Spain

Spain

• The violence of the Spanish state

  

  Felipe González, ETA and the death squads, by Chris Bambery 

• Coronavirus: a test for Europe

  

  The pandemic is proving to be a test for European solidarity and is adding strain to an already fragile EU, argues Alan McGuire from Madrid

• George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia: books that made me a socialist

  

  Jacqueline Mulhallen selects a triumph of twentieth-century reportage 

• Lockdown reading on revolution: some novels set in times of great upheaval

  

  Lindsey German's pick of novels set in revolutionary times

• A People Betrayed - book review

  

  Paul Preston’s A People Betrayed is a searing and thorough account of how the Spanish state developed with corruption endemic to its functioning, finds Chris Bambery

• Huge numbers join Catalonia's general strike for freedom

  

  Hundreds of thousands marched in Barcelona and around the territory today in defence of democracy and their right to independence, reports Chris Bambery

• Civil liberties in Spain? The clampdown against the Catalan independence movement

  

  The sentences handed out to the Catalan leaders shows the lengths the Spanish state will go to to maintain its control of Catalonia, argues Chris Bambery

• Flawed transition: why the Spanish state is repressing the Catalan independence movement

  

  Chris Bambery explains that Spanish repression of the Catalan independence movement, and the impending trial of its leaders, is rooted in the concessions made to right-wing nationalism in aftermath of Franco’s dictatorship

• Sails and Winds: A Cultural History of Valencia - book review

  

  Michael Eaude’s history of Valencia reveals much about the Spanish state’s hard line against aspirations for independence or simply greater autonomy, argues Chris Bambery

• Ten things they don't tell you about D-Day

  

  As the commemorations of the 75 year anniversary of D-Day take place, Lindsey German reminds us of the truth about the end of the Second World War

• Spanish election: the left win but society polarises

  

  The Socialist Party has won the most seats in Spain's parliament but falls short of a majority amidst gainst made by the far right, writes Chris Bambery

• Far-right terrorists and the meaning of the Battle of Tours

  

  Interpretations of history elaborating and glorifying religious struggle have fed far-right narratives, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

• Europe in turmoil: what to expect in 2019

  

  Chris Bambery explores European political economy and what developments of the last twelve months can lead us to expect about the year ahead

• Dead-End Lives: Drugs and Violence in the City Shadows - book review

  

  A study of poverty and drug addiction in the slums outside Madrid reveals the callous and destructive nature of the neoliberal city, argues Chris Bambery

• Why fascists hate trade unions

  

  Fascists hate unions because they are a vehicle for working class power. The past can inform our fight today, argues Chris Bambery

• Spanish women take to the streets to demand justice for women and an end to male violence

  

  The acquittal in Pamplona is not an isolated case. Women are taking to the streets and demanding justice, reports Steph Pike

• Catalonia kicks off - in images - street revolt meets police attacks

  

  Major revolt is underway after the Spanish state imprisoned a further 5 ex-ministers (total = 9) and issued European Arrest Warrants on 6 others in exile, inc. the ex-President

• Catalan Spring? Resistance fills the streets as ex-President arrested in Germany

  

  Marching on the motorways and confronting police violence, the mass movement has returned with a new defiance, reports Jack Hazeldine

• Not One Step Back: Catalonia rises in protest as 5 ex-ministers imprisoned

  

  Escalating repression by the Spanish state has sparked huge anger and an appetite for militant action, reports Mathew Barton from Tarragona

• What's happening in Catalonia is an assault on democracy

  

  As the wave of repression from the Spanish state continues, Catalonia needs our solidarity now more than ever, argues Chris Bambery

• 'If women stop, the world stops': a view from the mass women’s strike in Spain

  

  After huge strikes and protests in Spain, the message on the ground is to stay in the streets

• We need real solutions, not tickboxing and tokenism

  

  Jeremy Hunt saying that the NHS doesn't need more funding suggests his idea of a solution is more unpaid labour for working class women argues Kevin Ovenden

• Catalonia needs a grassroots mobilisation for the Republic

  

  In the new year, supporters of independence need to build a mass movement in Catalonia and solidarity across Europe

• Catalan independence forces win majority

  

  Pro-independence parties in Catalonia have won the majority of seats in yesterday's election. Jack Hazeldine explains what this means and what the movement should now be doing.

• “Building a Republic from the bottom up”: A view from the Catalan left - interview with Quim Arrufat

  

  Covering the independence struggle in Catalonia from the ground, Jack Hazeldine interviewed a leading figure of what looks to be the fifth party at Thursday’s elections, the anticapitalist CUP

• A country imprisoned: elections offer Catalans a chance to 'free themselves'

  

  Enacting a Republic to break from Spanish state repression is close on the horizon for the movement, and there is evidence that mobilisation can reach new heights, reports Jack Hazeldine from Barcelona

• Why socialists should support Catalonia

  

  The national question has returned to mainland Europe and we have to choose a side, argues Dragan Plavšić   

• Catalonia: resistance lights the path to victory

  

  Saturday’s stunning demonstration was the largest since the referendum, and mass disobedience and community organising lay behind it

• Crisis in Catalonia - live updates

  

  Live updates of the fast-moving situation in Catalonia

• Catalonia: a reading list

  

  As the Catalan crisis grows, Chris Bambery provides a comprehensive reading list to understand more about it's history

• We are the Republic: Catalans back on the streets for freedom

  

  As the Catalan government stand immobilised and imprisoned, the base of the movement has taken the lead with a “week of struggle” and general strike ahead, reports Jack Hazeldine

• A simple question: Catalonia wants independence from Spain

  

  We must understand the relationship of Catalonia to Spain if we want to comprehend its desire for independence

• The EU and Catalonia: A non-epic tale of hypocrisy, hand-wringing, and getting it wrong

  

  EU policy combines un-masterly inactivity with bias towards Madrid and contempt for international law

• Ten arguments around Catalan independence

  

  As the crisis in Catalonia escalates, Chris Bambery takes on some of the arguments being made against Catalan independence.

• Catalonia: a test case for Europe - and the left - weekly briefing

  

  Democracy and the national question are pivotal issues in today’s Europe, argues Lindsey German

• Catalan independence: made in the streets

  

  The victory for the Catalan people in declaring themselves an independent republic has come from working class organisation in the streets argues Jack Hazeldine

• Counterfire Resolution: Solidarity with the Republic of Catalonia

  

  On Friday 27th October the Catalonian parliament declared independence from the Spanish state, following the referendum on October 1st. Our response

• Catalonia: no independence without disobedience

  

  As the Madrid government threatens direct rule in Catalonia, Jack Hazeldine reports on the situation in Barcelona.

• Theresa May's government is busy doing nothing, but we're still suffering - weekly briefing

  

  The ruling party of the ruling class may be in limbo but our side has no time to lose, argues Lindsey German

• Catalonia Waiting

  

  The mass movement can create an independent Catalonia and must be supported across Europe, argues Chris Bambery

• The Spanish state has ensured Catalonia's exit

  

  Further repression will only radicalise the situation in Catalonia further, argues Chris Bambery

• Catalonia: why paper won against rock

  

  A report on the grassroot organising of the referendum for Catalan independence

• Catalonia: a new state is being born

  

  With a new Catalan state emerging, people across Europe can start talking about what sort of Europe we want

• Solidarity with the people of Catalonia

  

  In response to the violent repression of the Catalan independence referendum, Counterfire has put out this resolution

• What is wrong with Spain?

  

  The response of the Spanish state to the independence referendum in Catalonia is the most recent expression of a history of brutality

• Protestors in London show support for Catalan independence referendum

  

  After the crackdown by the Spanish government, demonstrators demand that Catalonia be allowed to decide its own future

• Catalonia: the referendum must go ahead

  

  Attempts to sabotage and prevent the upcoming referendum in Catalonia carry echoes of Spain's Francoist past, argues Chris Bambery

• The Blitz and the Spanish Civil War: ways of remembering the past

  

  How to commemorate the victims of fascism in Britain and Spain is a tricky question, writes Chris Bambery

• Catalonia must have the right to self-determination

  

  What's going on in Catalonia? Chris Bambery investigates

• We are a nation. We decide: Catalonia calling

  

  The aftershocks of Franco's Spain are re-emerging and clashing with 21st-century tensions, notes Chris Bambery 

• Podemos alliance on the verge of power?

  

  Europe is about to be shaken by another political earthquake as Podemos is predicted to become Spain's second party writes Alastair Stephens

• United the left can win in Spain

  

  A left government in Madrid would shake the whole neoliberal structure of the EU

• Podemos blows a wind of change through the Spanish parliament

  

  The first day of the new parliament was one of high drama and low deals, writes Alastair Stephens

• Podemos comeback has broken the Spanish deadlock

  

  The result of the Spanish election is a major breakthrough for the left in Spain and beyond

• And yet it moves: Europe's long crisis

  

  The financial crisis and the subsequent imposition of austerity has led to a deep polarisation of European politics, writes Alastair Stephens

• Marshland: Life, death, redemption

  

  A recently released Spanish thriller casts light on the country’s compromised transition to democracy. Marshland by Alberto Rodríguez is reviewed by Jim Aindow

• Podemos backs Jeremy Corbyn's candidacy for Labour leader

  

  Spanish anti-austerity party Podemos have issue the following statement backing Jeremy Corbyn for Labour leader

• Waiting for the third republic, still!

  

  Sofia Typaladou on the crisis of the Spanish monarchy