His uncompromising and brutal speech on self-determination in Catalonia confirms his attitude towards extending democracy within his toy kingdom. No calls for dialogue, no door left open for a future legitimate referendum, no compromise. In the world of kings he is something of a counter-jumper, an arriviste, a nouveau roi. Perhaps his grasping approach to what is left of the Spanish empire is not unexpected; neither Ceuta nor Melilla, holdings far less legitimate and democratic than Gibraltar, will be allowed to slip from Spain's grasp.
Many in Catalonia now blame Felipe for the paramilitary violence last weekend. They know their king better than we do, and have a shrewd idea of the extent of his power to direct Spain's military. This also raises whether Felipe is personally behind the long series of military provocations against Gibraltar this year. Is Felipe just the same old unreasoning, fanatical don that we have known before? Has loyalty to the Pope just been replaced with loyalty to the EU?
I sincerely hope that both sides pull back from the brink next week, that Spain concedes a proper referendum, that the Catalan parliament resists declaring independence. Felipe and his EU masters have shown themselves to be both wilful and stupid so far, driving the region to secession. Let's hope more balanced voices are heard - possibly Switzerland, which has already offered to mediate, but has been spurned by both Spain and the EU.
Felipe may want to take note. Switzerland is what an actual democracy looks like - and every Canton retains the right to leave the Swiss Federation. Perhaps he was sick on the day they taught democracy.
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| Felipe II and Felipe VI - the same old don? |
9 comments:
Yes I believe that Switzerland has during its years as an entity only ever had applications to join...
What they have done is to only join together as cantons where there is common interest.... There is not a "one size fits all top down approach", there is a "this is what we want bottom up approach", so they compete on services and taxation, but cooperate on much else.
All of these "dons" and they exist all over the planet, could learn a lot from that peaceful place. They could learn to hold on to their geld and their positions, by just for one second looking into their hearts and trying to remember what it is like to feel as though one is involved, and not disregarded as populist rabble, or something of the kind.
right-writes
Looks as if to coin a phrase, they have forgotten nothing and learned nothing.
The Catalan regional mafia have made a crisis out of nothing for their own personal aggrandisement, and for good measure ensured that a peaceful political solution will be harder than ever to achieve.
The Madrid government by their stupidly heavy handed, clumsy response have ensured that when the (eventual), now inevitable referendum is held it is more likely to be lost.
How much it is due to the king's machinations I doubt, he just parrots the government line when he's wheeled out.
Rajoy, however along with the entire political class of pretty well all these countries, including our own, is firmly in the EU corner.
I must admit that I wasn't too suprised when Felipe waded in and managed to make matters worse, but as Cuffleyburgers pointed out "they have forgotten . . ."
I can see parallels with our own referendum vote here. All the usual suspects lining up to beat Catalonia down and stop the will of the people. The difference here being that this could conceivably degenerate quite quickly. This is what happens when one side categorically refuses to give any ground, and it's no suprise that the EU has got its bloody paw prints all over it. It's what they do!
This twat needs reminding about the Spanish Armada and what happened the last time a Spanish king got uppity with us...
Let's hope Treeza can drop her Appeaser title and tell the Spanish to stop their intimidation. I fear she will not however. Will Boris?
Strange how people expect great qualities from their kings, imagine Chuckles the clown your own future king in this situation (shudder) and what stupid pronouncements we could expect.
Strange too that commenters are referencing the armada-it is my belief that a rerun might finally dispel any belief that Britannia rules the waves.
Let's hope that cooler heads prevail.
@Cascadian
As far as England goes it is not the efficacy of the monarch that counts it is the office, for we have had many appalling kings. It is the line of kings and queens which embodies our history and even the Interregnum has its place.
Trying to re-create the Roman Empire is a European disease and ironically it was the British who actually went out and did it. Which is why English, the language in which we are communicating, has displaced Latin as the lingua franca of the world.
Control the language and you control the debate: for English carries with it the virus of freedom.
So yes: Britannia does rule the waves and it rules the very weather itself.
IMHO Royalty has well passed it's sell by date, what is needed is a republic on similar lines to the U.S.A. The thought of a King Charles doesn't bear thinking about, a full on global warming nut, totally eu friendly as long as he gets to keep his position, out of touch with ordinary people. Not just him all of them are tarred with the same brush and need to cash in their winnings and drop out of site. They've had a good run and need to understand times have changed, it's over.
@RAC
As I intimated in the previous post: our Kings represent continuity, shared history and our place in the world. The USA could start from block-one because it was a new nation. We are not 4 old nations, we are 4 ancient nations: we have door knobs older than the democracies of the EU and the US.
Rather King Charles than President "who ate all the pies" Prescott.
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