First opinion Polls on Galician regional government elections published.

by :-) Fri Jun 03, 2005 11:45

Fraga has launched the campaign of the PPG with the slogan "mais!" and warned of the disastrous consequences of a BNG PSG coalition because they have different ideas on Galicia/Galizia, España and europe.

The BNG have chosen the slogan "pais novo" (new country") and are campaiging against the clientelle political style which Fraga's generation thought to be democratic one could think of De Valera's ireland, and want a more transparent government with emphasis on the dignity of Galicians rather than a submissive cap in hand attitude to the central government.

the PSG have asked that Fraga stop insulting them everyday, and with the slogans "Móvome!" (move me) and "Marea por el cambio" (tide for change) and are calling for increased gender equality, galician women still lag behind thier peninsular counterparts in wages and opportunities and a new approach to the past and future of the spanish nation.

It thus appears, that the grand old man, Don Fraga, whom I have always called "little raspberry" is determined to lead to the very last moment, which means the electoral and democratic defeat of his party and movement.
And strangely enough it is very natural, that this be the way. It has been many years since an older generation of spaniards and catalans were beaten off the streets during the last days of the dictatorship at his orders, or that he re-assured their parents that the dictatorship could house and employ them, he has now come to represent "power" for almost five political generations and garner support and animosity in every one.

It is thus surely
Time for
a new generation.
whom hopefully will pass on quickly, as there is a bit of a "generational backlog", and beyond Galicia we are still waiting for the contemporaries of Ahern, Shroeder and so on to just leave the mess, for they were made in the XX century, their fears and hopes are rooted in concerns and analysis and notions of state, and the relation of local states to business interests and globalisation which ill-fit the world we live in, which is why they offered us such a ridiculous constitution.


http://www.colpisa.com/motor/motor.php?seccion=48&id_noticia=136199&fecha_tema=
http://www.cadenaser.com/articulo.html?d_date=&xref=20050603csrcsrnac_1&type=Tes&anchor=csrcsrpor
http://www.expansion.com/edicion/noticia/0,2458,639398,00.html

by counting Mon Jun 06, 2005 14:46

The PP have played their big card, linking the regional election in their heartland with a "countrywide alliance" mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of people behind a AVT (association of victims of terrorism) demonstration yesterday in Madrid attended by Rajoy and Aznar. Thus they have raised the stakes, the Galician election is not now to be only about the future of Fraga, but also the future credibility of his fellow galician Rajoy as leader of the Spanish opposition.
Thus yesterday saw Zapatero address a rally of the PSG in Vigo, and admit that the democratically expressed opinion of the PP/AVT in their mass demonstration would be respected by the government and "not ignored and insulted" as many large scale demonstrations were under their previous regime and accordingly his office "the palace of the moncloa" have announced a meeting with the AVT on the 21st of June.

Yesterday also an appearance in Galicia from Josep Carod Rovira the leader of the Catalan republican left who attended a rally by the BNG, Josep (whose last illustration here is in the comments to the article "laying the table" with the crown of thorns at jerusalem) speaks galizian, and has made a study of the filology and traditions of the language, which occupies a peculiar position between castillian and portuguese and is well thought of generally in "Gallegan" circles.

Thus the opinion poll published today taken from the 31st of May to the 4th of June indicates-
PP 36 seats. (stable from last friday)
PSG 25 seats (down one from last friday)
BNG 14 seats (up one from last friday)
the percentage are slightly different though, the PP haev reduced support, and though the PSG now would lose a seat they have held their percentage, the BNG have climbed 1.2%
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/especiales/2005/elecciones_gallegas05/tracking.jsp

by + Tue Jun 07, 2005 13:59

"some of my best friends are gay"
Don Manuel Fraga, has apologised to the electorate for having insulted homosexuals in his work as a public representative for almost 50 years. The revealation that Fraga counts gays amongst his pals, (but he thinks its a genetic flaw) comes the same day that Papa Ratzi has condemned gay marriage as "anarchic fakery".
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/inicio/noticia.jsp?CAT=126&TEXTO=100000070934
Oh well, what can i say?

::¿ "some of my friends are gay"?
I'll be honest with ye, honest as the "you're before jesus now", I approve of citizens of the West seeking a civil union with citizens of the third world to facilitate their claims on the wealth of those nations who have exploited their homelands and maintian a global system of economic slavery.
i think getting married to someone who has the same rights as you to healthcare, a job, a house, a pension &c. in a civil office be they boy or girl is an utter waste, and as an organist & member of the guild of organists a move to further marginalise our trade and minimise our income, why these days we're lucky if we get to play a funeral, and I also wholeheartedly approve the seperation of church from state, so if the people who run the state say you can get married whomever you are, so be it, and if the church says you have to marry someone of the opposite sex for it to be a union which is divinely inspired "you're asking a lot" so you are.

Today's update has no opinion polls, and only a reference to Mr Fraga the "ideas man" (who is proud of never having worn a condom). Coz that's what the election is about.

by ipsi Thu Jun 09, 2005 23:11

Their biggest card played, the PP have continued in (depending on your viewpoint) either grass roots mobilisation or trojan horse front managed demogog-geuerrrryyyy.) ;-]
The Spanish forum for the family has convened a demonstration for June 18 just before the galician election, which with the approval ("for a just cause")
of the RC church, the same crew go to the street. The object of contention is gay marriage, and there won't probably be much of "sure one of my pals is...".
The PP have in recent days said that the mobilisation in Madrid against the ZP regime dealing with ETA was the "biggest since the transition". Odd, demonstrations against Iraq, the Water plan, in support of Nunca Mais, in support of "national" issues in both the basque and catalonia and most of all the response to M11 numbered more.
But that's all before... you reflect on who they are. You see, olé! they are learning about democracy in the XXI century, they are in way growing up. They went to the street and opposed peacefully without threat of coercion the legitimate democratically elected and sustained government. And that government admitted to the world they were there, rather than insult them or deny their presence. And those sort of people don't generally do that sort of thing. Well, they're not as creative as us, lack talent, it will take them practise, but they seem to like it now.

On the other side of the campaign-
("for Galicia is not the centre of the world")
Here are photos of a demonstration on a beach in the canarias, just off of Africa, where locals made two clever points, one that they dont want a refinery, and the other that thousands die yearly on their shores in attempted migration. The original idea of putting a black bin liner on your head and dancing up and down of course occured in response to the sinking of the Prestige in deep water rather than pursuing any expert advice to the contrary at that time.
http://canarias.indymedia.org/newswire/display/11804

June 6 2005 Tenerife

by % Fri Jun 10, 2005 12:00

Especially when you can't point at any family and say "oh well if both those parents had been hetrosexual the kids would have got their leaving certificate".
Accordingly the parties are getting traditionally political in Galicia, and promising things. Thats the sort of politics people like, they want a politician knocking on the door and promising them things, not talking about bedroom antics.
The promises:-
The nationalists will let you go to court if you're a patient who has been waiting for treatment more than 60 days. (can I have a false hip judger?)
The Socialists will give 300euros to every family with a computer. (I kid you not.)
the PP will create 900 new doctors, hetrosexual doctors, who've never used condoms, complete with rosary beads.

the daily poll:
PP 42.2% 35 seats lowest yet.
PSg 31.2% 25 seats lowest yet.
BNG 22.4% 15 seats highest yet.

by i mac d - "you give the fash some space & see what it does" Mon Jun 13, 2005 13:27

Last Friday the PP hired coaches and bused almost 80,000 (according to council) of their faithful supporters recently turned flying pickets into the town of Salamanca. Or it was 30,000 according to the government.
They concentrated to protest the decision by the ZP government to return 12 train carriages of files predating and dating from the spanish civil war which were brought by the franco-ists from the Generalitat of Catalonia in july of 1939 to a "national war archive" in Salamanca. That decision by the ZP government merely upheld a decision made by the Gonzales government before Aznar which was all the years ago, left unfulfilled.
They have since the 2004 supreme court decision was made, erected wire fences on all streets surrounding the archive building, and the local council a hotbed of PP radicals has refused to let a single "paper" out of the building or into "catalan hands". The archive has become a trophy of war, the records of the past have become a token of hatred and prejudice which ought form no part in a democracy.
This demonstration is worthy of comment, because numerous banners and posters were seen on national tv calling for the death of Josep Carod Rovira the leader of ERC the catalan republic left party which is a party to the government of Catalonia and calls for greater independence. You will remember he recently visited Galicia for he speaks gallegan.
This is not democratic, mature, or civilised behaviour. It is particularly shameful considering the recent accusations and near nonsensical paranoid assertions by PP grass-root members leaded unto the street by high level representations. Accusations that eta were responsible for M11, that a cabal of intellectuals is operating from the mountains to destroy the family and christianity, wealth and privelage and most ridiculous of all, by Manuel Fraga himself, that terrorism will come to Galicia if the PP do not rule there. Ironically an assertion made the same day eta fired a grenade launcher at madrid's airport.

The current director general of the CNI spanish intelligence services last week confirmed that M11 could have been averted if the then government had paid attention to warnings on activity by islamic fundamentalist terrorists in the state.
Thereafter the spokeswoman of the victims of M11, Pilar Manjon confirmed she had had to move from her home in Madrid, due to rightwing death threats, she has consistently been a target of hatred from those ho in her words "would prefer her son was killed by others".

Nowithstanding, galician, basque and catalan languages took a step forward to international recognition today, and their use will be allowed as "spanish co-official" languages in the institutions of the EU.

Local coverage has focussed on searching for the "youth vote" for they have been noticably absent from party events, some offer the opinion, that they are "frightened" of the PP, having witnessed all their lives the clientelle politics which sends on polling day cars and couches to gather the eldest voters, pays supermarket cheques and intimidates the opposition with threats of reduced investment. Stories that would not seem amiss in the days of CJ Haughey's government.

the opinion poll results today :-
PP 42.7% 34 seats
PSg 31.3% 25 seats
BNG 21.4% 16 seats

by iosaf - "he is kept alive by the power, take it away and he will turn to dust" Mon Jun 13, 2005 21:43

as ye know, coz I tell u, there are 4 historical gallecs.
The first was Villaroel who fought the bourbons alongside Casnovas to defend Catalonia an affair which ended sadly for Barcelona on the 11th of september 1714.
The second was Francisco Franco a fascist dictator.
the third was Manuel Fraga a man who extended his life expectancy considerably by being minister to the second famous gallec, and founding the political party which is led by the fourth gallec Mariano Rajoy, who lost an election in Spain in 2004, which merely confirmed his lower ratings in the opinion polls published one full week before, though a little bit more spectacuarly at the time, as an exceptionally large turn-out at that election followed the confirmation that the government of Aznar & Acebes had lied to the people on the important question of terrorism.
= "They experimented with terrorism" & they lost.

Today Gallec no.4 Mr Rajoy, has said that it is Zapatero who must apologise to the people of España for tricking them (like an intellectual) over the return of the civil war archives from Salamanca to the national archive of Catalonia. He was speaking on behalf of all those people who turned up in Salamanca amidst the Galician election in response to the demand by the President of the Generalitat this afternoon that the PP and those who led a public demonstration in which were quite clearly seen banners and posters calling for the death of a democratically elected politician.

He also used his media time today, to insist that the J18 demonstration by the "spanish forum for the family" (supported by the RC bishops) shall not be against homosexuals, but rather "for the family" yet one feels instinctively that the same "rent-a-crowd", "bus-a-mob", will turn up under the first slogan "against homosexual marriage".

Is it too much to imagine that the day before the election which shall finally - once and for all - decide whether or not Don Manuel Fraga shall be president of the Galician Xunta, that there will appear posters and banners inciting hatred to a social minority? That is to say, will the organisers of this event ensure that the law is not broken, merely by copying established practise on public demonstrations in the Spanish state from Barcelona to Donasti?

Never once was there a poster "Death to Aznar"
And before there could be a banner "death to Franco" [gallec no.2] Manuel Fraga declared "the street is mine" & sent the full terror of the Guardia Civil to beat a generation.

"The street is only yours if you obey the code".

by gurggle Fri Jun 17, 2005 14:33

offering to fly voters to Galicia on a specially chartered boeing 747 jet this week if they promised to vote PP.

Wow. "join the fascists and see the world"

anyway here are the votes from all the last elections which Fraga won.

year population turnout abstention
_____________________________________
2001______2,567,292___ 60.13%____39.87%
1997______2,565,369___62.52%____37.48%
1993______2,295,538___64.13%____35.87%
1989______2,236,328___59.53%____40.47%
1985______2,168,144___58.60%____41.40%
1981______2,174,234___46.22%____53.78%

*the population of Galicia now stands at roughly 3 million citizens some with souls and candles lit, and some with dirty black heathenesque habits (we call those nuns).

**a Boeing 747 can carry upto 550 voters.

by Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos - @ the table Sun Jun 19, 2005 18:02

But more gallicians have so far voted than at any other election in history. 18.5% of the electorate which is approximately 2.3million strong had cast their vote by 12h00.
In an interesting reflection of the world in which galicia finds itself, the third most populous "constituency" are the people of Beunos Aires in Argentina, a development which reflects immigration "to" rather than "from" the region.
The background to the election campaign well suited its titanesque clash of political styles, ideologies and directions. And much of Europe is keenly interested in the result, coverage which was not short of puns, being read in Swiss german today and French.
http://www.swissinfo.org/sde/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5882063&cKey=1119172870000
http://www.swissinfo.org/sde/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5882063&cKey=1119185470000
http://libe.com/page.php?Article=305031
For the man at the centre of the campaign, the octogenerian former fascist minister Don Manuel Fraga is historical. He has made history. If he as permitted by his electorate to make history with a fifth absolute majority it will seem paltry in comparison to all the other water long gone under the bridges.
But as a brief recap- the campaign saw the idea of España debated, of Europe, of the state's and RC church's role in morality and the family and public affairs, and of terrorism & too of the rules of engagement which as remarked above ought be observed from Donasti to Madrid.
It is thus not irrelevant to bring the readers' attention to the second ceasefire announced by the basque group ETA. The first was the cessation of armed actions in Catalonia declared in 2004, the latest came yesterday in Donasti, the basque country and is for all elected politicians of the spanish state. They are no longer it seems to live with the threat of death hanging over them, as many so long did, of the PP, of the PSOE, and of all the basque parties. Naturally such a strategically propaganda motivated truce has met with derision in spain, "its all or nothing".
But one might reflect that in this election campaign, civilisation is moving forward...
The leadership of the rightwing from cardinal to secretary general of the PP could walk without bodyguards down the street yesterday, and did so without calling for the death of a catalan.
I doubt we can credit Fraga with this, but he did a lot of groundwork in creating the modern state of Spain, but that state has gone on as the nations that make it modernising and shaping its welcomed influence by others (such as Ireland) on the world stage.

Will his egotism, his refusal to pass over the reins of government to a new galician generation win out yet?

I wonder.

There will naturally be a "how Galicians voted and not voted" article in a few hours.

In the end it wasn't the gay boys and lesbian mums or church of rome that got the propaganda in at the last moment, for this is about much more than just Gallecs.

by io Sun Jun 19, 2005 22:46

& from the Xunta here-
http://www.eleccions2005.com/do/res/es/20001.html

The majority of voters did not vote for the PP, who have lost their overall majority to the pacted parties PSOE-g
and BNG. The ruling spanish socialist party and the local galiza nationalist party.

the PP are claiming a victory. Coz they've never really learnt how to lose. Thus we will not expect them to examine their approach to politics in the era of populism, nor to question the suitablity for leadership of what ought be the credible party of democratic opposition in Spain, Mariano Rajoy and finally give Angel Acebes the reins.
All eyes will now be on the threat of civil war in Galicia and of course the great old man himself, Don Manuel brought his party from the beginning to the end, not out of selfishness, not out of the blind arrogance that comes with powerful old age, that egotistical belief that no-one else is capable of ruling, and "that it wall go to the dogs with me", for he knows as well as anyone, that if that is the case, then it is going to the dogs already.

And that is the lesson for all octogenerian politicians.

They are not the only ones capable of leading or governing, and the more they maintain they are, the more they sully their own legacy, for some day they must push up the dasies, rest in peace, and if they didn't let others learn how to rule, they'll just make a bollox of it, and the rojos will take down the candles off the altars.

In truth, only dictator types go in for politics after 70 years of age. That is often because they come to power as mad dogs, who can't handle the notion of not being "top dog", and then enter the fear of retribution as their victims' children eye their enfeebled regimes, let us think of Pinochet. Fraga was not a dictator, he was one of the retainers of a dictator who in his day went gaga, became enfeebled and would have fallen as low as Pinochet if it had not been for the retainers.
So now is the moment, for the "retainers" of Fraga to ponder properly what is that they have done?