Spain Votes: One Down, Three To Go
Harold Hark
15 March 2004

One of George W. Bush's three pocket rockets, Jose Maria Aznar, leader of the Popular Party (how unimaginative; but that's the right wing for you) has failed in his attempt to hoodwink Spaniards over who committed the Madrid bombings.

Señor, Señora and Señorita España were forced to think fast in the three days between the terrorist attack and the election, and they did. Moments after the atrocity Aznar and his henchmen shrilly announced it was the work of ETA, even though there was no evidence and almost no one else in the world agreed the Basque separatist movement was up to mounting such an attack.

The ploy was barefaced: convince the mugs ETA was responsible and Aznar would sidestep the fact that 90 per cent of Spaniards detested his cooperation in the illegal invasion of Iraq.

Before the atrocity Aznar (who looks like a half used pencil with a moustache, or a toy driver perched behind the wheel of a toy 4WD/SUV ) was ten points ahead of the Socialists and sure to be re-elected. That he wasn't shows that it requires extreme circumstances to awaken people to what is in their best interests, not only as individuals or family units, but as members of the broader community.

How refreshing that the people of Spain, used to the horrors perpetuated in their name by right wing government/dictatorships--Franco is still fresh in their collective memory--stood up and said, "Basta ya".

Do we dare hope that the people of Australia (hit in Bali), America (9/11) and England (so far so good) can show the same common sense and oust their own Aznars?

Johnny, George and Tony be very afraid. The first domino has fallen.