For a centralization of the competencies in Spain
On the Spanish Constitution of 1.978, recognizes the right for autonomy for the regions and nationalities of the Spanish nation. But, since them, a number of facts happened. First, the Spanish territory was divided into autonomic regions, every autonomic region with different levels of competencies. In order to fulfill the longing for power of the different regions, and also due to the electoral Spanish system (that rewards to the nationalists parties), the different Spanish Governments had to negotiate with the different autonomic government and yield the concession of competencies to the different autonomies.
This has lead to weird situations. in which some autonomies have their own autonomic police (Basque Country, Catalonia), education, health politics, etc., and the degree of competencies is very diferent. And this has lead to situation on which there are different level of services depending on the autonomy. For instance, the health system of Madrid is famous, and there are people that are coming to Madrid to have some specific surgery, or to access to certain medical services that are better that on the surrounding autonomic regions, or on a shorter timeframe. The same considerations can be done to education, tax system, etc.
Yes, there are some mechanisms that are to guarantee the solidarity and equality between territories. But this is a mere chimera. This is a forum on which the different autonomies are looking for money, to cover their pretensions, not their needs.
It is true that there are more unefficiencies. The number of public workers of the autonomic administrations has increase, and in some cases is duplicating the number of public workers of the central administration on the same territories (1) . But this has not lead to efficiencies, but to a duplication of tasks, paperwork and even it duplicates the number of public helps, this is a dupplication of resources.
And there is even more: in the called in Spain historic autonomies (Galicia, Basque Autonomic Region, Catalonia), the competencies are used not to guarantee the progress of their citizens; the economic resource has been used to differentiate, to look for the independence. Using for this purpose the differentiate education (inventing history that is false, as I said here on previous posts), and subsiding pro-indepentists initiatives.
Thus, the so called in Spain “State of autonomies” has become on a amalgam of power, regional power, favoritisms, and has not been a tool for promoting (or obtaining) the equality on every territory of Spain. There is no equality. Even a key aspect on the European Union has not been guaranteed, for instance because to be a public worker on, let me say, Catalonia, you have to know and speak Catalan, not bein valid the Spanish.
Because this, because there is no way to guarantee equality in Spain, and there is not possible to move or work on every territory of Spain, I humble plead from here for a re-take of the automic competences of the central government in Spain. This is something that has been proposed by some political parties in Spain (I think the new party UPyD do so). And I support this initiative.
(1) The number of public workers on the autonomic regions had increase 29% on the last three years. The poorest autonomic regions are the ones that have a higher number of public workers.
Good article, but I’m sure that you are aware of the fact that many in Catalonia and the Basque Country are looking for independence, and since the Spanish governemnt isn’t willing to give up these financially strong regions. That’s the compromise that has been made. I believe that the Basque Country would be doing better as their own nation.
About the Basque Autonomic Region doing better independently, you can read the next post:
http://fromspain.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/the-costs-of-the-not-spain/
The impact on the GDP is clear.
If you are pointing to the Basque Autonomic Region, Catalonia or Galicia as “financially strong regions”, well, it depends… Where do the “financial” companies has their business? How did they grow? What happens if every regions is independent but not integrated on the European Union? Your argument is rebatible if you consider where is the market, how the companies will operate if they are not in the UE, and what happens to the citizens of these regions if they become independent.