As some of you will still remember, today is George Washington's birthday and so is mine. Therefore I plan to write about a president that will never exist, Pep Priorat i Aguiló, "Presidente" of Spain.Many inside, but especially outside Catalonia thought that Catalonia would never have a president that did not have Catalan roots. They all have been proven wrong. Our current president, José Montilla Aguilera, has no Catalan blood whatsoever and he was not even born in Catalonia. He did not even change his first name to Josep (he did that only in previous elections, but not anymore) and he is clearly no "Terminator" either.
Personally I think that laws should require a president be born in Catalonia to run for office, mainly trying to avoid conflict of interests and to warranty allegiance to the country he/she serves. But anyway, José was elected legally and democratically and therefore he is our president, whether or not I like it, and most probably he will do a better job than many of his colleagues of the "tripartit".
So yes, it is proven, a non Catalan born person can become the president of Catalonia, but could a Catalan become the president of the Kingdom of Spain? The answer is categorically NO. Any party that proposes a Catalan candidate to run for office would definitely lose the elections, Pep Priorat i Aguiló has absolutely no chances at all to win the Spanish presidential elections. And you will ask me why? Very simple, Spaniards consider Catalans Spanish, but not as Spanish as the rest. They do not trust us, they believe that we are different, but they are horrified by a potential split.
Let’s not forget that when Miquel Roca i Junyent ran for president in 1986 as the candidate for the Reformist Party, he only got 0.96% of the votes and not a single representative in the House. If he had been called Miguel Piedra Afluente, he would have got a much better result, maybe even the presidency, but he had the wrong name and the wrong origin. Funnily he was born near Bordeaux (in Caudéran, to be exact) when his parents fled the ditactorship, so he could not be Catalan president either if my rule took effect (neither could my son, a New Englander).
Some of you may point out that indeed there were two Catalan presidents in the past.
So yes, it is proven, a non Catalan born person can become the president of Catalonia, but could a Catalan become the president of the Kingdom of Spain? The answer is categorically NO. Any party that proposes a Catalan candidate to run for office would definitely lose the elections, Pep Priorat i Aguiló has absolutely no chances at all to win the Spanish presidential elections. And you will ask me why? Very simple, Spaniards consider Catalans Spanish, but not as Spanish as the rest. They do not trust us, they believe that we are different, but they are horrified by a potential split.
Let’s not forget that when Miquel Roca i Junyent ran for president in 1986 as the candidate for the Reformist Party, he only got 0.96% of the votes and not a single representative in the House. If he had been called Miguel Piedra Afluente, he would have got a much better result, maybe even the presidency, but he had the wrong name and the wrong origin. Funnily he was born near Bordeaux (in Caudéran, to be exact) when his parents fled the ditactorship, so he could not be Catalan president either if my rule took effect (neither could my son, a New Englander).
Some of you may point out that indeed there were two Catalan presidents in the past. Estanislao Figueres i Moragues (February 1873 – June 1873) and Francesc Pi i Margall (June 1873 –July 1873) were the first two presidents of the Spanish first Republic, but the fact that they stayed altogether 6 months in power, only proves my point.
Finally, some of you may suggest that I am forgetting one Catalan president of the second Spanish Republic, Alejandro Lerroux, but he was not a Catalan. He was, as our current president, also from Cordoba.
Conclusion: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a Catalan to become president of Spain." (Mark 10:25 with some help)
Finally, some of you may suggest that I am forgetting one Catalan president of the second Spanish Republic, Alejandro Lerroux, but he was not a Catalan. He was, as our current president, also from Cordoba.
Conclusion: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a Catalan to become president of Spain." (Mark 10:25 with some help)
15 comments:
Interesting point, that, about being Spanish but not as Spanish as others. My mother-in-law (originally Manchega, but now normalised as Catalana) got told to "Fuck off back home to Catalonia" by a couple of Madrileños in Seville. And we get told that a Spain 'of different nationalities' would be dangerous? For anyone who lives here, it should be clear that this 'Spain' already exists, or more properly that 'Spain' as it is assumed to mean, doesn't exist.
happy birthday ian!!!
ps: i thought YOU were going to become the kind of catalonia
Another top post Ian.
We are like second-class citizens: fiscal robbery, cultural genocide and economic asphyxiation.
Spain will never have a Catalan prime minister, not even a candidate.
They hate us, but will never let us go free. They are too powerful, and we are too coward to break away. And thus the continuous obliteration of Catalonia at cultural and economic levels is set to continue until we become just a historical anecdote.
What a bleak future.
Hi Ian,
I made this reflection long ago and I kind of forgot it. And I totally agree!
A party presenting a Catalan for president would be suicidal.
The attitude of Spanish society towards Catalonia is that of an empire towards a colony.
They want our money, our territory, they want our mountains, our nature, our factories, our cities, our beaches, but they don’t want us. They would like it better if we didn’t exist. They hate us, but they want us to be… Spanish! Strange, isn’t it?
It’s kind of sick.
How can you hate someone and wish he belonged to your own nationality at the same time?
Have you ever heard the expression, “I like Barcelona, but I don’t like the Catalans”?
They want to use us, but we are not allowed to participate. Gas Natural was not allowed to buy a company from Madrid. Catalans cannot even dream (not that it would be desirable) to become prime minister of Spain, we are not allowed to decide anything for ourselves. And they force us to learn their language AND they think that to force us to speak Spanish is the most NORMAL THING!
Thank you. I had forgotten this argument that clearly explains our situation and why Catalonia should be an independent country.
I will add this reflection to my blog 1000 reasons for the independence of Catalonia.
Thank you.
Miquel
Happy birthday Ian. I cannot agree more with you. It is really unbelievable the hate of Spain towards Catalonia. You forgot to mention the last trial, Josep Borrell. Even being a pseudo-catalan, he got so many rocks on the road inside his own party, that he finally had to dismise on the race to the presidency, leaving a clean scenario for the "grey" Joaquín Almunia. Remember, the looser against Aznar.
Any way, I disagre with you on your desire to have only Catalonia born presidents. I am convinced that our force is on joining everybody to our project, not segregating those who had not the chance to be born in our nation. And may be, your son will have the chance to be in a future the first american born being president of the Generalitat.
Ale,
I do not wanna be king of Catalonia. First, there is no king of Catalonia. We are so smart that we barely made it to Principality. We conquered countries and we made them kingdoms (Mallorca, Valencia), but we toggled from County to Principality. Second, I do not like kings. The only kings I like are the 3 Magic Kings.
Tom, Miquel, Rab and Johnny.
I do not like victimism. We, Catalans, are responsible for what we are. If we behaved as Catalans, with a single voice when defending our land and language, things would be very different.
Unfortunately we behave as a herd of divided groups that would sell their soul to make a quick buck.
Hi buster!
Arriba España!
Hi Ian and the rest:
It's always self-assuring to have so much support for those who think the same you think, even if it is completely biased... I remember some guy called Josep Borrell, born in La Pobla de Segur, which, I think, most Catalans consider to be Catalonia, although in practice the Pyrenean counties in Catalonia are totally ignored by the centralist caciques in Barcelona. Anyway, this guy was at some point a candidate from PSC (and PSOE) to the presidency of Spain. I can't say why because the PSOE-PSC have of course kept the secret, but this guy was the best candidate of all in all the democratic history of Spain. But he had a problem: he did not follow the strong fascist principles of the Catalan governmental apparatus: he was not a nationalist. As a result PSOE (probably as usual governed by PSC) put a doll called Almunia who did nothing in front of Aznar and consequently Spain had probably the worst of his presidents, and the Catalans had the more aggresive Spanish president, but at least they could build up more reasons to hate everything related to Spain. If the good and honest Josep Borrell had not been thrown away by the Catalan apparatus, all Spaniards would have had a good, and CATALAN! president. So I wonder whose fault is that Spain does not have a Catalan president....
Javi
Javi,
Good try. Most probably you are also the author of the presss releases that pointed at ETA during the terrorists attacks of March 11th in Madrid.
"El Mundo
Miércoles, 17 de febrero de 1999
MADRID.- Joaquín Almunia ordenó ayer la Comisión Federal de Garantías -órgano disciplinario del PSOE- que abra «urgentemente» una investigación «rigurosa» de la denuncia de pucherazo contra José Borrell en una agrupación de Jaén y depure las responsabilidades a que haya lugar con «la mayor contundencia»."
Jaén, that's near Cordoba. I understand, it was Montilla.
Ian, I'm sorry, but you failed again. Only once I have believed a fascist, and that was one Otegi declared ETA did not have anything to do with the 11-M bombings. He said that before any of the other fascist groups made any declarations, including the ones you assume I'm talking about and the other one you don't assume: PP. That was in the very morning of the 11-M. I was in Ithaca at that time. Try again.. Josep Borrell made the only honest movement any Spanish politician has ever made: he refrained from continuing in the race against Almunia even when he did not have anything to do with the tax office affair. But again, he is non-nacionalist, therefore as any decent sectarial organization would do, you have to comdemn it.. By the way, one question: is Borrell catalan or just another botifler?
Javi
Javi,
Your ignorance about Spanish politics is astounding. I have taken the liberty to quote some of your priceless views:
1) “Anyway, this guy was at some point a candidate from PSC (and PSOE) to the presidency of Spain”
Wrong. Borrell’s candidacy was as a member of the FSM-PSOE (Federación Socialista Madrileña), never as a member of the PSC.
2) “this guy was the best candidate of all in all the democratic history of Spain”
Probably you are unaware of his disastrous tenure as Ministro de Obras Públicas; his dodgy fiscal dealings or his centralist view of government and public service delivery. If it was up to him, refuse collection would be organised by the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente.
3) “But he had a problem: he did not follow the strong fascist principles of the Catalan governmental apparatus: he was not a nationalist.”
First, I think you are the one with a problem. Problem of perception to be precise. “Strong Fascist principles of the Catalan governmental…” Are you from Libertad Digital or El Mundo? Is this the “Fascist principle” that allows a non-Catalan to be president of the Generalitat?
Seriously now, you are trying to tell us Borrell as a non-nationalist? You are having a laugh my friend!
Borrell is a nationalist right enough. A Spanish nationalist. His nation is Spain, he has said as much. He believes in the State-Nation called Spain. And he has done everything in his powers to prevent Catalonia from gaining further autonomy or recognition, both as a Minister of the Spanish government under Gonzalez and in his tenure at the European Parliament.
4) “As a result PSOE (probably as usual governed by PSC) put a doll called Almunia”
Are you seriously saying that the PSC controls the PSOE?? I guess that’s why the Catalan Estatut approved by 90% of democratically elected members of the Catalan parliament, including PSC, was shredded by the Spanish government of the… er… PSOE.
5) If the good and honest Josep Borrell had not been thrown away by the Catalan apparatus, all Spaniards would have had a good, and CATALAN! president. So I wonder whose fault is that Spain does not have a Catalan president....
“good and honest”? Ever heard of Ernesto Aguiar y José María Huguet?
The problem is that José Borrell was too good to them.
Again, your account is mistaken: it was the PSOE in Andalucía, dos Castillas and Extremadura that opposed Borrell. The FSM was divided as was Asturias. They know fully well that selecting a Catalan, no matter how pro-Spanish, to fight for the Spanish presidency would be suicidal and they acted accordingly.
Let me clarify something for you: in Spanish politics, José Borrell has never been Josep Borrell, as you insist in naming him. He has NEVER used Josep publicly in Spanish politics. In Spain, his name was José (as a Minister, or as a member of the Asamblea de Madrid, or as a local councillor in Majadahonda) or Pepe (as a PSOE figurehead. Never he has been known in Spanish politics as Josep. There has never been an electoral poster of José Borrell in Madrid or Sevilla, or Salamanca with the name Josep.
That would be far too Catalan for the vast majority of Spaniards to accept, and would deny him (and his party) any success in Spanish politics.
He knows as much. Only when he was safe in Europe, the name Josep cropped up. He still used José for the campaign outside Catalonia though. Better safe than sorry.
The reason Borrell dropped out of the race is clear and simple. Despite being the most pro-Spanish of the Catalan PSC-PSOE, despite having the self-hate and inferiority complex found in many people in many nations around the world (Scotland is a great example in this regard… Forsyth in particular springs to mind), despite being an arch-unionist, José Borrell has the misfortune of being Catalan, and worse, having a historical Catalan surname whose pronunciation many Spaniards find difficult: “Borrel”
Wake up, Javi: José Borrell was never a choice for the Spanish presidency and that’s why he was sent packing to Brussels.
As for your last question, your proposition is flawed: one has to be Catalan to be a ‘botifler’ (the description of botifler does not apply to non-Catalans). Thus, Borrell is, quite naturally, both: a botifler, since he pursues and furthers a Spanish-nationalistic agenda with his political views, and therefore Catalan.
I will concede something about José Borrell: he is an intellectually gifted man, brilliant orator and extremely intelligent. Apparently his IQ is over 110. His academic achievements are nothing short of outstanding. However, that doesn’t make a good politician.
Have you ever heard of Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM)? They had the best minds in academic finance, Nobel prize winners, Harvard professors, etc, the best brains in the world... but that was not enough.
Let's see, Ian:
First,though I haven't found anywhere your comments about the fact that he presented himself as candidate from FSM I will accept your word in this case.
Second, my comment here is about your statement assuming no Catalan would ever be able to make the presidency of Spain. And in that line I can ask you, how someone that won with 55% of votes can finally retire from the race? as you might possibly agree, because of lobbies from the big guys in the party. Now, your position is that these lobbies came from the big guys in Madrid. My position is that it was actually the traditional 'barones' who supported Almunia, but also the big Catalan barones, Serra, Obiols and Maragall, explicitly and publically gave their support for Almunia and not for the Catalan. Why? because his obvious support for an autonomist, federalist, BUT NON-ASYMMETRICAL Spain. I write that work in uppercase because this is exactly the reason why those Catalan big guys supported Almunia AGAINST the will of the 93% OF THE VOTE in CATALONIA that Borrell had.
Of course, once the support from the PSC ESTABLISHMENT to Almunia was official the barones had their way free of handicaps and Borrell, who had definitely won thanks to the Catalan vote had to renounce. Isn't this fishy or just a cause of my 'astounding ignorance of Spanish politics'?
Regarding the Huguet and Aguilar issue, I can't but laugh, Ian. There is no Spanish big politician without an issue (and sorry, I still include the Catalan ones in this category..no mention to certain percentages well-known by everyone.. and other affairs that you know very well). But I only know of one that actually renounced even when he was still far away from being proven even weakly related to the case. That was official excuse Ian. The real one was the one I show you: Serra, Obiols and Maragall against 93% of the PSC vote..not a bad turnover, but logical in a party well-known for its power structures.
By the way, have you read Artur Mas' last declarations about a possible participation in a Spanish government? on and off..that's because no serious Catalan politician (I mean the one not wanting a political suicide in Catalonian politics) would go into a government, less so into presidency. It is interesting those contending no Catalan politician would ever be allowed to be president but noone even volunteers, haha!!
Regarding Josep Borrell's name (Josep-Jose) I wonder what happened to Josep Montilla i Aguilera..remember? he was secretary of PSC and now he just disappeared from Earth!!!
Ian, in this country it is not a matter of where you were born, but whether or not you belong to the establishment. What happened to Bono or Guerra, non-catalans? what happened to Montilla (pro-establishment)? what happened to Socialistas por el Cambio? why Almunia had such a defeat? I'll answer just the last question: people and politics in Spain are further away than ever...remember the approval rates of the Estatuts (catalan and andalucian)...
Another thing to surprise you even more, Ian: You would like me to be one of those assholes blind-voting PP and reading Libertad Digital, but this is not the case, sorry, it is a bit more complicated. If you want to deal with a sectarian, you will have to look somewhere else (I assume you are not, you know, for the principle of innocence..). Take a look at the signature list for the dismissal of Losantos from the radio and you will see my name and national identity number there. Let me hypothesize, maybe I am wrong, that you would not do the same in a hypothetical similar vote to dismiss Isabel Clara-Simo from Avui...
Javi,
First "Give back to Ceasar what is Cesar’s and to God what is God’s". I am Ian, the owner of this blog, but you were just replying to the very insightful and well documented remarks from Rab.
Rab lives in Scotland and I live in USA. We do not know each other.
My knowledge of Josep Borrell is limited. I have pretty neutral feelings about him. He has lived in Madrid for pretty long, so I do kow know whether he still considers himself a Catalan (Does Montilla consider himself Andalusian?, I do not think so).What is clear to me is that even if Borrell were the most jacobinian Spanish nationalist, he would have never made it to the presidency of Spain, unless, many years ago, he would have changed his name to José Borrego, what in addition would have created some additional equity because of his perceived linkage to the Vatican.
As I said, the vast majority of Spanish consider Catalans, less Spanish and would never agree to elect a leader that they do not consider a Spanish patriot.
I tend to agree with you, however, in the fact that a real Catalan would not want to be Prime Minister of Spain, either.
So, why do not part our ways in a peaceful and respectful manner. We can be good neighbors.
Anyway, as long as people treat each other with certain respect, everyone's opinions are welcome here, no matter what you believe or support.
I present my apologies for my confusion Rab-Ian. And of course I rather have a serious argument. Blogs are full of sectarians who would sell their mother to the devil before looking too condescendent on other's opinions. Rab's in Scotland and I'm in Wales, my home now. Cheers.
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