“Has our very stability made us complacent?” - Billy Bragg on Spanish politics and Power2010

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“Has our very stability made us complacent?” - Billy Bragg on Spanish politics and Power2010

14.10.2009 // by Guy Aitchison

Musician and political activist Billy Bragg has an excellent article on the Guardian's Comment is Free. He argues that the UK can learn a lot from Spanish politics and urges readers to submit their ideas for change to Power2010.

This is what Billy has to say:

I am touring in Spain, and as well as playing in Madrid, I am lucky enough to have dates in the equally wonderful cities of Bilbao and Barcelona. These are provincial cities, but in many ways capitals in their own right with devolved political power and a great deal of autonomy, even though they are still part of the Spanish nation.
In my view, the political institutions that have evolved in Spain and underpin this strong regional autonomy - a commitment to devolution, a clear written constitution and a well-defined ceremonial role for a popular royal family - are at the heart of what feels like a healthy, secure democracy.

The democracy here has only emerged since the 1970s, growing from a collective sense across the political spectrum that the nation should never be allowed to return to fascism following the death of General Franco.

Of course, Spain is not without problems: the sporadic, though still ongoing, terror in the Basque country highlights emphatically the challenges of devolution, and recent problems with racism at football matches show that there are serious issues that the country needs to address. But the point is, they have the balance and structure within their political institutions to allow them to take on those challenges.

Thankfully in the UK we haven't had to shake off the yolk of fascism as we've constructed our own democracy, but has our very stability made us complacent? I believe it has - and the massive public outrage that the MPs' expense claims have generated, and their quaint notion that "if we pay the money back that will make things right" - are symbolic of this.
Read the article in full
.