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Anyone
living in West Belfast is only too well aware of the
groups of young radical Basques who are seen wandering
up and down the Falls Road. However, I suspect that
few, including many Sinn Féin activists and
leaders, have little more than a superficial understanding
of Basque politics and nationalism. This, of course,
shouldn't stop Irish republicans expressing solidarity
with the historic Basque struggle for independence
and socialism. Yet, true and effective international
solidarity requires more than knee-jerk support. If
we really do back the right of Basques to secede from
the Spanish and French states and create a country
of their own, then information, knowledge and understanding
are a prerequisite. Eoin Ó Broin's book provides
just that.
If
understanding is superficial, it is perhaps not surprising.
Almost nothing is written in English about the Basque
Country, its people and their long struggle for independence,
with media coverage limited to sound-bites around
the latest terrorist killing, bomb or anti-ETA demonstration.
Moreover, political sympathisers often make facile
comparisons between Ireland and the Basque Country.
Such coverage and representations merely obfuscate
the complex and specific nature of Basque politics
and history, especially when viewed from a left nationalist
perspective, and the many differences between the
political situations in Ireland and the Basque Country.
The
author has submerged himself in lengthy visits, discussion,
activism and reading in and about the Basque Country.
This immersion in Basque life and his detailed, almost
obsessive, research and clear empathy with all things
Basque, especially its politics and its youth, shines
throughout the book. Ranging widely from the personal,
the historic and through to the specific political
events of recent years, Eoin Ó Broin presents
a highly accessible, readable, extremely well informed
and fluent account of the rich complexity of Basque
politics and life. For this alone the author deserves
huge credit.
Those
who attended the recent launch of the book in Belfast
will know that the introduction to Matxinada (the
Basque word can be loosely translated as rebellion)
is a fine piece of writing by itself, with its almost
seamless flow of the author's personal and moving
reminisces through to the primary focus of the book
itself - "a general historical account of the
development and interplay of Spanish, French and Basque
nationalisms, to give the reader a political context
in which to place contemporary developments."
In
addition, there is a detailed exploration of radical
Basque youth movements and organisations, a key and
refreshing aspect of the Basque independence movement
more generally. We can clearly learn much from the
innovative, challenging and independent politics and
activities of Basque youth, which predated much of
the more publicised anti-capitalist/globalisation
movements in many parts of the world. At a time of
rampant, neo-liberal and global consumerism, and the
suffocating impact it has had on popular politics
and culture, the non-conformist, anti-establishment
and confrontational nature of radical Basque youth
is vital and heartening.
Matxinada
is written from a clear ideological perspective. As
a Sinn Féin councillor, activist and editor
of Left Republican Review in Belfast, the author has
officially represented his party for a number of years
in meetings and conferences with Batasuna (and its
predecessors Euskal Herritarrok and Herri Batasuna),
with the youth organisation Segi (and its predecessors
Jarrai and Haika) and other left nationalist groups
such as the left nationalist trade union LAB. However,
this does not mean that he has written a bland defence
or apology for what many would see as "terrorism".
On the contrary, the author rightly places left nationalist
politics and struggle of the Basque people in its
long historic context and its continuing conflict
with the relentless, and at times murderous, attacks
by the Spanish and French nationalist states. The
nature and consequences of ETA activity are not glossed
over, but contextualised in an informed and proper
manner. Moreover, the seemingly ever-changing nature
of political development within Batasuna is presented
and the use of armed struggle by ETA is discussed.
If
there is one failing of the book it is the absence
of a detailed and critical discussion of the recent
political strategy of Batasuna and the left nationalist
movement more generally. While the author usefully
plots changes in political tactics and the various
crises that Batasuna has faced, he draws back from
a necessary and critical engagement with the strategic
means, approaches and development of Basque left nationalist
politics. Perhaps this is not the book for such discussion,
but the political strategy of left nationalism in
the Basque Country can be viewed as inconsistent,
if not contradictory, at times, disingenuous, overly
dependent on militaristic thinking, dogmatic, naively
optimistic and inward-looking. The following are just
some examples.
•
The political gains achieved in 1998 and 1999 after
the Lizarra-Garazi Declaration and the ETA ceasefire
seem to have been far too readily squandered, whatever
the lack of positive response by the Spanish government,
pointing to a heavy imbalance in the relative weight
given to military and political tactics within the
left nationalist movement.
•
The key political attitude of Batasuna to participation
in Spanish elections changes, apparently with next
to no debate either internally or externally, creating
confusion among its suppport.
•
Geographical political priorities within the Basque
Country seem inconsistent in principle, with most
practical emphasis placed on the Basque Autonomous
Community, leaving Iparralde (the northern part in
the French state) and Navarra of secondary importance.
•
The strategic and stated policy of Batasuna that the
democratic wishes of the majority of the whole of
the Basque electorate would be accepted in a referendum
on independence doesn't seem credible given, as would
seem likely at present, that it would not be won,
nor accepted by left nationalists.
•
The speed at which Batasuna denounces the political
initiatives of the PNV (the conservative nationalist
party which has always been in power in the territorially-limited
Basque parliament) seems short-sighted when the PNV
has clearly moved far from its earlier more accommodating
stance towards the Spanish government. A further example
is the left nationalist movement's recent crude dismissal
of proposals put forward by subcomandante Marcos of
the Zapatistas, having first been welcomed by Batasuna
but then ignominiously dismissed by ETA.
•
Some of the actions of ETA's armed struggle would
seem misconceived, even to some of the most hardline
of supporters.
In
general, a strange and disconcerting lack of coherent
political development and leadership seems to run
through much of Batasuna's politics, an issue which
deserves much wider discussion not just in Matxinada
but within Basque left nationalism itself.
Despite
these criticisms, which perhaps do indeed belong to
another book, I could not recommend Matxinada more
strongly. Even by its own long history the Basque
Country, its people and their struggle for independence
and socialism are presently at a particularly low
ebb, with almost every aspect of Basque life under
direct attack from the Spanish government. These attacks
are far from limited to those within the left nationalist
movement, but range right across Basque society, including
anyone speaking euskera or standing up even in the
mildest of ways for Basque autonomy and cultural rights.
The banning of the political party Batasuna and the
youth organisation Segi, the closing-down of the highly
successful and popular Basque language newspapers
Egunkaria, the use of torture against suspected "terrorists"
such as the editor of Egunkaria, and the introduction
of harsh undemocratic and draconian laws designed
to stop any form of alternative political activity
and public demonstrations contrary to that dictated
by Madrid. These are just some of the actions of the
rabidly right-wing Popular Party government in Madrid
led by José-María Aznar.
It
is almost thirty years since the death of Franco and
the start of the Spanish state's transition from dictatorship
to "democracy". Yet, it is clear that a
reactionary Spanish nationalism is alive and kicking
in Aznar's hands. The Basques deserve all the solidarity
and understanding they can receive. This book helps
that cause immensely.
Matxinada costs £10/€15 and is available
in Sinn Féin bookshops, An Cultúrlann
in Belfast, Connolly Books in Dublin, various other
bookshops in Ireland or directly from Left Republican
Books, which can be contacted at eoinobroin@hotmail.com.
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