When Eta took up arms 50 years ago in pursuit of an independent Basque homeland, Spain was an international pariah in the grip of Franco's dictatorship, the Basque language was banned and political parties were illegal. Many considered it reasonable, even inevitable, that Basque political opposition should take the form of armed attacks on military targets: Eta's first armed action was the derailment of a troop train near Bilbao.Exactly half a century on, Spain is a sturdy democracy and the Basque country enjoys more autonomy than any other region in Europe, but for the armed separatists little has changed. They still want to be free of Spain and to achieve full independence.
When Eta took up arms 50 years ago in pursuit of an independent Basque homeland, Spain was an international pariah in the grip of Franco's dictatorship, the Basque language was banned and political parties were illegal.
Many considered it reasonable, even inevitable, that Basque political opposition should take the form of armed attacks on military targets: Eta's first armed action was the derailment of a troop train near Bilbao.
Exactly half a century on, Spain is a sturdy democracy and the Basque country enjoys more autonomy than any other region in Europe, but for the armed separatists little has changed. They still want to be free of Spain and to achieve full independence.
You are obviously not aware that
Now, if I were King (heh) I would have a referendum on independence, but that's just me. It probably wouldn't pass. The peak-to-trough part of the business cycle is an outlier. Carnot would have died laughing.
you're mistaking my intent in putting such a proposal forward. I seek not to praise but to kill. I believe that if you haven't stopped these people in 50 years, it's quite unlikely that you ever will. So rather than keep doing what you've been doing and watch it fail, how about trying something else ? Something that will fail for the other side instead.
I appreciate that it's very difficult because, even more than the IRA, ETA seem wedded to a romantic vision of violent strugggle simultaneously free of achievable objectives and the ability to compromise. This is why I think the banning of basque nationalist parties, even those connected to armed struggle has been a mistake. Having those discussions about what is acceptable, what can be achieved, what might be hoped for, allows others less romantically inclined to start asking hard questions, which leads to a different level of political engagement. Right now these discussions are mostly happening in underground bars amongst the believers but, I imagine, only in a government approved manner with the media for the rest of the population.
I don't know what might work. Really, despite your response, I'm not suggesting that I know. I'm just saying that what has been done for the last 50 years hasn't worked. Try something far worse than resistance, something truly horrendous : Give them what they want. they will never recover. keep to the Fen Causeway
Um, the "Basque Nationalist Party" has been in power for the last 30 years in the Basque Regional Government and still holds the largest parliamentary group in the regional parliament. The only party that has been banned (and I personally disagree with that) is ETA's political arm. Like I said, Aralar is full of former ETA members who now renounce violence, and they are allowed to contest elections and hold office.
Give them what they want. they will never recover.
There is not a they to give it to.
Plus, unlike in Northern Ireland, "they" are a small minority. The peak-to-trough part of the business cycle is an outlier. Carnot would have died laughing.
Nevertheless, the alternative to doing something different is to keep doing that which has not worked up to now. I suggested an alternate solution that had the distinction of never having been tried.
Actually the IRA, Sinn Fein nationalist community in N Ireland is pretty small too. Just as their nationalist protestant opponents are a tiny minority. I have always complained that the absence of secular British political organisations in N Ireland has denied the majority of people of Ulster a non-denominational choice. keep to the Fen Causeway
Oh, they happen quite in the open, I can assure you. The peak-to-trough part of the business cycle is an outlier. Carnot would have died laughing.
