Be Informed, Be Aware
There was a general debate the other night, between the candidates of the parties with the most representation in the Congreso. The leaders of the PSOE (Socialists), PP (conservatives), Ciudadanos (conservatives), UP (leftist), and Vox (ultra-right nationalists), faced off on stage. All spent more time talking about one or two things they thought would sway undecided voters. UP also spoke about policies they would implement in general, and Vox used the air time to extend their xenophobic, nationalist agenda.
This last candidate spewed much rhetoric and few truths. Just about all the data he used to "prove" his points was false. Yet no one called him out on it. He went on and on about illegal immigrants and that: 1. They were the cause of just about all delinquency. 2. They were the perpetrators of almost all gang rapes. 3. They were the ones who battered their wives. 4. They were costing the state millions in healthcare.
He also condemned the semi-federal state we now have, with regional governments. He kept saying that we can't afford having all the duplicities and paying taxes both to the central government and to the regional governments (if there weren't regional governments, we would still have to pay similar amounts to the central government, so, no dice). He went on to condemn all the regional nationalist parties, most of which don't want independence from Spain, but rather more say and more attention, saying he would outlaw them.
Vox's leader also wants to take on prerogatives that now only belong to the judicial system, saying that the central government needs to arrest everyone who calls for independence in Catalunya. Everything he uttered went either against facts or against the Spanish constitution. The guy scares me.
I have read their policy points on their website. Yesterday I also checked out, for research, what the old Falange Española de las JONS believed in. The Falange (Falange Española de las Juventudes de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista) was founded by José Antonio Primo de Rivera back at the beginning of the 30's, and melded with the Juventudes in 1934. It was, essentially, Franco's political party. The first three points were eerily recognizable.
1. We believe in the supreme reality of Spain. To strengthen it, raise it up and enlarge it, is the most important collective job of all Spaniards. To the completion of this job, all the interests of individuals, groups and classes, should inexorably be committed.
2. Spain is a unity of destiny within the universal. Every conspiracy against this unity is repulsive. Every separatism is a crime we will not forgive. The present consitutution, in that it incites digressions, attacks the unity of destiny of Spain. That is why we wish for its immediate annulment.
3. We have the will of empire. We affirm that the historical plenitude of Spain is Empire. We reclaim for Spain a pre-eminent position in Europe. We shall not suffer neither international isolation nor foreign mediatization. As to the Latin American countries, we shall attempt to unify culture, economic interests, and power. Spain claims its condition as spiritual center of the Hispanic world, as title for its pre-eminence in universal undertakings.
In its manifesto, Vox affirms: "The indissoluble unity of Spain and the atribution of national sovereignty to all the Spanish people, are irrevocable pillars of our living together in liberty." "Spain is called, by its history, by its cultural and economical magnitude, and by its singular geostrategic position, to play a relevant role on the international scene parting from its Latin American and European identities, and its double Atlantic and Mediterranean vocation. Our position in the European Union shall be that of a relevant participant..." "Vox calls all Spaniards who wish for a Spain united in permanent material and moral progress..." I think it's obvious who they copied from.
They scare me. What scares me most is all the ignorant people who will vote for these wolves in sheeps' clothing only because they hear the word "immigrant" and "crime" in the same sentence. Or for the nostalgia these creeps hold out, such as a Spain without crime (there's always been crime, including under Franco, but our rose-colored glasses tend to wipe it out). Or because they've been whipped to a frenzy over the Catalan separatists, which were artificially created in the first place.
Everyone should read what they want. It's on their web page, and it's free. All the political parties now have their manifestos on the web. They don't send them out in the mail anymore. Which is a shame, because few people really want to inform themselves except for the hardcore voters that automatically vote for their favorite parties. The catch phrases win votes now, and then people complain later.
An informed voter is an intelligent citizen. Be informed.
This last candidate spewed much rhetoric and few truths. Just about all the data he used to "prove" his points was false. Yet no one called him out on it. He went on and on about illegal immigrants and that: 1. They were the cause of just about all delinquency. 2. They were the perpetrators of almost all gang rapes. 3. They were the ones who battered their wives. 4. They were costing the state millions in healthcare.
He also condemned the semi-federal state we now have, with regional governments. He kept saying that we can't afford having all the duplicities and paying taxes both to the central government and to the regional governments (if there weren't regional governments, we would still have to pay similar amounts to the central government, so, no dice). He went on to condemn all the regional nationalist parties, most of which don't want independence from Spain, but rather more say and more attention, saying he would outlaw them.
Vox's leader also wants to take on prerogatives that now only belong to the judicial system, saying that the central government needs to arrest everyone who calls for independence in Catalunya. Everything he uttered went either against facts or against the Spanish constitution. The guy scares me.
I have read their policy points on their website. Yesterday I also checked out, for research, what the old Falange Española de las JONS believed in. The Falange (Falange Española de las Juventudes de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista) was founded by José Antonio Primo de Rivera back at the beginning of the 30's, and melded with the Juventudes in 1934. It was, essentially, Franco's political party. The first three points were eerily recognizable.
1. We believe in the supreme reality of Spain. To strengthen it, raise it up and enlarge it, is the most important collective job of all Spaniards. To the completion of this job, all the interests of individuals, groups and classes, should inexorably be committed.
2. Spain is a unity of destiny within the universal. Every conspiracy against this unity is repulsive. Every separatism is a crime we will not forgive. The present consitutution, in that it incites digressions, attacks the unity of destiny of Spain. That is why we wish for its immediate annulment.
3. We have the will of empire. We affirm that the historical plenitude of Spain is Empire. We reclaim for Spain a pre-eminent position in Europe. We shall not suffer neither international isolation nor foreign mediatization. As to the Latin American countries, we shall attempt to unify culture, economic interests, and power. Spain claims its condition as spiritual center of the Hispanic world, as title for its pre-eminence in universal undertakings.
In its manifesto, Vox affirms: "The indissoluble unity of Spain and the atribution of national sovereignty to all the Spanish people, are irrevocable pillars of our living together in liberty." "Spain is called, by its history, by its cultural and economical magnitude, and by its singular geostrategic position, to play a relevant role on the international scene parting from its Latin American and European identities, and its double Atlantic and Mediterranean vocation. Our position in the European Union shall be that of a relevant participant..." "Vox calls all Spaniards who wish for a Spain united in permanent material and moral progress..." I think it's obvious who they copied from.
They scare me. What scares me most is all the ignorant people who will vote for these wolves in sheeps' clothing only because they hear the word "immigrant" and "crime" in the same sentence. Or for the nostalgia these creeps hold out, such as a Spain without crime (there's always been crime, including under Franco, but our rose-colored glasses tend to wipe it out). Or because they've been whipped to a frenzy over the Catalan separatists, which were artificially created in the first place.
Everyone should read what they want. It's on their web page, and it's free. All the political parties now have their manifestos on the web. They don't send them out in the mail anymore. Which is a shame, because few people really want to inform themselves except for the hardcore voters that automatically vote for their favorite parties. The catch phrases win votes now, and then people complain later.
An informed voter is an intelligent citizen. Be informed.
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