Basque-Phobe Colin Strikes Again

Let me start by saying that the Anonimous commenter that stated the fact that Navarre is the historic Basque Country has a name, Katie A.

So, she was nice enough to stablish a dialogue with Colin (something I tried doing before I realized that Mr. Davies was not being naive but actually advancing extreme right arguments against the Basque right to self-determination), this is what she said:

Kaixo, Colin,

White wine? Oh lordy, why not a nice, Rioja Rose?

I just started reading your blogs, and I like them. I don't like everything you say, but I like a lot. Definitely, I don't like what you are saying about the Basque Country. You talked about the Basques wanting to "opt out" what do you mean?

Are you saying that all the BAsque nationalists only want full independance? Or just ETA? or what? because, I believe, and I hope you can see, that it is much more complicated than that. PP folks will try to make it a black and white issue, that it is all about the total break-up of Spain, but this is wrong. There could be many creative solutions, if hard-headed SOB right wingers dont throw monkey wrenches into the mix all the time....er...do you brits call them "spanners", I think?

Also, does going to a Basque festival make one Basque? of course not. Unless you want to be one. Make friends with enough, learn about their history and culture, take a stab at Euskara, and I guarantee you'll become an honorary Basque. I know from experience. Just don't be defending Fraga or Franco or Aznar...that might cut you out of the equation...

Katie A.

So, you would think that Colin who spent the last four posts at his blog claiming that he does not hate the Basques would take this chace to strike a civilized conversation.

Well, I hate to be the rain on your parade, but this is the way that Colin chose to patronize Katie A.:

The Basque Country ….. In response to the nice post from Katie A., I would say that I wish the Basque people well with whatever aspirations they have, merely provided they accept current realities and do things democratically. I certainly can’t pretend to have anything like a full understanding of the situation there but sometimes wonder if, like the Scots, they would be less interested in full independence if someone else were subsidising them and not the other way round.

It is quite telling that Colin the Brit demands from the Basque to "do things democratically" when the ones that are not living up to the democratic standards are the Spaniards, specially the ones that are the file and rank of the Partido Popular.

But that was not enough, despite his disclaimer, Colin shows just how miniscule his understanding of the Basque issue is when he goes into the topic of the subsidies. If he knew the slightest thing about Spain's relationship to its continental colonies, he would know that actually Navarre, the Basque Autonomous Communiy and Catalonia have been subsidising Spain's (ultra) modern economy for the last 70 years.

Oh, before I forget, he provides a bio for Aleksu Zazpiak, currently living in Sri Lanka, no wait, was it New Zealand?

I wonder if M15 is now tracking down Katie A.

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