El rincón de Víctor
Conservatives and Spain
The use and appropriation of patriotic symbols by the Conservatives in Spain, such as the national anthem or the flag, are a historic tradition in our country and it is the reason why many of these symbols don’t cause a great deal of enthusiasm among many people, including me, because they have a whiff of the reactionary . Back in the sad times of the Spanish Civil War, concepts like el Bando Nacional (the National Side), which intrinsically denied the “Spanish” component to the Republican side, were used by the Conservatives. At the demonstration celebrated last Saturday, the fact that the streets were full of Spanish flags and the National Anthem was played at the end of it (despite the fact that its use was regulated by a decree signed by José María Aznar, former Conservative President, and stipulated that it would only be played at official acts of the Government, The Royal Family, Military ceremonies and sporting events where the National team played) reflects a calculated approach more than a patriotic exacerbated patriotic fervour of the organizers. In this country, the Conservatives try to appropriate these symbols as a tool to reinforce their ideology and ideas, as if these were synonyms of the true Spanish identity. Following their approach, one embraces the group of the true Spaniards, which is an unbearable and malicious vision. At the end, what they accomplish is the radicalization of ¨anti-spanishism¨, either on the part of radicals, nationalist groups or simply through expressions out of context, for example, although in my opinion they were misunderstood, those made by the actor Pepe Rubianes.
La utilización y apropiación de los símbolos patrióticos por parte de la derecha en España, ya sea el himno o la bandera, tiene una gran tradición histórica y es la razón por la que muchos de estos símbolos, no despierten gran entusiasmo entre mucha gente, entre los que me incluyo, por tener un cierto tufillo reaccionario y aparecer normalmente relacionados con determinados planteamientos ideológicos. Ya desde la triste época de la Guerra Civil, se utilizaban conceptos como el mal llamado bando Nacional, que intrínsecamente eliminaba el carácter español al otro bando. En la manifestación del sábado, el hecho de que las calles estuvieran llenas de banderas españolas y que al final de la misma se tocara el himno español, algo por otro lado no permitido según un Decreto Ley firmado en la época de Aznar, mediante el cual queda reservado para los actos oficiales del Gobierno, la Casa Real, actos militares y para acontecimientos deportivos, obedece más a un planteamiento calculado políticamente que a un exacerbado fervor patriótico de los convocantes. La derecha en este país siempre se apropia de los símbolos como vehículo para intentar dar mayor fuerza a sus planteamientos y a sus ideas como si estos fueran sinónimos de la verdadera españolidad. En este silogismo, ellos creen ser España y ser los únicos portadores de la razón. Si sigues sus planteamientos perteneces al grupo de los verdaderos españoles, dentro de una visión insoportablemente maniqueísta. En gran manera lo que consiguen con ello es la radicalización del antiespañolismo bien de corte nacionalista o bien simplemente a través de ciertas expresiones fuera de tono, aunque en mi opinión mal entendidas, como fueron las del actor Pepe Rubianes.
English version
Translated by Victor
Conservatives and Spain
The use and appropriation of patriotic symbols by the Conservatives in Spain, such as the national anthem or the flag, are a historic tradition in our country and it is the reason why many of these symbols don’t cause a great deal of enthusiasm among many people, including me, because they have a whiff of the reactionary . Back in the sad times of the Spanish Civil War, concepts like el Bando Nacional (the National Side), which intrinsically denied the “Spanish” component to the Republican side, were used by the Conservatives. At the demonstration celebrated last Saturday, the fact that the streets were full of Spanish flags and the National Anthem was played at the end of it (despite the fact that its use was regulated by a decree signed by José María Aznar, former Conservative President, and stipulated that it would only be played at official acts of the Government, The Royal Family, Military ceremonies and sporting events where the National team played) reflects a calculated approach more than a patriotic exacerbated patriotic fervour of the organizers. In this country, the Conservatives try to appropriate these symbols as a tool to reinforce their ideology and ideas, as if these were synonyms of the true Spanish identity. Following their approach, one embraces the group of the true Spaniards, which is an unbearable and malicious vision. At the end, what they accomplish is the radicalization of ¨anti-spanishism¨, either on the part of radicals, nationalist groups or simply through expressions out of context, for example, although in my opinion they were misunderstood, those made by the actor Pepe Rubianes.
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