That brings me back to the Catalan Constitution (L'Estatut) and which aspects need to be preserved in the final negotiation. The way is going to be long, and we need to make sure that we advance in the right direction with detemination and resolve, with common sense and avoiding confrontation and rupture. There are two main concepts in the Estatut that are controversial, the notion that Catalonia is a nation and the control of our finances and taxation, one is emotional, the other one is practical. My advise is to be pragmatic. Let's give up the first one and focus on the second. We all know we are a nation, even the Castilians know we are a nation even though they do not want to admit it in the open, so let's not spend our efforts in the evident. Let's take the cash, let's make sure we can control our finances, that we can fund all our development plans, that we can invest on education, infrastucture and R&D, let's not forget that "pesseta", the old currency is Spain, is a Catalan word. Let's agree on less controversial denominations as a "national entity", but let's not give away control on a single euro cent.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Nation or financing, LET'S TAKE THE CASH
I am in Hamburg (Germany), Hansestadt Hamburg to be precise (that's why the car plates have a double HH, I love double letters), at the airport lounge wirelessly connected to my blog while drinking schnapps. I am in a federal country, something that in Spain seems to be a heretic concept. I am sure that some of you have seen this beatiful palace in an upscale neighborhood in Brussels with the sign, free state of Bavaria embassy to the European Union. What an insolent behaviour? If the Spanish Popular Party ruled Germany, this would have never happened. Only Bonn has the right to have international representation, or it is Berlin now? Things can even change in the old Europe. They will even have a new chancellor that comes from Eastern Europe and is a female!. The concept of having a Catalan president in Spain is totally unthinkable independently of gender, any party who would nominate a Catalan candidate for the Spanish presidency would commit political harakiri, we saw that already.
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8 comments:
your job sounds like a ton of fun all this traveling you get to do!
Catalan nationalist politicians have squandered billions of "euro cents": 36m euros estimated fraud in ten years of CiU administration of training and tourism, and that's just a start. Look at the "chollos" in the Catalan-administered regional health system and the handouts (12m euros in election year to La Vanguardia) to bribe the media. The Catalan "oasis" is stagnant, and less financial vigilance will lead only to further corruption. Don't think that the CiU to tripartite change in government has cleaned things up, either. Why no full investigation of the "3%" scandal? Why do huge press subsidies continue. Wake up and smell the merda.
I totally oppose corruption. Those who steal from their fellow citizens, inside and outside Catalonia, should be brought to justice, should serve jail terms and repay 10 times what they stole. I would solve the issue by a very strict application of Sarbanes-Oxley accross the administration and very harsh sentences to those found guilty. No discussion about that.
My post has nothing to do with that, it assumes an honest government that cares for its citizens. If this were the case, my preference is to have a very tight control on where our money goes, to avoid fraud and misuse on one side, but also to make sure that our needs are properly covered. I am not comfortable with the money going to the big pot and being used to subsidize voluntary unemployment benefits while we need to employ thousands of illegal aliens because no one wants to do the job or we use it to fund unjustified wars.
I prefer those comments coming from bloggers who identify themselves.
The Estatut will be a skeleton by the time they make the amendments, but they obviously expected that and hope to win some "competencias" along the way - some of which they should get. This whole thing should be about dialogue. I just saw the parliament on television and the entire catalan congress was there to represent, including jordi pujol. this is something you can’t just sweep under rug. And, in reference to anon., are you saying the PP is above corruption?
Maragall is being interviewed on TV 3 today at 11pm, I think, in case anyone is interested
Unfortunately, here in Massachusetts the closest to TV3 is the Miami-based Univision, and they only show soap operas.
Anyway, thanks for the tip Andrew.
Pi i Margall was president of the First Republic, Lerroux served three terms as prime minister in the 30s, and I'm sure there are others out there. Next question: how long will it take someone with a charnego surname to become president fo the Generalitat?
You can see TV3 (in a small sized layout) at:
http://www.tvcatalunya.com/
and then click (or maybe search?) on "3 a la carta".
One more thing. About corruption, let Courts to speak and do not spread those kind of hundred-million-euros-news-noone-knows-where-they-come-from.
Thanks for the tip. I will try to tune TV3 this weekend.
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