The Sunday Papers. "we are all galicians" edition.

by :-) Sun Jun 19, 2005 21:21

the PP have 38 seats the PSOE have 24 and BNG 13
participation was at 67.2% And the spanish speaking world is saying different things. Oh its so so close, and tight, and sweaty...
Only one hour after the end polling, some say Fraga has won, others say he has less votes. Just wait.
Eat a caramel, take life easy. Its not all over till the last wee vote is counted.

by io Sun Jun 19, 2005 21:28

with 55% of the votes counted...
that "one seat"
that "cathair amhain" changes sides.
for background to the Galician electoral campaign 2005 see:-
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70085

Bom Niote o gallegos y gallegas y gallecs da irlanda!
xurrís y bikiños.

there's a bit of paranoia (¿?) in galiza indymedia land:-
they've been at the soft maths.

its not over till every last wee vote is counted.

by :-) Sun Jun 19, 2005 22:01

with 90% of the votes counted we see that in Coruña and Pontevedra the PSOE/BNG alliance have majority, but in the other 2 provinces Lugo and Ourense the PP have a majority.
We could get soft geographical and note that the two provinces where the PP have kept their overall majority have less coastline. Indeed Ourense has no coast line.

We could get soft international-political and suggest a partitition of Galicia on west / east lines reflecting the ethnic social and cultural prejudices of the majority of the parishes.
Those bordering the Atlantic being poluted by nationalism and communism might forge a relationship with Portugal, whereas those of the east who seek to maintain the union with Spain might seek funding from Brussels for more bull rings. Of course this will mean fighting in the streets, and the ominous spectre of terror stalks the corridors of the Xunta, as civil servants and long term tender contract businessmen wonder what the future might hold for them. The gallician woman however is a practical type, and equally at home sewing sequins on a torrero's constume as darning a communion dress, and will no doubt content herself to earn the same as men for this work, some day, eventually, when the time is right.

the four provinces of Galicia.

by Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos Mon Jun 20, 2005 13:24

PP 704.202 votes 44,9% 37seats
PSdeG-PSOE 509.340votes 32,5% 25seats BNG 307.249votes 19,6% 13seats

Cathair amhain, = cá bfhuil an ceann chomhairle?

& so as you'd expect Mr Fraga will not say he's lost till the last non-resident votes are counted, for a lot of galicians are not as galician anymore, yet still voted and well the Xunta workers didn't count their little wee migrant votes in those hectic two hours last night.

= So it's on a thread Messrs Clotho, Lachesis & Atropos?

;You could say that, its all on threads in a way.

by :-) Wed Jun 22, 2005 13:45

There are 305017 non-resident galicians with a vote- Ireland has less than a 1000.
The largest diasporia communities are -
uk 10,606 germany 14,254 france 16,760
brazil 25,208 uruguay 27566 venezuala 30,342
switzerland 32,971 and of course
argentina with 100,862.

The constituencyof Pontevedra thus is awating its postmen and postwomen (slightly cheaper) to bring them the votes of Galicians from afar, to complete "The TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY".

And as they arrive, there are little arguments over who should guard them. The "policia nacional" were sharing the task with the "Guardia Civil" till yesterday, but now it seems the Guardia Civil feel "transition to democracy in Galicia" is their responsibility and so they're taking over.

& it really is quite curious seeing how peope do the soft math on estimating how people in those places might have voted as the postal sacks come in from those "heavy voter places above" and also these- rep dominican 1105 (where the guardia civil are as well) ,australia 1181 ,chile 1306
,canada 1504 ,panama 1660 ,belgium 226
,andorra 2542 ,holland 2682 ,portugal 2792
,cuba 7350 ,mexico 7987 ,USA 9113.

Let me allay all the fears of galicians in Eire.
"The Don has lost his absolute majority".
But as I remarked to a galician friend (who was near distraught with disappointment) "a political obituary was never going to be written so easily".

And note that Ireland has no non-resident voting rights, as some say "it isn't fair that a galician in beunos aires for 40 years can vote for him!" or others say, "well if we can get a guardia civil into the room at 3am to eat all the venezualan and andorran votes the PP have it".

by golly gosh who would have imagined in 50 years? Thu Jun 23, 2005 16:45

Its the votes from Venezuala.
Well you see they were cast, but the sacks haven't arrived. Now, "I don't want to seem suspicious" BUT...
"somethings not right" says he.
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/inicio/noticia.jsp?CAT=126&TEXTO=100000072004

(if you find a sack on the beach out west in Ireland whilst walking your dog or taking the family for a paddle, please, please, don't just take it home thinking its your lucky lifelong find of raw cocaine base, it might be the Venezualan votes. DO NOT TAMPER with this votes, just re-address them & send them to) -

Xunta de Galicia
Pontevedra
España.

Meanwhile, for those people who take a keen interest in how diasporia votes can make all the difference in a hung election, the transition to democracy will be achieved using the "hondt mechanism", also by comparing % shares of party votes, and of attendance relative to diasporic share. This moves "soft maths" to "hard statistics", and you'd have to be a modern day hypatia to really understand it.

by %-) Sat Jun 25, 2005 16:59

a third of diasporia galicians in Venezuala (3rd largest overseas constituency) did not receive their voting envelope, the shocking disenfranchisement has come to light with only two days to go till "the last wee vote is counted".
Accordingly the Spanish Senate has made the first move in new legislation aimed at ensuring the continued legitimacy and legality of the diasporia vote.
You can't have a situation where voters of only one party are driven in taxis to the booth on polling day, and thousands of migrants who left thirty years ago don't get their envelope. OH NO.
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/inicio/noticia.jsp?CAT=126&TEXTO=100000072114

by )-% Sun Jun 26, 2005 15:28

all the political parties of Galicia have agreed that they are unhappy with the diasporia voting, and have found instances of "irregularity", such as "migrants didn't vote", or "migrants voted for the other party", or "migrants didn't live where they had told their mammy they were living" and stuff like that.
(I demand my right to vote in the constituency of my birth in Irish and European elections as a reciprocal right not to be extended beyond the EU)
coz it really makes things look as silly as they are.
Thus my last comment before "The Last Wee Vote is Counted" is a re-direction to a cartoon in today's La Vanguardia the middle of the road broadsheet of Barcelona. It shows "the creche of gallicians in Beunos Aires" where three little diasporic gallician urchins are discussing the future. The one of the left says "when Im grown up I'm going to present myself for election on the PP lists because they support the unity of españa" and the second urchin replies "Well, I'm going with the PSOE their federal model is more balanced and pluralist" and the third little urchin a girl says "if ye two present yourselves i'm not voting". We are all Galicians.

http://www.lavanguardia.es/web/public/20020213/humor2691945-1.html

by newspaper critic Sun Jun 26, 2005 20:59

..... we'd all be better off if an t-(u)asal iosaf mac diarmada would open up a blog site of his own instead of clogging up indymedia.ie with abstruse and obscure cyber-monologues of which at least 50% of the content thereof must rank as unintelligible to the ordinary Sean or Maire Citizen of the Free State at whom the site is primarily directed.

by eeekkkk Sun Jun 26, 2005 21:07

and complain about jargon in business pages. This is an open publishing website aimed at whoever the writers who write aim their writing at

by newspaper critic Sun Jun 26, 2005 22:46

Do we really need these kind of vacuous narcissistic solipsistic cyber-monologues cunningly disguised as dialogue (most of the above comments appear to originate form the poster of the article) which should properly be consigned to the BLOGOSPHERE ..... ?

It is a legitimate question ....

by eeekkkk Sun Jun 26, 2005 23:04

He is updating a story with insight - not talking to himself.

by eeekkkkk Sun Jun 26, 2005 23:06

mr. ccccrrriiitttiiiiccc

by knowing you need the sunday papers. Mon Jun 27, 2005 12:41

have been brought to safety in Falmouth after their emergency signal was received by coastal guards at both Valencia island (Ireland) and Falmouth (UK).
The 11 man crew are thought to be safe, after beign rescued in Irish territorial waters by a big fast boat serving the UK, completely contrary to our sovreignity and stuff, and as of yet there is no indication as to how they voted.
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/inicio/noticia.jsp?CAT=126&TEXTO=100000072196

Meanwhile back on the Gallician mainland the last wee votes of the gallician diasporia are being counted as I write, and so far 2,470 votes have been declared _null and void_ because they didn't have a dated stamp.

by sunday papers author Mon Jun 27, 2005 12:54

if i go set up my own blog all on my own-i-o, you lose 60% of your other press data, and most of your Eu coverage and almost all of your translations, and a good load of your links to european social assembly campaigns. mr and mrs free state would be left with "USA news" and bit of ignorant complaint about the brits.

"just like the newspapers you get on the street".

So this is the little corner of the newswire I sort of pissed on (by putting my real name to) to publish my ruminations on what has happened the previous week & what will happen the following week, in a satircal and humorous and occasionally cryptic way. Humour me or just be a wee island readership.

Or else I'll go on strike! (again) Now whether you like it or not, you're a gallician, & you're a zapatista. And balancing the two is a mystery indeed, but allows you to organise effective grass roots campaigns with international cyber solidarity and get on with the neighbours so they lend you their lifeboats coz your navy is as impressive as bolivia's.
(this weeks sunday papers shall be looking at geneology - the children of "meritocrats" who are being set up for power, and also at the newly enlarged rights campaigns of LGBT groups in the EU which has pushed the envelope further than many of their traditional supporters on the left had been prepared for.)
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70462
and the June theme copy was "compare & contrast" the image of third world poverty in Africa and the Americas.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70137

:-)

by redjade Mon Jun 27, 2005 13:05

'and most of your Eu coverage and almost all of your translations, and a good load of your links to european social assembly campaigns. mr and mrs free state would be left with "USA news" and bit of ignorant complaint about the brits.'

Very very true - I know its a bit hard to read Iosaf bloggings, but once you get into the rhythm of it its not so hard really.

Not only does he provide news - but something better still.... context.

In this Holographic McLuhan Multiverse we all live in - context is content.

by i Mon Jun 27, 2005 13:55

Dear formerly middle class,
Well you have touched on a widespread concern there, rest assured you are not alone in your plight, there are many others just like you, have you tried talking to a trusted loved one?
I think after carefully considering your letter, that you real worry is "how can you be middle class again". Well these type of worries hit us all at some stage, and rest assured you are not alone, there are many others just like you.
Thank you for writing to the Sunday Papers. We will you have noted withhold your personal details, and they are now safely in the same filing cabinet in the office that holds the ...

by being more a zapatista than a galician Mon Jun 27, 2005 21:54

Over a week ago, the galicians went to vote. & since then many have gone to work, calming down from the hustings going out to fish the celtic sea and fiddle with the hems on the communion dresses as usual making last minute preparation for "roman gladiator carnival week" in compostella which today saw people dress up and pretend to bloodily murder each other for fun.

& the world beyond held its breath.

Would Manuel Fraga the oldest european politician be re-elected? Or would history by changed. Would galician poverty be made history? Would galician women get the equal wage? Would democracy indeed come to the tiny celtic fringe of Europe.
And the day by day we saw the hopes turn to frustration as the near 305,000 galicians in foreign parts, out there getting on with it, turned out to "be not that interested" but by a quirck the "cathair amhain" "the one seat" which would decide history and grant the absolute majority to either Mr Fraga again, or the coalition of Socialists and Nationalists was reliant on only 100,000 former residents of one of the four wee provinces of Galicia. We saw how arguments occured on the campaign overseas, and how the armed forces guarding the last wee votes was changed.

118,746 oversea votes were cast.
Only 35,562 oversea votes passed by former residents of the "on a thread" Pontevedra arrived.

And they have been counted.
BUT IT DOESNT END HERE.

No, for there will be now a "recount" of the last wee votes from the diasporia, as one batch of votes arrived a day late but seemingly can be proved to have been in an airport in South America under guard and beyond tampering, and now as a result of a legal challenge by the PP, this last sack takes its pride of place in history as containing -
"the last wee vote"

Last link to Galiza imc, arguably one of the best run imc groups globally it played a key role in mobilising thousands to clean the beaches, activitely supports local squats, rights groups, a hackclub, a radio station, and translates properly to many languages tying in with Brazil whose imc collective founded it with local acitivists and some Barcelona input. (You have their local post office address in a comment above send 'em a card)
http://galiza.indymedia.org/
(((No matter what happens its Mugabe's fault)))

by an t-uasal mac d. Tue Jun 28, 2005 13:16

How the English Press are reporting it :-

9:23am (UK) The Scotsman (celtic interest)

Franco-Era Politician Unseated as Regional President

Manuel Fraga, the last political survivor of General Francisco Franco’s regime, has lost power in Spain’s Galicia region after an election decided by overseas voters.

The famously outspoken Fraga, 82, had ruled since 1990 and was seeking a fifth straight term as regional president. But Socialists and nationalists won a majority in the Galician legislature and are expected to form a coalition.

The election for the 75-seat legislature was held on June 19, but ended too close to call and came down to a count of ballots cast by Galicians living abroad, mainly in Latin America. One seat in Pontevedra province remained at stake. It ended up going to the Socialists.

Fraga’s Popular Party ultimately won 37 seats, one short of a majority. The Galician branch of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s Socialist party took 25 and the Galician National Bloc won 13. They are expected to form a coalition.

Fraga said he still wanted to stay in politics and act as opposition leader.

Socialist leader Emilio Perez Tourino, who is expected to be sworn in as Galicia’s next president, said voters had given him “a mandate for change and renewal”.

The results dealt yet another setback to the Popular Party, which was seeking a comeback after being voted out of power nationally in general elections in March 2004, losing Spain’s leg of elections to the European Parliament last year and performing poorly in Basque regional elections in April.

Fraga served as Franco’s information minister, and after Spain’s transition to democracy following the death of the dictator in 1975 formed the party that is now called the Popular Party.

He and Franco were both natives of Galicia, a traditionally conservative region.

During the election campaign Fraga drew criticism for his comments on the accuracy of opinion polls.

“If you ask a woman how many men she sleeps with, she does not usually give an absolutely accurate answer,” Fraga said in an interview with the news agency Efe.

During the last legislature his government was also criticised for its allegedly unorganised handling of a huge oil spill off Galicia’s rocky, seafood-rich coast in November 2002

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4751605

****************************************************

sin é.
Now as I said there were 3 really important galicians (or gallecs as we say in catalan)

number 1 was Villaroel a general who defended Barcelona alongside Casanovas against the Bourbons and lost on September 11, 1704.

number 2 was Franco.
number 3 is Fraga.

There is another "number 4" Mariano Rajoy, the leader of the Spanish PP and deputy in the congress for Pontevedra the constituency of the last wee vote, ¿can he credibly go on leading for under his leadership the PP have lost a general election and their heartland fiefdom?

The 5th Gallician is yet to come!
His name is José Blanco, and he is a minister for the PSOE government. He will now share the magical powers that winning the Xunta grant you with Pérez Touriño of the galician socialists and Anxo Quintana of the BNG and [this is the really good bit] "the people".

by + - ora pro nobis = Vota pro nobis Tue Jun 28, 2005 18:29

only one problem.

There are only 2 voters from Coruña registered as living in the mediterranean state of the Holy See.
Thus the Vatican state has won the award for most abusive oversea polling, registering the most anomolies abd irregularities amongst its electorate.
This ought not surprise seasoned observers, the head of state of the tiny (population 1000) state is an ex-nazi, and the statelet itself relies on a diasporia vote to elect its autocrat who reigns (in old galician style) for life or till his head is severed from his body and a stake is put through his ticker and his gob filled with garlic.
(as in garrrrrlick)
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/especiales/2005/elecciones_gallegas05/noticia.jsp?TEXTO=3854289&CAT=39171
http://www.xornal.com/article.php3?sid=20050627130052

All the votes which came from South Africa were declared null and void as the date stamp was illeglible.

last link is to ireland imc, arguably one of the best run indymedia collectives in the world, the group played a pivotal role in the anti-war mobilisations of 2003 when the per-capita protester ratio was highest globally, they're a nice bunch, bit bitchy, very irish though and thus use an obscure language for most of their concerns, but offer comprehensive coverage of Galician affairs in english.
http://www.indymedia.ie

by resolute Sat Jul 23, 2005 22:33

Police carried out a controlled explosion this afternoon at 15h45 (14h45 eire summer time 13h45 GMT) in Compostella de Santiago, Galicia as the newly elected government the "Xunta" agreed their pact which will be institutionalised the 5th of August 2005.

Two men were arrested afterwards, the authorities claiming that such an attack had been expected.

Fascists are most probably responsible.

Though some sources suggest the two detained are related to radical independence elements, this doesn't suggest for a moment they weren't fascists. The promise/threat of Fraga during the election campaign of "a terrorised Galicia" will not be allowed come true, Galicians are not going to hide their contempt for such acts in mock stoicism or unquestioning obeyance, nor with their little eccentricities in clothing change. Accordingly Galicia, one step closer to democracy will see Compostella de Santiago celebrate its saint day on the 25th of the month with the usual display of religious symbolism, secular indifference and tourist onlookers.

"all bombs are fascist"

http://www.informativos.telecinco.es/explosion/santiago/victimas/dn_9047.htm
http://www.24horaslibre.com/internacionales/1122133351.php
http://www.infobae.com/notas/nota.php?Idx=198972&IdxSeccion=100551
http://www.swissinfo.org/ses/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5962364&cKey=1122136514000
http://www.lagaceta.com.ar/vernota.asp?id_nota=121996
http://eltiempo.terra.com.co/inte/europ/noticias/ARTICULO-WEB-_NOTA_INTERIOR-2156856.html
http://actualidad.terra.es/nacional/articulo/santiago_detenidas_relacionadas_independentismo_radical_417132.htm

The Spanish state has seen 7 incidents including explosives in the month of july and one riot deemed "severe" in the basque which saw vehicles including a bus being destroyed.
But this is mostly a case of really fucked up young males pushing the envelope of "anti-social", and not just politics, it starts with telly & if course
our way of life.

the clean-up after Fascist bomb attack in Galicia 23/7/05

by iosaf Mon Jul 25, 2005 13:34

Its one of those quotations in the sunday papers above, and so let us reflect, that as Galicia celebrates its patron saint day, Saint Santiago, for the first time in history of that little land, police and security forces have placed a cordon around the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostella and are refusing entry to the church of the patron on Galician national day to all those carrying backpacks.

With a police presence of 45 agents, bomb sniffing dogs, and a helicopter, the president in functions of the Xunta, Manuel Fraga arrived to take communion and pray for the future. Fraga is tenously linked to the fascist bombings in Galicia on the 23rd of July, because he's a fascist, and he said they would happen. Its that simple. Analysts though point out that fascists would probably not bomb the cathedral especially when its full of fascists even if they're quite a few lefties in there too for cultural reason today. The most worrying moment was during the fireworks display last night, when terrorists could have struck using the noise as cover.

The security forces have advised all pilgrims that they may leave their backpacks and posessions in a little building just aside the cathedral, and that their prayers and way of life will not be altered.

On such a note, the local press have noted that most of the 150,000 pilgrims who have come from all corners of the earth to see the Don Fraga before he finally sleeps the sleep, have not complained about the security measures instead reserving their phlegm for the 12€ price tag a souvenir pilgrim's walking stick is costing.

No-one can pretend that Goethe paid 12€ when he made the pilgrimage to see a younger and more svelt Fraga at the turn of the XVI century. He most probably paid about half a silver real if even that much. Older pilgrims are very angry at the inflation and are blaming the gay people led by Michael Mc Dowell who know nothing about Santiago or Fraga or the importance of religious education.

http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/inicio/noticia.jsp?CAT=39179&TEXTO=3926102
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/inicio/noticia.jsp?CAT=126&TEXTO=3926101
http://www.lavanguardia.es/web/20050725/51189803029.html

by iosaf Thu Aug 10, 2006 06:17

This year's extraordinary forest fires in Galicia have mostly been caused deliberately, & evidence of the use of incendiary devices or "primitive bombs" is emerging from the ashes. We may all consider that a step up from the casual tourist dropping a lit splif or the kids playing with butane. Galicia is one of the most beautiful places left in Europe & yet it has been so sorely castigated by ecological disaster and crises in the last five years that it simply makes you wonder.....

http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/inicio/noticia.jsp?CAT=390...11688

" a look at holidays " http://indymedia.ie/article/77779

by boo Thu Jun 25, 2015 03:48

turn it around
irgendwann fällt jeder mauer