Dawn

Dawn

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Here in Spain, Gerry Adams followed up his meeting with the [secessionist] Basque President by schmoozing with both the [fractionally less secessionist] President of Catalunia and the spokesman of Batasuna. The latter is the Spanish equivalent of Sinn Fein but with one big difference – it is illegal. It’s difficult to see how he felt all this would help sales of his book. Back in the UK today, Mr Adams denied that he’d changed his view of the big bank robbery in Northern Ireland – he still believed the IRA when they said they didn’t do it. Further, he rejected the accusations coming from the Catholic community that the IRA had committed a particularly grisly murder during a pub fight. This just couldn’t be the truth because the IRA had said it wasn’t. It’s interesting to speculate just where the logic of Mr Adam’s stance will eventually take him. Arguing with God [or perhaps the Devil] that he isn’t really dead because the IRA has denied it?

A cartoon in El Mundo summed up the EU referendum ambience – a young woman holding a copy of the Constitution is saying that Sunday will be a day of great emotion for Spain. Yes, says her male companion, thanks to some technical problem most of the bars won’t be able to show the big football match on TV.

As for the referendum itself, I see that I have been less than brave in forecasting a turnout of less than 40%; some are predicting around 20. And this in a country where you’d be hard pushed to find anyone to say anything negative about the EU – an institution wedded, in Spanish minds, to democracy and rapid economic growth. The only [mildly] interesting aspect of the campaign has been the attempts by the government to persuade people to vote but, if they do, not to vote NO as a punishment for its domestic policies. Vamos a ver.

No comments: