And Sunday 21, Basque elections with Athletic the Copa champion, which, according to some political futurologists, gives PNB an advantage. He does so much. Basque nationalism/sovereignism/independence is known as the winner: ETA is no longer there, and the fiscal burdens are on Señorita Pepis alongside those of the rest of the State. He has more powers than anyone else and, as Jordi Bosch says, in the next negotiation with Spain’s current government “he’s going to pay them back”.
From Catalonia, basically, the same is demanded as the Basques, with some differences. The first is that the Basques, historically, have frightened Madrid, and the Catalans, disgusted… decades ago, now and surely for a few more decades. The second is that the Basque Country and Navarre have three million long inhabitants and in Catalonia we are eight million, with a GDP that is 20% of the whole of Spain. An economic concert for Catalonia would be a drama for the State.
In Catalonia we have always thought that to get to Ítaca we had to do a supply check at the port of Getaria. The Basques have been the mirror in which we have reflected ourselves and we have felt protected as if they were Zumosol’s cousin – let’s not forget that Catalonia was where the liberal left in the European elections of 1987 found the most accomplices, 53,352 votes, still which was where ETA later committed its bloodiest attacks.
What happens in Euskadi does not happen in Catalonia, this permanent inflammation of basquitis. Some of us drooled over the proposal of the right to decide that Lehendakari Ibarretxe made and we were outraged by the closing of Egunkaria. We love the music of Itoiz (which Ernesto Valverde taught me for the first time many years ago, when he played for Espanyol, with the wonderful song Lai Teiatu) or the music of Kortatu or that of Rupert Ordorika and we liked it read Obabakoak by Bernardo Atxaga…
But perhaps, when we have to build our future, we Catalans should look more closely at our navels. It’s what the Basques have always done and, frankly, it’s been much better for them.
Sunday 21, PNB or Bildu win, they have independence in the parking lot. At the moment, the Basques are walking everywhere. And it’s good for them.
