And...It's Spain.. will it kick off ?

And...It's Spain.. will it kick off ?

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TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

126 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
I'm pretty sure that in most significant ways of looking at these things, Spain has been a nation for significantly longer than the UK, hasn't it?
Kinda. Only a couple of short-lived changes since 1516, most notably unification with Portugal (under separate crowns) between 1580 and 1640, while the UK gained a big chunk in 1707 (Scotland), then shed a big chunk in 1922 (Republic of Ireland).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxDyJ_6N-6A

Kermit power

28,642 posts

213 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
Digga said:
Kermit power said:
Digga said:
Of course, there's the perennial issue of Basque separatism too. This is surely going to encourage a renewed campaign for their separation too.

As I've said on the EU and Brexit threads, it always struck me a perverse that nations that had only, actually been nations (let alone democracies) for such relatively short spells have the nerve to criticise the UK or Brexit. Here is a perfect example.
I'm pretty sure that in most significant ways of looking at these things, Spain has been a nation for significantly longer than the UK, hasn't it?
Yes, you are right, I meant (and ought to have written) rather a nation and a democracy. I was thinking in broader terms too of places like Italy also.
In that case, I'd suggest it is hard to argue that this country was truly a democracy before 1918. Still very different to Spain, I'll grant you! hehe

hairyben

8,516 posts

183 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
How pro or anti eu is the movement? Do they see independance as a european state, or the euro superstate as control slipping even further away?

Digga

40,315 posts

283 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
Digga said:
Kermit power said:
Digga said:
Of course, there's the perennial issue of Basque separatism too. This is surely going to encourage a renewed campaign for their separation too.

As I've said on the EU and Brexit threads, it always struck me a perverse that nations that had only, actually been nations (let alone democracies) for such relatively short spells have the nerve to criticise the UK or Brexit. Here is a perfect example.
I'm pretty sure that in most significant ways of looking at these things, Spain has been a nation for significantly longer than the UK, hasn't it?
Yes, you are right, I meant (and ought to have written) rather a nation and a democracy. I was thinking in broader terms too of places like Italy also.
In that case, I'd suggest it is hard to argue that this country was truly a democracy before 1918. Still very different to Spain, I'll grant you! hehe
And Italy.

Then there's the small matter of Empire - we had one, the EU want one. I think we could give them the benefit of our own experience there too.

SpeckledJim

31,608 posts

253 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
gofasterrosssco said:
I find it interesting that for all the talk of "democracy", what all modern separatist movements (e.g. nats in Scotland, Catalonia etc.) seem to offer really is just the promise of more money.

I've yet to hear of one (within a proper existing democracy) that offers the concept of separation fro the purposes of pure democracy, rather its "we'll be better off on our own".

Take the financial benefits away and the majority won't vote for it.

It's all about money, not democracy.
The Scottish Indy campaign started off promising more money (oil) but by the time the vote came around I think that line of persuasion had basically completely dissolved, and the line the Yes campaign were spinning was around pride and self-determination instead.

Had the financial argument lasted the course, the vote might just have sneaked the other way.


psi310398

9,081 posts

203 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
psi310398 said:
In the scheme of things, I don't see why Catalonia should be any less viable as an independent nation than, say (if we are looking at existing EU nations), Slovakia or Denmark, let alone Belgium or Luxembourg.
You're asking the wrong question. The question you need to ask is whether the rest of Spain would be viable as an independent nation.
I don't think the Catalan separatists (and the Basques) would care much what the answer to that was...

psi310398

9,081 posts

203 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
Digga said:
And Italy.

Then there's the small matter of Empire - we had one, the EU want one. I think we could give them the benefit of our own experience there too.
Spain had rather a large empire of its own...


Frank7

6,619 posts

87 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
SystemParanoia said:
i hope they split from the greedy/desperate spanish
I hope the Guarda Civil send in death squads,
and make speaking Catalan a punishable offence,
well you started it!






[report][news]Wednesdayquotequote all
At lease this will take up some of their time attempting to get their grubby hands trying to take away Gibraltar from us.

They're welcome to it, have you been there, it's like Tilbury, with sunshine.

psi310398

9,081 posts

203 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
Frank7 said:
SystemParanoia said:
i hope they split from the greedy/desperate spanish
I hope the Guarda Civil send in death squads,
and make speaking Catalan a punishable offence,
well you started it!
I'm in danger of hearing whooshing but what you hope for is not funny, nor morally equivalent to secession.

What you hope for is exactly what the Spanish did to the Catalans and others within living memory.

Might be why so many Catalans want to secede...

Frank7

6,619 posts

87 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
psi310398 said:
Frank7 said:
SystemParanoia said:
i hope they split from the greedy/desperate spanish
I hope the Guarda Civil send in death squads,
and make speaking Catalan a punishable offence,
well you started it!
I'm in danger of hearing whooshing but what you hope for is not funny, nor morally equivalent to secession.

What you hope for is exactly what the Spanish did to the Catalans and others within living memory.

Might be why so many Catalans want to secede...
I don't seriously hope for that, s*i* for brains, who would, I was having a hopefully understandably humorous dig at the guy who called the Spanish greedy and desperate.

Digga

40,315 posts

283 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
psi310398 said:
Digga said:
And Italy.

Then there's the small matter of Empire - we had one, the EU want one. I think we could give them the benefit of our own experience there too.
Spain had rather a large empire of its own...
So did Rome, but that was a long time ago. Germany and Belgium even had a few colonies, but few of them really begin to compete with the scale of what was the British Empire at its height. Certainly not in the complexity of trade and rule. I don't mention this in a jingoistic way, but rather that in terms of the benefits and drawbacks of running such an Empire, we do have, probably, the best recent experience.

psi310398

9,081 posts

203 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
Frank7 said:
I don't seriously hope for that, s*i* for brains, who would, I was having a hopefully understandably humorous dig at the guy who called the Spanish greedy and desperate.
Well, I died laughing...

Kermit power

28,642 posts

213 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
psi310398 said:
Kermit power said:
psi310398 said:
In the scheme of things, I don't see why Catalonia should be any less viable as an independent nation than, say (if we are looking at existing EU nations), Slovakia or Denmark, let alone Belgium or Luxembourg.
You're asking the wrong question. The question you need to ask is whether the rest of Spain would be viable as an independent nation.
I don't think the Catalan separatists (and the Basques) would care much what the answer to that was...
I'm sure you're right. I was just pointing out that I don't think anyone is actually questioning whether Catalonia could be viable nation in the first place.

psi310398

9,081 posts

203 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
I'm sure you're right. I was just pointing out that I don't think anyone is actually questioning whether Catalonia could be viable nation in the first place.
OK. But there have been objections to the creation of more mini-states. I think there is at least one strand of Euro-integrationist thought that proliferating mini-states is not the way to a united/federal Europe but that is a slightly different point, I grant you.

To answer your point, I think both could survive independently of each other but Spain would probably have to give up the Basques as well. Whether Galicia could strike out alone is more moot.

Frank7

6,619 posts

87 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
psi310398 said:
Frank7 said:
I don't seriously hope for that, s*i* for brains, who would, I was having a hopefully understandably humorous dig at the guy who called the Spanish greedy and desperate.
Well, I died laughing...
Well I hope you are successfully resuscitated,
I have absolutely zero against you, okay?
Plus I apologise for calling you s**t for brains.

gadgetmac

14,984 posts

108 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
Robertj21a said:
Surprised that Tony Blair hasn't offered to save the situation......
Congratulations! An anti Tony Blair post within the first 2 pages of a thread about Spain.

You win this weeks Weirdo-stuck-in-the-past award.

Stickyfinger

8,429 posts

105 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
Frank7 said:
At lease this will take up some of their time attempting to get their grubby hands trying to take away Gibraltar from us.

They're welcome to it, have you been there, it's like Tilbury, with sunshine.
The people there seem to like it the way it is....can the same be said for a lot of parts of the "Spanish" population.

Robertj21a

16,476 posts

105 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
gadgetmac said:
Congratulations! An anti Tony Blair post within the first 2 pages of a thread about Spain.

You win this weeks Weirdo-stuck-in-the-past award.
You're a bundle of laughs tonight !

Unfortunately, Blair is not 'in the past' - and not averse to sticking his nose in where it's not wanted, so he may well turn up just about anywhere.

Sorry biglaugh

PJ S

10,842 posts

227 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
psi310398 said:
Well, I died laughing...

psi310398

9,081 posts

203 months

Friday 22nd September 2017
quotequote all
Frank7 said:
Well I hope you are successfully resuscitated,
I have absolutely zero against you, okay?
Plus I apologise for calling you s**t for brains.
Thank you for the apology, Frank7. I have been called worse. But it is good of you to take steps to avoid a flame war. And a PistonHeads apology is a rare thing indeed!

I've bought you an internet pint in appreciationsmile.

Best

Peter