The Intensification of Calamities: Catalonia’s Unlikely Cheerleaders
- October 29, 2017
- by
- Matt
Of all forms of war, the ancient Greeks recognized that civil war was the worst and most destructive form of human conflict. This is because civil war shatters the bonds that hold societies together, tearing families, neighborhoods and communities apart, unleashing hatreds, divisions and conflicts that can only be resolved, not through negotiation, compromise...
Despatches from Catalonia
- October 06, 2017
- by
- Matt
Last week I posted a guest post from Barcelona in the lead up to the Catalan Referendum. Today I’m posting the following dispatch from the frontlines of the referendum struggle from a very different perspective, summing up the tumultuous events that have shaken Catalonia in the last few week, by my great friend and...
The Gospel According to Jacob Rees-Mogg
- October 03, 2017
- by
- Matt
And so it came to pass that in the year 2017 there was great confusion in the land of Albion, and much weeping and gnashing of teeth amongst the tribe of Tory following the failure of May’s snap election and the pessimistic voices whispering calumnies in the shadows about her future and abilities. And...
Batons versus Ballots: On the Catalan Referendum
- October 02, 2017
- by
- Matt
The “nationalism of small nations” inevitably draws its emotional power from a sense of victimhood and a history of oppression — whether real or imagined. Watching the confiscations of ballot papers in Catalonia over the last week, I was reminded of the raid carried out by 300 Spanish Army officers on the Barcelona offices of...
Guest Post. The Catalan Referendum: Anubis versus Demos
- October 01, 2017
- by
- Matt
Today is a day without precedent in Spanish and Catalan history. To mark the occasion, I’m posting this very personal take on the unfolding crisis by Tamara Djermanovic, writer, professor of Humanities at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, and a very good friend of mine:
Anubis versus Demos
Out of all the extraordinary measures...
Spain Versus Catalonia
- September 26, 2017
- by
- Matt
Political struggles demand that you take sides, but there are some political confrontations that you just wish weren’t happening. Watching the struggle for Catalan independence unfold over the last seven years, I have certainly not felt like a neutral or indifferent bystander. Indifference is not possible when dealing with a country –...
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