Catalan government offended by article published by The Economist
The Generalitat demands an apology for "insulting report"
Catalan regional government demands apology for an insulting article in the Economist
The Director of Justice for the Catalan regional government, Montserrat Tura, has demanded an apology and rectification from the well known British weekly journal, the Economist, for including a report which according to Tura makes insulting affirmations about the current situation in Catalonia.
When asked about the report in a press conference Tura said that the level of ignorance displayed in the article about Catalonia was worrying. He also said that the article was not only insulting but also defamatory.
The article in question appears in the current issue of the Economist and is called ‘How much is enough?’ – on the cover there are a number of articles displayed on the Spanish economy under the headline ‘The party is over’.
Following the publication of the article Xavier Solano, the Catalan government delegate based in London has sent a letter to the editor of the Economist explaining the bad feeling the article has created and giving a detailed picture of what Catalonia is today and its role in the world.
In the letter Solana also says that it is both unfortunate and unacceptable to call the ex-president of Catalonia a ‘tyrant’ and rejects the concept of ‘nationalist obsession with the Catalan language.
'The Economist' dedicates a large part of the current issue to analyzing the Spanish economy. It concluded that while the autonomous regions that make up Spain today have made contributions to the country as a whole and have helped to solve some problems they have also created others.
Among these problems outlined in the current issue of the Economist is what it calls ‘the tyrannical provincial political boss’. The examples given are Manuel Chaves (the current president of the Andalucian regional government) and the two former regional presidents Jordi Pujol (Catalunia) and Manuel Fraga (Galicia).
The report also analyzed nationalism in Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque Country saying that they are not satisfied with decentralization because they never wanted ‘handouts for everybody but just for themselves’. According to the Economist language has become an obsession for the nationalists which practice ’linguistic dogmatism’.
The article goes on to say that bilingualism is practiced in Catalonia as much under the socialists as under the nationalists. However in practice it says that this means that all classes in primary and secondary school are given in Catalan and Spanish is taught as a foreign language.
Catalan regional government demands apology for an insulting article in the Economist
The Director of Justice for the Catalan regional government, Montserrat Tura, has demanded an apology and rectification from the well known British weekly journal, the Economist, for including a report which according to Tura makes insulting affirmations about the current situation in Catalonia.
When asked about the report in a press conference Tura said that the level of ignorance displayed in the article about Catalonia was worrying. He also said that the article was not only insulting but also defamatory.
The article in question appears in the current issue of the Economist and is called ‘How much is enough?’ – on the cover there are a number of articles displayed on the Spanish economy under the headline ‘The party is over’.
Following the publication of the article Xavier Solano, the Catalan government delegate based in London has sent a letter to the editor of the Economist explaining the bad feeling the article has created and giving a detailed picture of what Catalonia is today and its role in the world.
In the letter Solana also says that it is both unfortunate and unacceptable to call the ex-president of Catalonia a ‘tyrant’ and rejects the concept of ‘nationalist obsession with the Catalan language.
'The Economist' dedicates a large part of the current issue to analyzing the Spanish economy. It concluded that while the autonomous regions that make up Spain today have made contributions to the country as a whole and have helped to solve some problems they have also created others.
Among these problems outlined in the current issue of the Economist is what it calls ‘the tyrannical provincial political boss’. The examples given are Manuel Chaves (the current president of the Andalucian regional government) and the two former regional presidents Jordi Pujol (Catalunia) and Manuel Fraga (Galicia).
The report also analyzed nationalism in Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque Country saying that they are not satisfied with decentralization because they never wanted ‘handouts for everybody but just for themselves’. According to the Economist language has become an obsession for the nationalists which practice ’linguistic dogmatism’.
The article goes on to say that bilingualism is practiced in Catalonia as much under the socialists as under the nationalists. However in practice it says that this means that all classes in primary and secondary school are given in Catalan and Spanish is taught as a foreign language.
11 Comments:
I'm not sure cacique (which was the phrase used) translates to "tyrannical provincial political boss". The oxford concise dictionary translates to
1. (in Latin America or the Spanish-speaking Caribbean) a native chief.
2. (in Spain or Latin America) a local political boss.
3. a gregarious tropical American bird that has black plumage with patches of red or yellow. (lets hope its not this one)
The Spanish dictionary translates to:
1. m. y f. Señor de vasallos en alguna provincia o pueblo de indios.
2. m. y f. Persona que en una colectividad o grupo ejerce un poder abusivo.
3. m. y f. coloq. Persona que en un pueblo o comarca ejerce excesiva influencia en asuntos políticos.
So you can read either 2 or 3 depending on how offended you are. The point of the paragraph however implied more "excess influence"
Of course Catalans wish to speak, read, and write their own language. Those of us who are Catalan speakers and writers have plenty to say about this subject, and the main problem with such articles, such as the one printed in "The Economist," is that there is far too little public attention span--and too little space in the publication--to explain the history and the perfectly valid reasons why Catalano-literates want to use our language as a daily tool.
A point of curiosity: Did "The Economist" publish a similar sort of article about the Scots in these past years?
Furthermore, the article in "The Economist" really is insulting. The author, writing in an English journal, is obviously unaware that the blame that Catalunya is not a nation (the author questions the Catalan claim to nationhood) lies with... England. It was the English who had sworn to defend the Catalan political system in the wake of the oncoming War of Succession, but backed out at the last moment.
In the present-day reality, Catalans pay more taxes than the rest of Spaniards, and receive much less in return. Does anyone not understand the argument for greater autonomy and for goods and services in return for taxes paid?
Catalonians do have the right to speak their own language... Who doubts it? But they should be consequent. Can they trade speaking only their language? Can they force upon others their one-and-only means of communication? Can they afford all the translators to make themselves understood? The greatest Catalonian authors have all of them published in the common Spanish Language. How can they be so narrow-minded? Can't they see?
First, you have automatically disqualified yourself for offering criticism, Anonymous (and by the way, why don't you have the courage to use your name?), because not only do you exhibit ignorance of Catalan culture and history, you call the people "Catalonians." This cultural group are named "Catalans." Can YOU write well in English?
Business has very little to do with any sort of coherent argument. Of course business is not carried out in Catalan--with the exception of business done in Latin America with the Catalan communities--, but then again, do French citizens carry out their business in French? Only with a few other French-speaking people. English is indeed the language of international communication and business, but I don't notice you arguing against the French using their language. Why is this? How about Czech people, Slovaks, Dutch (Netherlands), or Japanese? When did you ever use the Japanese language to buy your Honda or your Toyota? Yet you fail to criticize these cultural and linguistic groups.
The Catalan community simply want our language and political rights to be recognized, with the right to use that language within the boundaries of Catalunya.
What can you still not understand?
The Catalonia community simply want to impose its language and political interest to everybody they can, the Balearic Islands, Andorra, Aragon.
Catalans deceive valenciennes saying that they speak bad catalan and also say that his language is not a true language.
What more want you to understand? Perhaps how they treat other spanish inhabitants that are working there?
Okay, I've had enough trying to reason with you. It has become obvious that you are a Spaniard, not Catalan. You haven't understood a single thing I've written, and your written response in English is barely intelligible. You know what they say: Valencià i home de bé, no pot ser.
Textually: "In the present-day reality, Catalans pay more taxes than the rest of Spaniards (...)"
It's not exact. They're among who pay more taxes, but catalans aren't the number one in the list.
Please read this (spanish):
http://www.diariodemallorca.es/secciones/noticia.jsp?pRef=2008071600_2_376477__Mallorca-Balears-comunidad-paga-menos-recibe-Estado
and this (idem):
http://www.publico.es/dinero/022225/madrid/catalunya/pagan
Franco (general and dictator) repressed Catalonia and its language until he died in 1975. With the democracy, nationalists are doing just the same but in the opposite direction. They increase tension among different spanish regions (not only Catalonia), ask even more and more competences, and are becoming extremely radicals. We can say 'Houston we have a problem', maybe not now, but in the future... I'm pesimist
Finally, the article published by The Economist is not far from reality. And the Catalan government is offended because the truth hurts.
I can imagine that Catalans want their language to be taught in the educational system. But it shouldn't be forced on to people by making it obligatory. Furthermore; how is it possible that Spanish has been made a foreign language within its own country? I think that's simply absurd!
Catalunya is not an independant nation and it will never be. That has been laid down in the Spanish constitution.
El Blanco confirms that the Spanish constitution guarantees the hegemony and the rights of the Spanish (sic.) language. El Blanco must refer to the Castilian language. In any case, El Blanco understands very, very little of the history of his country with this affirmation. It is quite popular these days to take the side of the Palestinian Arabs in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. So, by proxy, does El Blanco wish to outlaw the Arabic language the Palestinians speak, read, and write each day? I rather doubt that.
It seems obvious that El Blanco is a Spaniard himself, so he would be well-served to read an in-depth history of his "nation." The 40-year dictatorship of Franco left the education of Spaniards in quite a state of disarray, and El Blanco's written opinions seems only to prove that point.
It’s only obvious that anonymous is a Catalan nationalist himself, as prove his defensive and short-sighted answers. I do not see why Catalunya should be compared with Palestina of all places, that’s a whole different situation. Catalans are not suppressed or killed for expressing their identity, at least not nowadays. And Catalans and the Spanish government don’t launch missiles at each other. Where’s the comparison?? Oh please… Are you out of arguments or something?
Furthermore, as anonymous can read very clear in what I stated, “I can imagine that Catalans want their language to be taught in the educational system. But it shouldn't be forced on to people by making it obligatory.” That is exactly what Franco did, but then the other way round, isn’t it? Now Catalan is being forced onto people and Spanish/Castellano (which is the same to most people) is being suppressed! So where is the progress since the Franco era? What is the improvement since the Franco era? Isn’t exactly the same thing happening?
All I’m saying is that people should be able to make choices about letting their children being educated in Spanish or Catalan. So that children do not fall behind in school. And shops should not be fined for not speaking Catalan.
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