Another post on the subject of nationalism/regionalism . . .

I’ve now read the manifesto of the PNG party, which is naturally in Gallego. My impression is it’s a rather Poujadist* group whose intention is to drag the BNG back from the far left, in the general direction of the bourgeoisie. And towards the interests of small and medium-sized businesses in particular. The most interesting fact to emerge is that the party has no representative in Pontevedra. So a real opening for me, once I get my verbal Gallego up to scratch. Or Galego, as I must know call it. The other thing to grab my eye was the use of ‘nation’ and ‘Country’. The former is what the PNG calls Galicia and the latter is what it calls Spain. This encapsulates perfectly the confusion which surrounds this issue. And this is without mentioning the word Terra/Tierra [Land] so beloved in Galicia. I have great difficulty seeing Galicia as a Nation/nation and would prefer to see this term confined to the state. Or Spain, as we call it. And I wonder why everyone can’t use the constitutionally blessed term ‘Community’ as a compromise which at least has the merit of being unambiguous. However, I know I’m urinating against the wind here, even as regards the [moderate] Galicianists. Everyone has to have a nation, even if its definition makes it a pallid reflection of the real thing. I’d hate to be a constitutional lawyer here. Except for the money.

In attacking the selective historical memories of extreme Galician Nationalists, I’ve asked why they conveniently stop at the 13^th[?] century and don’t go back to when Galicia belonged to the kingdom of León. And, at the same time, I’ve asked why the people of said León haven’t joined the trend and demanded the restoration of their extensive 10^th[?] century kingdom. Well, goaded beyond endurance by me, they’ve now risen to the challenge, as this press report amply demonstrates . . . Thousands took part in a demonstration through the streets of León on Saturday, to demand autonomy from the region of Castilla y León. The protest, called by the organisation ‘Ciudadanos del Reino de León,’ – Citizens of the Kingdom of León - was supported by some 20,000 people, according to the organisers, and 6,000, according to the local police. The organisation’s president described their aim as the separate autonomous community of León, with the segregation of three provinces– León, Zamora and Salamanca. ‘The people of León are Spanish,’ he said, ‘and we are not breaking up Spain with our demands …. all we want is equality with other autonomous communities.’ Life imitating bloggism. There’s a first. Mind you, I was clearly pushing at an open door. At least the rebellious Leonese want to stay part of the nation of Spain. So must be labelled Leonists, rather than Nationalists. If you are still with me.

* “Poujadism flourished most vigorously in the last years of the French Fourth Republic. It articulated the economic interests and grievances of shopkeepers and other proprietor-managers of small businesses facing economic and social change.”