Friday, October 13, 2017

Catalan Separatist Policies Would Be ‘Insane’, Says Spain’s Economy Minister



Spain's Economy Minister Luis de Guindos has described the policies of the Catalan government as "insane" and says trouble in the region is about left-wing anarchy rather than independence.

De Guindos told CNBC that
no economy could thrive without the rule of law and that the Catalonian government was not acting rationally.

"We have started to see that some very large Catalan corporations are leaving Catalonia," he said. "And this is a very clear indication that the policies implemented by the regional government are insane."

"They are very detrimental to the interest of the Catalan people and the Catalan economy. I think that now this is not so much about independence, this is about radical policies," the minister added.

De Guindos said the political force behind the independence movement has its roots in left-wing anarchism.

"You have to bear in mind that the group who are supporting the regional government and calling the shots are an extremely radical group that has links with the anarchist tradition of Barcelona and Catalunya.

"This goes beyond independence. This is about the system and anti-capitalist policies and I think that the companies are voting with their feet," he said.

I am far from an expert on the secessionist advocates in Catalonia. However, if we look at what the Economy Minister says and couple this with the view of  Daniel Lacalle, a Spanish economist and libertarian who lives in Spain, it is hard to believe that separatism for Catalonia will be a move in the direction of liberty. It appears that it would be the replacement of one oppressive government for one that is even more oppressive.

  -RW

3 comments:

  1. Bluster from a tyrant. I read the CNBC report: he didn't mention anything specific where rump Spain and Catalonians would do anything differently. And of course big biz in bed with government will go to the bigger bed.

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  2. I have been thinking this issue over a bit before commenting again.
    I listened to Jeff Deist's Mises Weekends with Daniel Lacalle a couple of times to understand Lacalle's take as much as I could.
    I came away from this podcast thinking that, even if Lacalle is correct that there is a communist faction behind the secession movement, his reasons that he gave to be against it weren't really all that Libertarian, at least to me.
    He mentions the Spanish constitution and how it was voted in and such. I seem to remember that American Libertarians don't think so much of the U.S. constitution as binding at all just because people before us voted on it, we tend to be more like Spooner, for the most part. Lacalle seemed to be looking to the "social contract".
    He mentioned the "Rule of Law" several times, bringing up the fact that the Spanish courts have ruled secession as illegal, and even mentioned the rule of law as his Libertarian rule #1.
    This I don't get, are Libertarians worried about upholding a State's law?
    I could hear King GeorgeIII or Abraham Lincoln giving much of the same speech against this secession.

    I certainly don't care what some State's economic minister says about it, I am sure the economic policies this man holds are just as insane, at least to the Austrian Economic school. And who is to say that it isn't State pressure on different businesses that are getting them to leave Catalonia.
    And the media is saying it's "left-wing Anarchist" behind the movement now. Since when do we believe the State controlled media?

    Am I to assume there are ZERO Libertarians in Catalonia who are for secession?

    And what are the Libertarian's goals? Is it to give temporary bits of Liberty to the Individual, a high time preference Liberty, so to speak, or is our goal to see the end of the State?
    Sure, I want Liberty NOW, but I am willing to work for it even if I know I will never see it.
    It seems to me that even if the Catalans secede, and a more oppressive State takes over, I can't see it lasting long, and it will hurt the State of Spain, and the EU. How is this not a good thing in the long run?
    Finally though, Daniel McAdams, a friend who I hold in high regard, said to me the other day, "well, what the Catalonians do is really none of our business".

    And he is right.

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    Replies
    1. Indeed, to your last point, Robert supplied a relevant thought a few blog posts ago. Robert noted that one state seceding from another is always good for outsiders, but he questioned whether it's always good for insiders. Since I'm guessing that most of us on this blog are outsiders, why shouldn't we "support" this secession intellectually and let the insiders battle it out themselves on the ground?

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