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The Gleichschaltung of Spain | 302 comments (302 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: The Gleichschaltung of Spain (4.00 / 3)
Zapatero himself is proof positive that the C20 history of Spain, starting from the 1930s ... is still unresolved and therefore alive. His Law of Historical Memory is, appraised coldly, a Law of damnatio memoriae. Judge Baltasar Garzon was banished from the judicial profession for daring to open a case on Franco's crimes against humanity. The digging up of mass graves from the Civil War continues to be a contentious issue. And just like Thatcher's tories managed to insert into the British conventional wisdom the lie that Britain is no longer a class-based society, the PP and its sociological and voter base are convinced that the wounds of C20 are closed and Zapatero has reopened them, while most of the left is aware that the wounds were never closed. But, IMHO, damnatio memoriae is not the way to go and it is not even feasible since the heirs of Franco have not been defeated to the point where you can apply damnatio memoriae.

Economics is politics by other means
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Aug 30th, 2011 at 05:58:24 AM EST
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Re: The Gleichschaltung of Spain (none / 1)
"Thatcher's tories managed to insert into the British conventional wisdom the lie that Britain is no longer a class-based society"

When people commend the British humour as the master of the absurd, I believe they are referring to that.

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Gandhi

by Cyrille (cyrillev domain yahoo.fr) on Tue Aug 30th, 2011 at 06:21:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: The Gleichschaltung of Spain (none / 0)
That appraisal, then, is very worrying.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Aug 30th, 2011 at 07:16:55 AM EST
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Re: The Gleichschaltung of Spain (4.00 / 2)
See this from The Guardian: Spain's World Youth Day has little to do with Catholicism
The church no longer dictates how people live - but its success in lobbying Spain's government should not be underestimated

...

The issue is power, and the Spanish church has an awful lot of it, but it lies somewhere else. Its kingdom is of this world. As a reaction to secularisation, the church has become an American-style political lobby, which no longer shepherds souls but votes. With its radio and TV stations and its vast network of schools and universities, it shapes the conservative political camp. It is its ability to deliver busloads of school children to Madrid that makes rightwing demonstrations possible and massive.

...

And this is what World Youth Day was about: the joy of triumph and the anticipation of more concessions to come from the next government. Journalists scrutinised the long and repetitive speeches of the pope as if they were all about theology, but they weren't. The medium is the message. The message is the massive presence, like a seraphic version of the International Brigades, of the Catholic church on the streets of Spain, the old faithful country gone astray.



Economics is politics by other means
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Aug 30th, 2011 at 10:25:55 AM EST
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The Gleichschaltung of Spain | 302 comments (302 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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