TRUE FACTS ABOUT THAT PLACE CALLED SPAIN

     Europe is starting to discover that SPAIN is a very particular member of the EUROPEAN UNION, a nation which aspires to be a first line actor of the continental culture but behaves like the troglodyte empire of Felipe II, in the XVI Century.

     Spain doesn't really exist as a nation, not as Europeans statemen understand a modern State in which all parts and citizens are beneficiaries and responsible for the whole. In reality Spain is only a city, Madrid, owner of the land which extends from its outskirts to the seas, including things and people. Spanish citizens are those who live in Madrid and descend from two historical branches: court official of the Borbon family and political heirs of Francisco Franco's dictatorial semi-nazi regime. People on the autside land are only inhabitants, not citizens. 

     The two alternative governing parties in Spain are: PSOE, socialist party, and PP, conservative party. There is not a Republican Party because Spain is a monarchy. In fact PP's members and phylosophy are so close minded that only the most absolute concepts of power are acceptable. Not even popular consulting poles are consedered by Madrid, affraid that people might reject them. A process like Scotland and England have agreed, is totally out of consideration in Spain.

Let us look at recent facts:

     Both PSOE and PP, have been confronting investigations and legal actions due to their corrupted members. Scandals erupt every day, some of them big enough for any French or English politician to abandon the Country. But not in Spain, where theft and sex scandals in politics are acceptable. At present some Ministers are involved in court trials which don’t even disturb their dreams, and President Rajoy is believed to be part of the biggest scandal in modern Spanish history, although he acts as if nothing was going on. 

     Justice officials and the National Police are meant to serve political purposes, thus it is only natural that appropriation of public funds and blackmailing to contractors have become common practises. Judjes who take their jobs seriously may end up in the street, like judje Baltasar Grazón, who tried to dig into the crimes of PP's Gürtel Case and search for the corpses of Franco Regime's victims. Extreme pressures of PP, highly involved in both cases, on the Supreme Court resulted in judge Garzón being kicked out of his court house.

     Retirement savings banks, called Cajas de Pensiones in Spain, became bankrupt in most cases due to continued plain theft practiced by their official, which always happened to be members of political parties in power. Today those same banks, regrouped under other names, are receiving billions of euros for recovering, although not one single thief has been accused for his doings. The reason is simple: thieves had to split the treasure with higher levels which now protect them.

     Historically, banks in general, both commercial and savings, have given their clientele abusive treatment, with swindling tricks which are now coming afloat.  Thousands of middle and low class workers, retired couples and even patients in mental homes, discover that their saving are gone, switched to “special accounts" which today are worth nothing, without their knowledge. Many people, having lost their savings and incapable of taking care of their mortgage bills, are being expelled from their homes into desperation. Under laws Incredible in modern times, spanish judjes are obliged to obey bank official's orders on mortgage procedures. No wonder many people have chosen suicide as a measure to overcome sudden poverty. After so much abuse, has any banker of bank officers been taken to court? Not one and none will ever be in Spain, a country governed by political thieves and bankers.

     The centralist anxiety of Madrid is based in the old royal concept that all has to be born and die in Madrid. All roads must start in Madrid, all trains, all festivities, culture and traditions… Even the Mediterranean Train Project demanded by the EU is being torpedoed by Spain because it wouldn’t pass by Madrid.

     Spanish provinces are treated as colonies, specially those which are self sufficient. Taxes are collected by the Central Government through out the Country and redistributed according to Madrid’s circumstantial interests. Catalonia is an example: in 2011 this Region contributed with 74 billion euros in taxes to the National Treasury. With an approved  budget of 24 billion euros, Catalonia only got back 18+ billion, and with such bad timing that loans were inevitably contracted to cover obligations.

     The Spanish Army consumes a tremendous part of the national treasury, over 14% according to the last figures. In addition the Army also makes use of other budgets, such as education, sanitation and investigation. In this last case over 40% of the appropriations for Scientific Investigation is deviated to Army’s projects. The only reason for such expences is to assure the fears of colonies: Catalonia, Biscaia and Navarra.

     While appropriations for cultural activities is reduced year after year and taxes raised to 22%, money going to bullfight’s financial support constantly increases and benefits of 10% taxes. Anti-bullfights Provinces opposed to animal protection, are being persecuted by Madrid accused of not been sufficiently Spanish.

     Some provinces are convinced that continuing under Madrid’s rule means loosing regional characteristics, language, traditions and wellbeing. Madrid’s answer has been in the line of insults, menaces, economic revenge and high Army Officers threatenings. Fighter planes have been sent on low flying operations over towns and Naval war vessels have take the bay of Roses to threaten fishermen with weaponry.

     Of course, the quality of any Government is hard to establish on a present time bases, because it depends on the viewpoint of each analyst. However, the Government of Spain, integrated by men and women of dubious conduct, with evident bad record in the handling of public funds and frequently caught in lies and economic policy contradictions, can not continue operating without credibility and the people’s confidence. 

      These and many others are the reason why Spain is such a different country from the rest of Europe. It is not hard to understand the motives for various provinces insisting on a future away from Madrid, either inside the EU or out of it. Any political perspective would be better that continuing as a colony of Spain. The people of theese Regions have become so tired of Madrid that, after 300 years since they were colonized, reject Spain with higher determination as time goes by. The last social study in Catalonia demonstrated that nearly 80% of its population and 77% of the Regional Assembly are pro-Independence.