In this video, I talk with author and economic analyst John Sneisen following massive clashes in Spain following the Catalonia independence referendum.
90% of Catalans voted for succession from Spain, but the Spanish federal government sent out civil guards to block polling stations and beat people over the head with batons for attempting to vote.
This is the height of statism. Democracy which is already a coercive collective use of force against the minority is of course completely subjective. The state claims you may cast your vote as your voice, but only under the sanction of the all-mighty government. If not by absolute permission, you will be met with force.
This is precisely what the people of Catalonia are facing right now following Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's claim following the referendum that the referendum never happened.
Catalonia also happens to be the biggest economy in Spain and happens to provide a lot of tax revenue for the state. This too could be a very big reason why this referendum has been denied.
However, one should also remember the centralized power structure and how the fewer governments means the more ease of control for the global establishment at the UN and of course at the European Union which has a firm grip on Spain who has seen one banking crisis after another in recent years including the bail-in of Banco Popular.
The people of Catalonia are seeing statism on full display. The control of the establishment, not the demand of the individual. Simply more examples of the need for true voluntaryism.
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As per usual, video was immediately demonetized by YouTube for "hate speech." ;)
Is the police state the "hate speech" part, or the freedom?
Exactly. I think we've had a bit too much to think.
What? Really? Like... why?
Google goofs from the leftist socialist coast
This is all about tax revenue, and the Catalans can really mess up the Spanish gov. if they start a tax revolt!! There's no point in these street clashes as they will fizzle out as people have to get back to work at some point, but a protracted tax revolt spanning several months/years will have very significant political/economic effects.
Police will continue to beat people over the head as long as they continue to believe in government. It's for their own good ....
It shows the State doesn't care about freedom or any sort of social order; they're essentially a bunch of criminals.
Spain was broken up into a variety of principalities going back thousand years, these were more inlined with what the society viewed as self-governance instead of an all powerful Castilian State controlling the whole territory.
I've been actively debating with a Spanish member of Steemit that is saying that the Catalonians are "stealing" his land, as they tried to do in 1936. I think I'm talking to a Franco supporting Nationalist.
The simple principle of freedom seems to be defined differently outside of American culture. To be expected I believe.
Thats interesting, I wonder if secessionist movements in the US would be viewed the same as a "group of people stealing his land".
I think what is or was unique about America, was its radical beginnings and subsequent radical ideas at least expressed through certain individuals. Thoreau's ideas, for example, was integral toward independence movements in the 20th century, the Anti-Federalists during the colonial period, and of course other american individualists responsible for general anti-statism.
Spain was in fact, a Kingdom. Kind of still is. Franco's party was never purged, and that civil war was actual won by the fascists. So talking to someone who considers themselves "small government" and "freedom loving" who believes a secession movement is "treason", just seems to be the Spanish version of a right-wing Republican in America that uses the liberty terminology. Most of them consider The South "traitors" to America.
Instead, the central government in Madrid and the seething northeastern province of Catalonia can each now claim some dubious moral victory, and dispute each other’s boasts of having accomplished what they set out to do.
For Catalans who had hoped to use 1-O (the first of October) to declare independence from Spain, it was a bitter day of elation turned into frustration. Tens of thousands of them were able to cast ballots, but they will never know just what percentage of their neighbors agree with their desire to form a separate country in Europe.
That’s because the National Police, on the orders of the government in Madrid, stormed some balloting places – schools among other locations – smashed windows to gain entry, confiscated ballot boxes, and refused to let other would-be voters in to make their choice known.
Fortunately, there was no reported loss of life, though more than 300 people are said to have been injured – mostly by club-swinging cops and rubber bullets fired by the National Police to disperse pro-independence protesters. A dozen or so police were also reported injured.
In citie
As the former US president Bill Clinton once said: "It is economy, stupid" . As Josh correctly pointed out in his article: "Catalonia also happens to be the biggest economy in Spain and happens to provide a lot of tax revenue for the state". In other words, Catalonia is too rich to be allowed the independence. Further, from the European persepective, Spain is too big to fail. That's why the are no condemning reactions from other countries. The developements in Catalonia are also some kind of surprise, because we kept hearing a lot about Basque Country in the past. In my opinion, Catalonia is just a start. In the future, we will witness the increase of separatist retorics in wealthy reagions of various countries.
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