En la II República

Al grito de Viva España

después de escuchar el himno

al grito de Viva España

canto un fandango gitano

y en él llevo puesta mi alma

como buen republicano.

En abril se proclamo

la República Española.

La bandera que enarbola

por la que el pueblo luchó

tres colores acrisola.

¡Ole Catalunya!

It ended in tears, joy and applauses, but following three months of intense public debate, Catalonia has exercised its autonomy by giving a big "no" to bullfighting, and in doing so joins the Canary Islands (they did so in 1991) in banning this tradition. 

The debate and vote in the Catalan parliament, and within the wider Catalan community, was the result of a democratic response to a popular petition to prohibit bullfighting in Catalonia, one that was supported by more than 180,000 signatures. 

Up until the vote in the Catalan Parliament (Wednesday) it looked too close to call, but for realists, the rejection of the proposed new Catalan Statute by Spain´s Constitutional Tribunal, was the last nail in the coffin of pro-bullfighting hopes; confirmed today, as Catalan nationalists and socialists voted in their Parliament for the end of the fiesta nacional in Catalonia.

The vote in favour of the ban (68 to 55, with nine abstentions), has provoked mild hysteria in the ranks of the Spanish conservative party. Jaime Mayor Oreja has talked of "provocation" and "revenge for the success of the national (football) team" and of "a deep national crisis", María Dolores de Cospedal described the decision as "nonsense" and attributed it to the "mania" of the ruling socialist party to "prohibit and deny freedom of the Catalans and the Spanish people", and the chairman of the Popular Party in Catalonia, Alicia Sánchez-Camacho, suggested that her party will seek to ensure that  Congress and the Senate will overrule the decision in favour of bullfighting, because it's "a festival of cultural interest", whilst elsewhere, the pro-bullfighting community in France fear a knock-on effect.

The political tension is surreal yet palpable, not on the streets, but within the leadership of the Popular Party, who seem more concerned about the Catalans banning bullfighting than in fixing the economic crisis. But, for all the hubris, the legal precedent of the ban on bullfighting in the Canary Islands makes one thing clear; the Popular Party have very little wiggle room on this issue.

So why now and why Catalonia?

For more than two decades animal rights campaigners in Spain have been working hard trying to make people aware of issues related to the cruelty to animals, and have pursued many avenues in many areas where the tradition and cruelty has trumped sensibility and reason; sometimes with success. But, nowhere has the active presence of animal rights advocates been more palpable that in Catalonia.

For this motive it is perhaps reasonable to suppose that the rationale for the ban on bullfighting in Catalonia is simply make a nationalist statement to the rest of Spain, but this would be a mistaken reading, as many people in Spain already understand, and are frequently sympathetic towards the aspirations of the Catalan nationalists, even if they don't always fully understand their motives or even agree with them.

That said, it is perhaps the case that many people in the Catalan speaking regions have an innate aversion to the old tourism marketing idea that "Spain is different" (after all, who in this day and age wouldn't be against such a horribly stale characterisation), it's an anachronism after all, but especially where Catalans are concerned, because although many (broadly)) have a profound sense of identity and local tradition (and pride of place in Catalonia is quite strong), the Catalans as a nation also have strong affinity and connection with the enlightenment, arts, philosophy, theology, science, technology, political thought and the democratic traditions of Europe; and to which a number of Catalans have made significant contributions. 

But, the whole range of speculation regarding motives surrounding the vote are mainly irrelevant, as I suspect that the Catalan parliamentarians, who voted for the ban, did so after carefully examining the arguments between tradition and acceptable practice in a contemporary civil society. The fact that it irritated the right-wing was just the cherry on the ensaimada – not that ensaimadas usually come with cherries – but this is a celebration.

Martyn Richard Jones

28th July 2010

Walk away whistling



The always thought-provoking Tim Worstall asks this question, to which we all know the answer:

Absolutely every commentator even vaguely left of centre says that
the fiscal contraction (ie, the combination of spending cuts and tax
rises) is going to devastate the economy. We’re going to get a double
dip recession, unemployment will go over 4 million etc.

Let us imagine that this doesn’t happen: will we then have put to
bed the idea that only government spending can get us out of such
recessions?

Or if, in two or three years time, this hasn’t happened, will they just walk away whistling, hoping no one will have noticed?

The following is an amended post I wrote on The Guardian on the 22^nd June 2010, and before I heard the news of the death of Peter Walker.

Peter Edward Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester, MBE PC (25 March 1932 – 23 June 2010)

I was saddened to read the news of the death of Peter Walker, I considered him to be one of the truly decent people of British Conservatism, even if I disagreed with some of his views:

In my youth I was a Labour Party Young Socialist member, I worked on Trades Councils, was Press Officer for a whole and took part in activities at the local constituency Labour Party offices. I have no qualms in saying I was one of the favoured young socialists of the excellent City Mayor, Albert Wilkes, who encouraged me to actively participate in the party.  

I scrutinised votes at elections, and from time to time was told to hold the Labour HQ fort in my city. This usually happened when an election count was on – I was only 17 when I started to participate in these events, and I felt quite proud that senior members of the Labour Party placed their trust in me. Although to be quite frank, when the calls from Labour central office in London came through during the evening, to me in Worcester, it made me, on those nights, and many years ago, quite awed but not quite overwhelmed. After all, they talked my language.

One day, I was perhaps 14 or 15, I was on my bicycle delivering Labour Party party election propaganda to houses, it was a lovely balmy evening. A Jaguar pulled up beside me. "Where is the Grammar School" asked the driver, quite brusquely I thought. I looked into the car, a big luxurious car for its time. Peter Walker was in the back seat. He leaned forward and – like the gent he was - politely corrected his driver "young man" he says, "would you be so kind as to tell us where the school is, it would be so helpful, we are quite late", he smiled. I said "of course", and then "before you go will you take this leaflet from the Labour candidate". Peter Walker did take my leaflet, with more than good grace, and not only that, said something along the lines of "if only more young people in Britain took the same interest in politics and the elections, and their city".

I know Peter Walker had some bad press, but I will always respect him for the kind words he had for me, and his invitation to visit parliament.

I will probably never vote Tory, but I will always say that Peter Walker was an absolute gent.

I have nothing more to state; other than to pass on my most sincerest condolences to all those people who will miss him.

Comment on: George Osborne defends tax gamble as prospective chancellors clash live

MartynInEurope 30 Mar 10, 11:27am

Cable is a populist - do the liberals have any policies that they are prepared to stick with, even if it means less votes? Anyway, at least people should know where Darling and Osborne are coming from.

·  Comment on: Nick Clegg at Hay: call for questions

MartynInEurope 02 Jun 10, 1:44pm

In relations between Liberals and Tories would you advise the use of protection?

·  Comment on: Image conscious

MartynInEurope 15 Jul 08, 7:21pm

I dont personally know anyone on the left who is seriously interested in the US Presidential race, never mind arsed enough to be bothered by some cartoon in the New Yorker. Maybe they were liberals?

·  Comment on: A postcode protest against the BNP

MartynInEurope 21 Nov 08, 6:29am

Are some people annoyed by the BNP solely because they are really disgustingly horrible, or because they stole their tactics as well? Sometimes I don't know who is more to the right, Thatcherites or Liberals.

·  Comment on: It's little wonder liberal Muslims feel betrayed

MartynInEurope 16 Mar 09, 12:17am

When Nick refers to "liberals" I assume it is self-referential and nothing to do with the left, that's why I thought it was a reasonable article.

Oh well!

·  Comment on: Labour's listing

MartynInEurope 12 Jan 09, 4:29pm

Why do liberals think they are leftwing?

·  Comment on: Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition hopes end in recriminations

MartynInEurope 12 May 10, 9:29am

So quite a few people were suckered by Clegg and the populist Cable, but it just goes to confirm that you can fool some of the people almost all of the time.

As for a Clegg and Cable betraying their "progressive" support, it's about time that "progressives" got a clue, and stopped being so bloody naive.

·  Comment on: Nick Clegg – where have you been?

MartynInEurope 29 Aug 09, 9:53pm

BeautifulBurnout:

29 Aug 09, 6:38pm

Vince Cable for PM.

That's all.

I can understand your bias, but personally I'd rather have you as PM than Vince.

·  Comment on: My big idea to fix politics

MartynInEurope 20 Sep 09, 4:15pm

I have just read the comments by Vincent Cable, Jo Swinson, Norman Baker and John Curtice, and have one question.

Considering that the UK lacks a decent democratic, secular, egalitarian and just constitution; considering that the electoral system weighs rather than counts votes; and, considering the effectiveness of republican federalism in supporting the needs of a modern civil society, is this collection of frail soundbites really the best that the Lib Dems can come up with?

·  Comment on: We were wrong to allow so many eastern Europeans into Britain

MartynInEurope 06 Jun 10, 4:00am

So populist it would make Hugo Chavez and Vince Cable blush.

·  Comment on: George Osborne defends tax gamble as prospective chancellors clash live

MartynInEurope 30 Mar 10, 11:27am

Cable is a populist - do the liberals have any policies that they are prepared to stick with, even if it means less votes? Anyway, at least people should know where Darling and Osborne are coming from.

·  Comment on: Cutter Clegg

MartynInEurope 14 Sep 08, 12:37pm

In an interview with The Observer, Vince Cable, the Lib Dem treasury spokesman, abandoned the party's historic commitment to 'ever closer' European integration and its decade-long push for rapid British entry into the euro system.

Liberals = Sentimental Tory Gits.