Kudos to Catalonya

The Guardian Unlimited publishes some encouraging words towards the Catalonyans.

The article contains a reference to "extreme separatists", my guess is that it refers to the parts of the statut that were removed which prompted some Catalonyans to refrain from voting because in their view this light version of the original proposal rendered it useless.

I would like to mention that the ban on bullfighting is a great move by the Catalonyans, there can not be culture where there is torture. And torture is something that some Spaniards seem to have a special affinity for, specially when used against those who reject the present status quo in which the national identities of the Basque, Catalonyan, Guanche and Galizan peoples are suffocated by the right wing point of view that sees Spain as a nation created by God Himself that must remain One as to ensure His Will.

Here you have the article:

Leader

In praise of ... Catalonia

Monday June 26, 2006
The Guardian

From Pyrenees mountain heights to the streets of Barcelona and the shores of the Costa Brava, Catalonia is asserting itself with confidence, both politically and culturally. Ten days ago its people voted overwhelmingly for a new charter of autonomy, which will see their powers of self-government bolstered. Then, last week, its parliament moved to ban bullfighting, a cruel practice that has long fallen out of favour with most Catalans. But the repercussions of legislating against the blood sport are wider than animal welfare: they involve disowning a national symbol of Spain and refreshing the distinctiveness of the Catalan identity, which has roots going back to the Middle Ages.

The robustness of Catalan consciousness should be saluted. Only three decades have passed since Franco's regime, which not only denied the region a say in its own affairs, but punished people for speaking its language. For a time, the native tongue suffered, but today it is understood by almost all residents, and it is younger people who most often write it. It is to the credit of the Madrid government that it has the maturity to champion regional - diversity and autonomy; it is to the credit of Catalans that they embrace it in such numbers, dismissing the rejectionist pleas of both the old right and extreme separatists. The progress made should help light the way to addressing nationalist tensions around the world - including the thorny question of the Basque country, which Spain must now turn to.

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