40 years after Spain’s return to democracy, a far-right party rises

[Gerald]

The nightclub was dark. A crowd of cocktail-holding partygoers — mostly 20- and 30-year-olds — waved Spanish flags and shouted, “Viva España!”


They sang along to an electronic version of the Spanish national anthem and chanted “Jail Puigdemont!” in reference to the former president of Catalonia who fled the country (https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fworld%2Fla-fg-belgium-catalans-puigdemont-20190304-story.html&data=02%7C01%7CMichael.Ottey%40latimes.com%7C1a8bb 0001d854a648f3208d6ca558db0%7Cf7da0482aed242fa8023 3b240fb6598d%7C0%7C0%7C636918866150114128&sdata=wceRyXsd9%2FOKF8NU0HXaH3YaAV%2F0PczPN%2BPAkm v1OdM%3D&reserved=0) a year and a half ago. One man made a fascist salute.


“Good evening patriots,” yelled Ignacio Garriga, a candidate for Spain’s upcoming parliamentary elections, from the stage. “This Sunday will be a historic day. This Sunday we are excited to start the reconquista of Spain.”


https://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-spain-election-20190426-story.html


When the right-wing extremist party Vox is now seated in the parliament in Madrid, Spain joins the growing number of countries in Europe where right-wing populists and extremists sit in power corridors and enjoy a Brandy de Jerez.

[Nordmann]

When the establishment fails to address the concerns of voters, as is the case in many European countries (and with the EU as a whole), extremists always capitalise. If you don't stand up for your own people, then they are going to turn to those who will.

[em2nought]

It's not that hard to understand why.


http://www.capitolhilloutsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/immigration-then-and-now-678x381.png

[Nordmann]

It's not that hard to understand why.


http://www.capitolhilloutsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/immigration-then-and-now-678x381.png

It's certainly one of the big issues, but there are many more, including law enforcement (a huge problem in the UK for instance), access to medical care, and the economic survival of ordinary citizens. I won't even get into the flagrant suppression of free speech, because that's a real quagmire!

Sadly, these issues are being swept under the rug in many countries, and this is only serving as fertile ground for the far right. The Nazis rose in Germany because the Weimar government ignored the plight of its people, and we are seeing a repeat of this mistake in the EU.

[Buddahaid]

Immigration then.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/921/9OkS7K.jpg

Immigration now.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/923/DnUcgg.jpg

It just depends on what photos you want to use to make a point. :shucks:

[Mr Quatro]

I think it is the difference in the rich vs the poor is greater than it has ever been before ...
Push is becoming shove :yep:

No single country has the answer on what to do about it, but I notice the masses of refugees are not migrating to socialist countries.

[Buddahaid]

I'm not so sure about that. Anyway, in the US I think the poor are way better off now than they were 100 years ago when there was no health insurance at all and no welfare. Health insurance? No, but hospitals are not legally allowed to turn anyone away from an ER just because they can't pay and not for profit hospitals offer all sorts of free outreach to their communities, plus you can find homeless shelters and free meals just for the asking.

[em2nought]

It's certainly one of the big issues, but there are many more


Yes, of course. They just aren't as easy to represent with a simple meme

[HunterICX]

Vox are a bunch of idiots with a very stupid agenda. Just like any populist right wing party they have a big mouth but offer little in terms of answers.

However it is concerning that during 2018 they got 12 Seats Regional Parliament of Andalusia, 10 seats in Valencia and went from having 0 seats to 24 seats in the Cortes Generales(the the bicameral legislative chambers of Spain)

It doesn't come as a suprise as you see in more European Countries that the Liberal, labour and Conservative parties are sitting in their ivory towers bickering amongst eachother ignoring problems that's stirring the social climate so you get groups of people feel themselves ignored and parties like Vox you see here and there through Europe who do open the door and listen are now playing their cards and play on the emotions of those who feel ignored.

[Sailor Steve]

No single country has the answer on what to do about it, but I notice the masses of refugees are not migrating to socialist countries.
Back at the height of the Cold War my circle of friends contained several young Communist wannabes. My late friend Rocky ended an argument with one of them with a simple question: "Let's do a test. One question: Which countries build walls to keep people in, and which countries struggle to keep undesirables out?"

But-but-but...

[Jimbuna]

It doesn't come as a suprise as you see in more European Countries that the Liberal, labour and Conservative parties are sitting in their ivory towers bickering amongst eachother ignoring problems that's stirring the social climate

The UK currently being a prime example.

[em2nought]

Back at the height of the Cold War my circle of friends contained several young Communist wannabes. My late friend Rocky ended an argument with one of them with a simple question: "Let's do a test. One question: Which countries build walls to keep people in, and which countries struggle to keep undesirables out?"

But-but-but...


Trump should be selling the wall as a way to keep the affluent from fleeing if this crop of democrats ever take power. :03:

[Skybird]

Some specialised African-international think tank focussing on Africa 6-8 weeks ago released the results of poll they had worked on for the past three years, quizzing several tens of thousands of African people in all African countries and all regions of the continet. They found that around one third of them all want to leave Africa and move northwards. Amongst the group of young males up to - I forgot the exact data - either mid twenty or end of their twenties, the rate was even higher, around 50%.

Say welcome, Europe! Be a good host and become Africa yourself.




People go crazy about carbon footprints now. I note in media reports and on TV more and more they seriously communicate their personal CO2 bilance of a given dee, act or thing they do or did. It starts to remind me of the confession business like at scientology. Well, we have 7.8 billion people on Earth now. They struggle to feed them and to give them shelter, while bio-farming and non-industrial mass agriculture is hopelessly - hopelessly - behind intensive agruclture in effectiveness and harvesting results. By 2050, the globe's population is expected to have exploded fiurther zto then around 11 billion. All emmisisions aving they now so hysterically plan for and babble all time about, by these enomrous gains in populaiton levels will have been not just completely egalized, but reversed: the CO2 emission thing is ste ot raise even if all the plans of today all of a sudden would work out as imagined and emission control schemes would be enforced from today to tomorrow.


Dear mankind, be stupid, fertile and multiply like rabbits. Suffer the self-made consequences. Be in misery, and die. Story told, Earth unmoved, walk on, nothing to see here, next chapter.


The EU is set to collapse form this alone. Its unvoidably, becasue most Ezuropeans do not want to become part of the African misery. And thats why the tolerance for so-called extremist parties will grow, because they promise the idea of destroying the regime that allows all the above to happen. Whether they really do it once they secured power for thenselves, remains to be seen. after all, these new players are as corrupt and selfish and underhanded as are the players currently in control.

[Rockstar]

So, by the headline Spain is a democratic state yet here we see how those in power don't let democracy get in the way of their agenda. Step1: Do not publish opposing concerns or ideas; Step 2: instead dismiss them and; Step 3: induce fear by labeling such things and people as extremists. Now there's democracy in action! Divert attention and blame and let the public squabble argue with each other instead.

[Skybird]

That scheme, Rockstar, is not just a Spanish practice, but the modus operandi of the whole EU nowadays, and politics and media abuse in general. Briefly it gets referred to as "political correctness".


Every action has reaction and the force one inflicts, inevitably returns. The EU will not be the first exception from the rule, it will not successfully evade to learn this profound lesson. Thats why I say the EU'S craving for what it wants to be will become the very reason of why it will all collapse in unrest and conflict: a self-fulfilin g prophecy. Historically grown national and cultural identities (PLURAL, always...!!!) in Europe just cannot be compared to the immigrant nation of USA that mopped the red people off the landscape and else conquered a cultural, national tabula rasa, the historic preconditions for forming modenr Europe and forming the US in absolutley no way compare. Europe is not like one America - it is many different "Little Americas". And the compeition between these, the geograpohical obstacles separating them, were the main drive behind the inovation and creativity of the Europeans raising to econ omic, scientific, and military power that once influenced the whole globe like no other power ever before.

[Rockstar]

Its no different over here, the politics and arguments are like Newtons Cradle.

[August]

So, by the headline Spain is a democratic state yet here we see how those in power don't let democracy get in the way of their agenda. Step1: Do not publish opposing concerns or ideas; Step 2: instead dismiss them and; Step 3: induce fear by labeling such things and people as extremists. Now there's democracy in action! Divert attention and blame and let the public squabble argue with each other instead.


They even found some guy giving a nazi salute to include in the article. He might have been hailing for another round of drinks but that certainly wouldn't help the pravda.

[Nordmann]

The UK currently being a prime example.

Certainly the most prominent at the moment. I still get a kick out of people who think that Labour politicians have working class origins, live in ordinary homes, and take an ordinary wage! In actuality, all three parties are comprised of the rich, with rich backgrounds, rich educations, multiple homes, and wages none of us will see in a lifetime.

They do not give a monkies about ordinary people, so far as they can use them to further their own careers and financial gains. That is why they are so resistant to Brexit, it could impact their bottom line and retirement plans!

[Jimbuna]

Certainly the most prominent at the moment. I still get a kick out of people who think that Labour politicians have working class origins, live in ordinary homes, and take an ordinary wage! In actuality, all three parties are comprised of the rich, with rich backgrounds, rich educations, multiple homes, and wages none of us will see in a lifetime.

They do not give a monkies about ordinary people, so far as they can use them to further their own careers and financial gains. That is why they are so resistant to Brexit, it could impact their bottom line and retirement plans!

Having mixed in their ranks for many a year I tend to agree :yep: