I read through El Pais today and saw the article about Bono putting this general under house arrest, and I couldn't understand why Bono was acting now, since similar comments were made by military officers last year.

Now I understand.

While a repeat of 1981, let alone 1936 is highly unlikely, there's part of me that suspects that someone hasn't let certain General, members of the AVT, and PP militants in on this.  Maybe it's more accurate to say while a military uprising just isn't going to happen, a vocal, violent minority might break the peace, and fire up the and old day when the Spanish government ran death squads, and the Pistoleros de Cristo Rey committed acts of violence.

The forced embrace of "Europe" is indicative of the deep fear most Spanish have of the dirty past.  I understand the old men who cling to fascist past, it's the young kids who become skinheads, attacked Santiago Carillo last year, and gave fascist salutes at the protest aginst th removal of the last stature of Franco in Madrid that I don't understand.  There's a rising tide of violence from the Spanish right, they're deeply frustrated at being totally out of power in a way that hasn't been true since 1936, and I'm afraid the result may be that at least some of the right takes matters into their own hands.  And decides to commit terrorism, assasinations, and general bad behavior in the name of Spain.  Look what they've done to Pilar Manjon......

And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg