Basques march for banned party

[Aidoneus]

Basques march for banned party
Sunday 07 March 2004

Thousands of Basques have demonstrated for self-determination in Spain and called for their banned political party to be put back on the ballot sheet.

The Saturday march in San Sebastian sought international attention, highlighting the complete lack of representation for Basque concerns in central government.

Relations between government and local Basque officials have sunk so low the two sides do not talk to each other anymore.

Some are concerned Madrid and Vitoria, the Basque capital, cannot be drawn back together after 14 March general elections - when a new central government will take over.

The reasons for the rift are clear - Basque hopes for greater self rule, and disagreement on how to deal with the Basque separatist group ETA.

--snip--

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/15B0DEF7-47CD-4E63-B3BC-5CA15967C171.htm

[bemildred]

1. Franco screwed this up after the Civil War,

he was a vindictive and rigid bastard if ever there was one,
and Spain will have no peace about it until they get a clue
and give the Basque a bit of self-rule.

[Aidoneus]

2. I don't know as much about the Basque/Spain issue as I'd like

but it is my understanding that the Basque were among the most effective resistance to the Franco fascist entity. After the fall of the visible appearance of the military/clerical government, some degree of mostly phony autonomy was granted. That was revoked somewhat recently under the rightwing Aznar government.

The ETA for some reason shuns the idea of winning friends through their bombing campaings, but it seems that the Basque & Catalan nationalist forces are getting steadily stronger, the latter especially so. Perhaps when the PP/Aznar entity is defeated in the next election, the social democrat "Socialist" party will loosen things up there?

[bemildred]

3. They had a good deal of Autonomy before the civil war.

Perhaps something like Kurdish self-rule before the recent war.
They took the Republican side, hoping for more autonomy, or maybe
just not liking the Falangists, and lost. Franco never missed a
chance to get even, he was an amazing ass. Anyway, things are still
the way Franco left them AFAIK.

Hugh Thomas' book on the Spanish Civil War is excellent if you
have the time. The Magistrate turned me on to it, perhaps now
I can pass the favor along with you.

It is interesting to me, too, that both the Basque and the Kurds
are old peoples of Europe, there pretty much where they are now
as far back as we have any evidence, and both trying to get
permission to run their own affairs.