Reason 23: THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE (POST-ESTATUT FASE)

THANKS TO THE SPANISH INTOLERANCE WE HAVE FINALLY ONLY TWO CLEAR OPTIONS, WE EITHER ACCEPT TO BECOME SWALLOWED BY SPAIN OR WE CHOOSE FOR INDEPENDENCE

The story of the actual Catalan constitutional law (Estatut) is long. It all started in 2004. The former Catalan government felt the need to create a new constitutional law of Catalonia (Estatut), in which Catalans would describe how they want their country to be and what they want for their country.
The essential problem here is that Spain sees Catalonia as a mere region, not as a country. They will say just like any other region, in reality they see it a region to endlessly punish. Spain does not want Catalonia to be any different, neither to have any differences. They want to decide in what way Catalonia is being treated different, and they do not want us to decide, they decide.

The result has been 5 years of negotiations. The Estatut was first approved by the Catalan Parliament. The Spanish government did not agree with it and changed some things. Then there came a referendum. The Catalan citizens voted yes to this changed Estatut.
Right after that the PP (Spanish right wing party) and the figure of the defender of the people (read defender of the Castillian people, as he never has defended any Catalan people) brought the Estatut to court as they thought that it was against the Spanish constitution.

Now the Spanish Constitution Court has begun to show the results of the verdict:
1. Catalonia is not allowed to call itself a nation,
2. The Catalan language is not allowed to have any kind of preference in Catalonia,
3. Catalonia is not allowed to have an entity to control independently the laws created by the Catalan Parliament, they are always subject to Spanish supervision.
4. Catalonia loses the competence on the Catalan banks, only the Spanish government has control over banks.
5. Catalonia cannot take any decisions on the creation and supervision of Taxes. The Spanish government decides.
6. The historical rights of Catalonia are neglected. As Catalonia is not allowed to be a nation it can neither posess any national symbols such as a national flag or a national anthem.
7. Catalonia is not allowed to have any control or supervision on immigration and how to deal with it (the last 15 years the population of Catalonia has increased by 16%, from 6 to more than 7 million inhabitants, all thanks to a massive and uncontrolled immigration).
8. The Spanish government decides how Catalonia shall be structured in regions and councils.
9. Parents who want their children to fully study in Spanish language in Catalonia must be able to study in Spanish language (but if Catalan children in Spain want to study in Catalan that is not necessary).

There are more verdicts on the way, as the process is still ongoing. But the Catalan Estatut must include a text saying that Spain is indivisible. Apparently they are kind of sensing a tendency to secession, otherwise they would not force us to add this article.
--

The fact is that lately the spectrum of options were:
1. To stay and 'develop' Catalonia whitin Spain and the actual system of Autonomies.
2. To try to develop a federation of states whitin the Kingdom of Spain.
3. To try to get the so called 'Concert econòmic', status which Basque Country enjoys, in which the local Basque government is allowed to collect directly all taxes.
4. Independence.
--
Now the sentence by the Constitution Court has made things clear:
1. The actual system with regional autonomy governments is obsolete. Catalonia cannot go forward whitin this system, we are actually going backwards!
2. Catalan politicians who said that a Federal Spain would be a good idea have lost their credibility. Spain does not even want to give more autonomy within the actual regional system, so a Federal Spain is just impossible.
3. The Concert Econòmic is also impossible. If we are not allowed to even advance a millimeter in financial issues within the actual regional system to try to achieve full independent autonomy in the collection of taxes is unthinkable.

So, we either accept that Catalonia cannot be more than a discriminated Spanish region, and a region that is spoliated and mistreated, that our language cannot be fully recognized, that we are simply not allowed to participate to the Global economy as there are several laws that limit our range of possibilities, we either accept that we are Spaniards of a lower class, who pay more to get less, with no access to international competitions as Catalans in any cultural or sports events. We either accept all of this or we choose for independence.
Up till now there seemed to be (for some people, not for me) different options.
Today there are only two options left: The actual and total defeat or independence.
The clarity this has given is great, and the defeat of the autonomic system is also a great tool to show that Catalonia does not fit in Spain. No matter how hard we try.

REASON 22: ONLY WAY FOR THE CATALAN FILM INDUSTRY TO EXIST

One of the questions I ask to many people here when I explain why I want a Catalan state: Did you ever hear of the Catalan film industry? The answer is always NO.
If I ask them if they know anything on the Norwegian, Finish or Danish film industry the answer is always YES.
Why does a film industry of a region as Norway or Denmark with just 4,5 milion inhabitants international projection and the Catalan culture with 12 milion inhabitants has no international projection at all?
The only reason is that we do not have a state. And the states we are in (France and Spain) do not represent us, do not give us access to project our movies internationally. It all starts with asking for grants to make a movie. The Catalan film industry has a lack of access to the international platforms, but it already has disadvantage from the beginning: when asking for a grant for a movie in Spain it is forbiden to present the libreto in Catalan language, it must be in Spanish, even though 20% of the inhabitants of Spain speak Catalan at home.
Spain is not Switserland (who presents movies in all the languages that are spoken there) and it has no intentions to become like it. This year a Catalan actor tried to open the doors for the Oscars for Catalan movies without success.
I will only present here a reflection on one of the international platforms: The Oscars, but with all international platforms the same shit happens: no access for the Catalan film industry.
In theory if 20 % of the population of Spain speaks Catalan one on the 5 movies presented at The Oscars should be in Catalan language. We all know that never a Catalan movie has been presentedto represent Spain at the Oscars. And we all know this will never happen.
When Catalonia is an independent country:
we shall be able to send a movie to the Oscars every year!
We shall have a much higher amount of money to develop our own film industry, and nobody will question our right to spend this money in Catalan culture.
Catalan movie makers will not be in disadvantage any more to ask for grants.
The world will know about the Catalan film industry when we ask around the globe, as they know about something about the Danish or Finish movie industry.
Here is a list of the winners of the last 20 years for the best foreign movie. As you can see the spectrum of countries has changed ever since the USSR won in 1980.
Bosnia & Herzegovina would have never appeared in this list if it hadn't become an independent country, and the Czeck republic would still be together with Slovakia. Things change. They changed for Ireland, Finland, Norway, and later for several countries in Eastern Europe. More and more countries are becoming independent. This is the clear tendency we are going to.

1980 USSR
1981 HUNGARY
1982 SPAIN
1983 SWEDEN
1984 SWITSERLAND
1985 ARGENTINIA
1986 THE NETHERLANDS
1987 DENMARK
1988 DENMARK
1989 ITALY
1990 SWITSERLAND
1991 ITALY
1992 FRANCE
1993 SPAIN
1994 RUSSIA
1995 THE NETHERLANDS
1996 CZECH REPUBLIC
1997 THE NETHERLANDS
1998 ITALY
1999 SPAIN
2000 TAIWAN
2001 BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
2002 GERMANY
2003 CANADA
2004 SPAIN
2005 SOUTH AFRICA
2006 GERMANY
2007 AUSTRIA
2008 JAPAN
2009 ARGENTINA
2010 ARGENTINA
.
.
.
2014 CATALONIA?

Reason 21: THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE REGIONALISATION OF CATALONIA: INDEPENDENCE

The Spanish government is planning to approve a new law that will avoid Spaniards to vote in the elections of their respective Autonomous Communitites. As this is a Spanish invention it is very difficult to translate and therefore difficult to understand for someone with little knowledge of Spain and of Catalonia. The concept of the ‘Autonomous Community’ -Comunitat Autonoma in Catalan- is a mix between a regional government and a separation of Spain into states, similar to the German Länder.
The problem of this system is that it is applied to all Spanish regions, no matter their own interest in having an own government and an own parliament. The interest in having an own parliament lies on the perception of your territory either as a region or as a nation.
And here lies the essence of the problem. Most Spaniards see their respective ‘Autonomous Communities’ as a region and the respective governments as regional governments without much interest.
Catalans, Basques or Galicians tend to see their Autonomous Communities as a nation, and their governments and parliaments as their national government, rather than a regional one.
As Catalan, Catalonia is the country I come from, where my people live, where my language is spoken, where my traditions are kept, where literature is made that corresponds to my culture, where they cook the food of my homeland, etc.
The only reason for me to keep a Spanish passport is that I can vote for the Catalan elections. Spain is not of my interest, not politically, not culturally. In no way Spain represents my culture or my language. The Spanish consulate and the Spanish cultural organisations in Holland do not represent who I am what so ever. And yet, Spain has the right to prohibit me my vote for Catalonia, my country.
Now the Spanish government is planning to apply a new law that will avoid us who live abroad to be able to vote for our Catalan elections (our national elections) we see this as a new measure in the process of regionalising Catalonia.
Such a measure would be unthinkable in Scotland or Quebec. But Spain is different. Spain is still miles away from a democratic country, still miles away from being a proper State of rights.
Not only because Spain is going to ban my right to vote in my homeland. Spain is far from being a State of rights because its judicial system is still today, several years after Franco’s death, not clean and impartial. All the contrary. In the highest Spanish judicial institutions you shall find, still today, several judges who were working under the fascist regime at Franco’s side, politicians who have direct liaisons with Franco’s party or other fascist organisations, and a judicial system directly ruled by the political parties, nothing as should be allowed in a proper State of rights.
And as a result of this Spain can go on prohibiting democracy and allowing fascism. This is happening in Spain today. Baltasar Garzón is a clear example of this. And Europe is doing nothing to stop this.
Again a new reason in favour of having an own Catalan state.

Reason 20: To break with Spanish fascism: independence (III)

Unfortunately I have to add two articles concerning to reason Nr. 20 that explains that Spain still is today packed with fascists.
The newspaper ABC in Seville allows death notices of Spains' last dictators Franco and Primo de Rivera. Not only that, they allow text in them that dignifies them.
20th November 2009, on the day both dictators passed away.
Such a death notice would be banned in any other democratic country in the World.
It is not so in Spain.
http://www.sms25.cat/noticia/1859/Ledicio_de_Sevilla_del_diari_ABC_encara_fa_apologia_del_franquisme
----
Last but not least,
Just a couple of days ago, a journalist from The National Spanish TV and Cadena Ser, was present in a fascist demonstration in Madrid in honour to Azul division, a fascist military division of Franco's regime that fought next to Hitler . He sung the fascist hymn 'Cara al Sol' among other fascist songs and he often attends fascist lectures from the fascist party Falange de las J.O.N.S., the party of Franco himself.
This kind of people occupy important positions in the highest Spanish authorities and national institutions such as the National Spanish TV channel.
http://www.sms25.cat/noticia/2145/Un_periodista_de_TVE_i_la_SER,_entre_els_assistents_a_una_concentracio_falangista_a_Madrid

Reason 20: To break with Spanish fascism: independence (II)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B88l9QgB-zU

Reason 20: To break with Spanish fascism: independence

I have never spoken about fascism because for me it seems something from the past, very far away from my life. Here in Holland, as well as in Catalonia, fascism merely exists in reduced groups of losers who try to find some kind of excitement in their lives by joining this kind of radical and anti-democratic ideas, but you will never find this kind of people in the power.

A year ago I was very shocked to see a documentary about German Nazis living in Fascist homes for elderly people in Madrid. I did not know that Franco welcomed Nazis in Spain after WW2, who found in Spain a fascist paradise and still today are living in their fascist paradise as if nothing had changed.

And unfortunately it seems that no so much has changed in Spain after all. During the last year I have encountered several news about people in power with either fascist ideas or a fascist past. Something you won’t find in any European country (with the exception of Austria).

They don’t say they are fascists, but act as fascist, have a fascist past and if you do a little search you discover several surprising connections with fascist organisations such as the political party of Franco himself, Falange de las JONS.

Some examples:

1. The king of Spain, Juan Carlos, was chosen by Franco himself. Still in 2005 he paid tribute to dictators Primo de Rivera and Franco in a lecture he gave. (article in Spanish: http://www.purnas.com/2009/08/13/agradeciendo-a-su-mentor-juan-carlos-i-y-el-generalisimo/)

2. The Spanish state was against the referendum for independence of Arenys the Munt (a village with only 8000 inhabitants) and wanted to prohibit it. They were not against the demonstration against the referendum organised by the fascist party of Francisco Franco himself, Falange de las J.O.N.S. So, in order to try to prohibit it they sent a lawyer from the government. This lawyer, Mr. Jorge Buxadé, has been, in the 90’s twice candidate of the fascist party Falange de las J.O.N.S.

(in Catalan: http://www.naciodigital.cat/?seccio=noticies&accio=veure&id=12003)

3. Still today Nazi Germans live in Spain in all freedom in Nazi homes. Franco welcomed them and they are still there.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/26/world/europe/26iht-nazi.html

4. The TSJC (Tribunal Superior Judicial de Catalunya), the highest judicial court of Catalonia, found it anti-democratic to want to prohibit a demonstration by the anti-democratic and fascist party Falange de las J.O.N.S. against the democratic referendum, organised by the people of Arenys the Munt and in which all citizens could vote yes or no (democracy). They did not find it anti-democratic that the Spanish government they represent tried to prohibit this peaceful referendum. This clearly explains the poor democratic vision of the Spanish authorities this court belongs to.

5. In Spain to burn a Spanish flag is prosecuted. To burn a Catalan flag is not prosecuted.

6. Also members of the Spanish Constitutional court (Tribunal Constitucional) appear to have important positions in the Franco regime as you can read here: (in Spanish: www.elplural.com, con el titular de "Un falangista en el Constitucional", el diario Público realizó ayer un extenso estudio sobre el pasado y el presente de uno de los jueces que conforman el Tribunal Constitucional. El magistrado Roberto García-Calvo destaca por su conservadurismo y su protagonismo en la provincia de Almería en la recta final de la Dictadura. De los duros Ultraconservador y reticente a la apertura del Régimen, García-Calvo se mantuvo en el cargo de Gobernador Civil entre abril de 1976 y marzo de 1977 en Almería –como también informó hace unos meses elplural.com. No obstante, en este breve período, García-Calvo dejó una fuerte impronta: varias huelgas reprimidas sin miramientos y un asesinato sin resolver, el del joven militante de la Joven Guardia Roja Javier Verdejo, abatido por la Guardia Civil cuando realizaba una pintada con espray. Represor Según puede leerse en el periódico dirigido por Nacho Escolar, cuando le dieron el aviso, el ahora juez del Constitucional García-Calvo estaba de cena en Cabo de Gata y se limitó a tomar otra copa. Sus reacciones posteriores se caracterizaron por la dureza de la represión contra las manifestaciones de protesta que tuvieron lugar en la provincia con motivo del asesinato del joven y su ciego apoyo a los guardias civiles implicados en el caso. "Más que negociar, amenazaba" Calificado por algunos sindicalistas de la época de "represor", el juez García-Calvo protagonizó más episodios violentos en las zonas más pobres de Almería, en una época durante la cual las huelgas se reproducían por toda España. Los tiempos comenzaban a cambiar, pero la evolución se detenía para algunos, como García-Calvo, que, "más que negociar, amenazaba". Ahora, "constitucionalista" Con un franquismo ya más que fenecido, García-Calvo se considera hoy "constitucionalista", al igual que muchos miembros del PP con un pasado ligado al régimen dictatorial. Un currículo que no levanta esperanzas de cara al futuro de las reformas progresistas emprendidas por el Ejecutivo de Zapatero, algunas de las cuales tendrán que pasar por el Tribunal Constitucional, al que el ex gobernador civil de Almería todavía pertenece.)

7. Partido Popular, the biggest right wing party of Spain, is either the first or the second biggest party in Spain. This party holds several pro-Franco members and it’s ideas are in line with fascism as a study shows here:

in Spanish: http://bgta.hollosite.com/blog/?p=685, explaining that the 14 main characteristics of fascism appear to be 14 main characteristics of the PP: http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.html


Another example: Franco was made as a symbolic gesture the Mayor of Salamanca for ever. And PP has decided not to abolish this Franco this honour, a clear gesture of pro-fascism and let Franco remain the Mayor of Salamanca for ever:
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Franco/continuara/alcalde/honorario/perpetuidad/Salamanca/elpepuesp/20070126elpepinac_12/Tes

PP was the only party not to condemn the fascist attacks made in Basque country agains war monuments that honour the victims of the Spanish civil war:
http://www2.noticiasdenavarra.com/ediciones/2009/08/25/sociedad/navarra/d25nav7.1699623.php

-------------------------------------------------------
No doubt there will be several more articles on this matter, but I think this is enough for now of this disgusting and bitter reality of who is in power in Spain.

The only country in Western Europe that has some similarities with Spain in this matter is Austria, country where fascism neither was punished properly in its time.

There is no doubt that to clean Spain from fascism is an almost impossible task. Almost impossible to realise by Spaniards themselves, completely impossible to achieve by Catalans or Basques.

The only and most effective way to get rid of fascism for us is independence. As long as Catalonia is under Spanish power, we will daily suffer under the fascist mentality that conditions our possibilities to grow and develop. Fascism is per definition an enemy of Catalonia and a friend of Spanish supremacy in Catalonia. Perhaps this is the reason why Spaniards are not interested in getting rid of it at all.
-------------------------------------------------------
Photos:
1. Franco with the Spanish king Juan Carlos
2. Jorge Buxadé, Spanish lawyer who was candidate for Falange de las J.O.N.S.
3. Hooligans of Real Madrid express their fascist ideas singing fascist songs, shouting against black football players and making fascist gestures with their arms.
http://draudesc.wordpress.com/2009/01/21/canticos-fascistas-en-el-bernabeu-y-3-latas-de-cerveza-en-el-camp-nou/

Reason 19: Only way to have 500 magazines in Catalan

The picture you see here will be the normal situation in a Catalan magazine store in the future. Today this is fiction.

I was in the airport of Barcelona walking around and entered a magazine store. There were so many magazines. There are magazines for any aspect of human life, for each sport, for furniture, interior design, hair, fashion, crime, gossip, etc.
Seeking for magazines in my mother tongue I realized that 99,9% of the magazines in this store were all in Spanish language. I asked the cashier if she knew how many magazines there were in her shop but she did not know the answer. I only found two magazines in Catalan language. Hundreds in Spanish.
I made a picture with my mobile phone and left. I had found a new reason why Catalonia must become an independent state in Europe.
Once in Amsterdam I sat down behind my computer and made a search to find out how many Dutch magazines there are. 1859 magazines, all in Dutch language.
I have been in several countries and I know that independent states, even with less inhabitants than Catalonia, have several magazines, all in the state’s main language.
In the Netherlands (country that became independent from Spain in 1581 and as a result of that enjoyed an incredible prosperity during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries) there are 1859 maganizes, all in Dutch. With a population of 16 million and a similar size to Catalonia, it is compulsory to learn the Dutch language in order to become naturalized in the Netherlands . Sweden has about 460 magazines, a population of only 9 million inhabitants. In Sweden the Swedish language is even compulsory to get a job, even without getting naturalized. Obviously Catalonia does not enjoy the power of decision to protect its culture as independent states have. But even more important than this is the automatic status a culture gets once it ha the status of an independent country.
This because most multinationals divide the world markets by the states in which they operate and do not contemplate the stateless cultures unless they have a strong federal characer, such as Belgium. An clear example of this is Apple computers, that has its headquarters in Madrid and neglects repetedly Catalan consumer needs, even though more people speak Catalan than Norwegian or Finish. Companies that develop their markets from a cultural point of view will be more succesful and will do better business because they adapt better to the cultural realities of each cultural area. Unfortunately most multinationals don’t do that. They see us as part of the Spanish market. And as long as we purchase their magazines in Spanish language we are being our own enemy. Catalan people should not purchase maganizes or papers in Spanish language in order to protect and stimulate the development of magazines in Catalan language. As long as we act as part of the Spanish market we will never be able to develop a normal situation. On the other hand it is too easy to blame only the Catalans for this, after all, we want to live a normal life and enjoy life. Even though many of us might prefer a Catalan magazine or Catalan Wii games, we do end up purchasing them in Spanish language rather than not purchasing them at all.
This unfortunate situation affects badly the development of the Catalan language.
Magazines are automatic development language tools and a language without magazines is an unhealthy language. As a result of this many Catalans have to use Spanish for words they don’t know in Catalan because they simply never appear anywhere, car parts, all kind of specialised products are only labelled in Spanish language and the magazines that talk about these products are only in Spanish. This makes Catalan language poor and dependent on Spanish language (and French in north Catalonia).
The independence of Catalonia will solve this problem in just a day! The day we have an independent state we’ll be able to develop an own market with a Catalan point of view in which the Catalan language will be able to develop itself independently from the Spanish or French languages. And this will help the economy too.
Obviously nor Norway (that got independence from Sweden in 1905) or Finland (that got independence from Russia in 1917) would have as many magazines as today in own language if they still were regions of Sweden and Russia respectively. Only independence will save the Catalan language and its normal use in society.