The word you use is not very often used any more, but besides that, Spanish immigration is nowadays something from the past. Immigration is nowadays international and this word has no sense any more. The grandchildren of the first generation of Spaniards who came here to work consider themselves 100% Catalan.
The Surname does not say anything any more about how Catalan one is.
There are Spaniards with Catalan Surnames (who live in Spain or abroad), even south americans with Catalan Surnames.
Millions of Catalans have today Spanish Surnames such as Gomez or Rodriguez. And this doesn't say anything about there ideas on freedom, democracy or politics at all.
I do not speak about my person in this blog, this blog is exclusively about arguments in favour or against an own state for Catalonia. But I will make an exception for you today:
My father was also a Catalan, but his parents were immigrants (so 'working class'). My grandfather was a Spanish fascist. My mother's side is Catalan but I do not know how many generations. The father of my mother has an Italian Surname, even though he was 100% Catalan. The mother of my mother was also 100% Catalan.
They belonged to the 'working class' and where republicans. One could say that the family of my parents was a mirror of what was going on in Spain and in Catalonia in particular in those days (Spanish Civil War).
But I repeat: Surnames say nothing nowadays about who you are or what one 'ought to be defending'.
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