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Blair puts on brave face over Spain vote
Originally posted by Flinx
Like Saphronia said, this is democracy, the will of the people.
To call them pansies because they reacted in a different way than the US is...well, indicative of small thinking to say the least.....
Originally posted by TheEXone
Regardless of what your political affiliation is, this day can be said to be the day terrorist influenced a democratic election through murder and fear.
If we are going to back down like this from now on, you can bet that everytime there is an election, terrorism will strike.
With our own election comming up in November God help us.
Originally posted by Q
That's the real problem with democracy. It assumes that the majority of the people are smart enough to know what's good for them.
Originally posted by Saphronia
Originally posted by Q
That's the real problem with democracy. It assumes that the majority of the people are smart enough to know what's good for them.
We give government power to make decisions on our behalf and the resources to do it with. If they know more than we do it is because we provide for that knowledge. They are beholden to us so even if we are stupid and whiny--they better listen or get tossed. Besides, any government that doesn't give the people a voice has to be brutal and brutal rule always leads to revolution. By nature human beings are thinkers which means we aren't easy to satisfy. To be effective, government has to provide the people a method to express their views. Humans will always buck against oppression even if it's in their own best interest.
First, politics are very different here from in the U.S. so any comparisons I made would be flawed. For simplicity's sake - the PP is like the Republicans (right of center) and probably can count on about 30% of the population voting for them no matter what they do and no matter who they put up as a candidate. The PSOE is like the Democrats (left of center) and can count on about 30% of the same kind of votes. 10% will vote for various other small parties like the communists, regional parties, and other wierd #. They will vote for their small party in much the same way as the PPers and PSOEers. So that means all of the elections ride on about 30% of the population. These independent or undecided voters can be counted on to vote with their emotions. This is what happened on Sunday. A bunch of people were already pissed off that the PP had sent troops to Iraq despite overwhelming public opposition, but they were willing to ignore it as long as the economy kept chugging along (Spain has enjoyed some of the most prosperous years in the EU recently). Then come the bombs. And then the PP confounds things by bungling the aftermath in the press (it kind of reminded me of EXXON�s handling of the Valdez affair in the days right after that disaster
Valid points. Would the PP have won the election had there been no bombings? Without a doubt.
The bungling of the aftermath was their death knell. The foreign minister was saying it was almost surely ETA within 2 hours of the bombing. Now I don't know a lot about forensic science, but to say that after only 2 hours, you had better have some pretty damning evidence. More likely they had suspicions (or knew) that it was Al Qaeda and wanted to delay that info for 72 hours.
I'm still amazed that if ETA planted the bombs it was good for the PP and if Al Qaeda planted them it was bad. But that's the story.
No way. If they did, they influenced people to *not vote PSOE*, but the hard line anti-terrorist PP.
Originally posted by TheEXone
Regardless of what your political affiliation is, this day can be said to be the day terrorist influenced a democratic election through murder and fear.
Imagine I would dare to say 'USA has now informed Al Qaeda the they must simply use nuclear bombs, and quite calling in the warning, so Bush can win again the election and Al Qaeda could get what they want also'. Unfair, don't you think? Stop hurting with that kind of rubbish.
Originally posted by kricket
Spain has now informed ETA that they must simply use bigger bombs, and quite calling in the warnings, then ETA can get what they want also.
For your information: Spain suffered the civil war between 1936 and 1939. Most of the country industry was leveled, most of their mens, women and childs, forever gone. But sure you may thing sticks and stones could have aided against Hitler. Oh! I see you saying 'No way, Franco and Hitler were partners'. Well, after WW2 USA was Franco's partner against communism as well. Millions lived under the rulement of a dictatorship because USA backed it. That is the American way as far as me concerns.
Spain wouldn't even fight Hitler, so what can one expect? This is the European mindset, subjugate to force, and hope time, or the United States will save you, just like WWII.