Catalunia: What the Southern States need to copy

Spain is a great "experiment" to say the least. It's a "nation-state" only in certain senses. It has many nationalist/secessionist movements. Really, only the center and south of the country have allegiance to Madrid. The north and east are very pro-secession. Plus the islands, which tend to lean pro-secession despite the large military presence there.

I think there are two examples from Spain we can examine and learn from here in Dixie. First would be the Catalunian example. Catalunia has a long history of independence and speaks a different language (though it is closely related to both Spanish and French). Anyhow, the government there is run by parties which are pro-business, pro-middle and upper class and pro-sovereignty. I won't say pro-independence, though there is enormous support for total independence. For example, at the football games there you'll never see even a single Spanish flag - only the Catalunian flag. They regularly burn pictures of the monarch before and after the games in the streets, fly secessionist's flags and create a very militant atmosphere for independence. If you go in a store there as a foreigner they'll try to speak your language, whatever it is. But if you are Spanish and go into a store there they will only speak Catalan, making a point to make Spanish people feel unwelcome. In their schools they teach almost exclusively in Catalan. Understand that under Franco until the mid-70s it was illegal to speak in any language other than Spanish throughout Spain - that was a regime that violently oppressed the secessionists/nationalists. Even though there is a radical edge to the movement there in Catalunia, it's middle-class driven and peaceful over-all. Spanish military people almost never come from the region (they come from the center, south and northwest of the country generally), hate to be based there (because they feel unwelcome and their children are taught Catalan, not Spanish, in their schools). They have been getting more and more rights and sovereignty of late. They basically totally control their internal affairs and are much more independent than are the US States. Last year, even though the Spanish Constitution prohibits secession and votes on secession, they held a referendum across Catalunia on secession. It was unofficial and sponsored by the pro-secession parties there but the people voted over 90% for independence from Spain. It wasn't binding but it sent a huge message to Madrid. I used to teach the government people in Madrid (the national capital) and they pretty much hate Catalunia while the Catalans pretty much hate the people of Madrid.

Another example is the Basque country. The Vascos (Basque people) are perhaps the oldest people in Europe. They descend from the original Med. people, not the Celts, Germans or Slavs. They fought the Romans, long ago, for independence, and the Romans never really controlled them, while they controlled the rest of Iberia. The Vascos are divided ideologically. They have a violent left-wing, pro-independence movement (ETA) which has been bombing and killing Spanish police, military and gov't people for the last 40 years or so. They only have about 10% support but make headlines all the time and scare the Spanish. Then there is the broader mainstream, which is much more conservative but also pro-independence. Their ruling party most of the time is a right-wing, pro-business, pro-free market, pro-independence party. They use all the traditional Basque symbols and speak Vasco. They are virtually independent. The Spanish military can't come into Pais Vasco (the Basque Country) without huge public protests and backlash and maybe violence. If you are from Madrid and drive your car into Pais Vasco it will likely be "keyed" when you leave it (the license plates gives away where you are from). So the Vascos have both a huge peaceful (right-wing) movement and also a much smaller but very visible violent movement (left-wing).

These are two examples we (the Southern States) could consider: the Catalans and Vascos. Both are successful. Both regions are autonomous and virtually independent. I don't think either will be part of Spain for very much longer. The Catalans welcome foreigners and try to make them Catalan. The Vascos discourage immigration and have driven out many of the Spanish people there who support Madrid and not independence - their population has actually fallen a lot since many military and government people have left the region.

PalmettoPatriot, SWR