Juan Manuel de Prada: the servile Spanish right
Juan Manuel de Prada calls the right that applauds Trump against Cuba 'sepoy'. The debate over Spain's submission to foreign interests.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The 'sepoy' right: the debate over Spain's submission to foreign interests
In an article published in ABC, Juan Manuel de Prada accused certain sectors of the Spanish right of behaving like 'sepoys' by applauding Donald Trump's rhetoric against Cuba and justifying the sanctions that suffocate the island. The writer recalled that during the Franco era Spain maintained a pragmatic relationship with the Castro regime, based on their shared history, and that today any Spaniard with blood in their veins should be outraged to hear a US president boast that he can do with Cuba 'whatever he damn well pleases'.
The reaction was not long in coming. One school of thought holds that the 1978 democracy has turned all parties into terminals of foreign powers: the PSOE of the Democratic Party and the CIA; the PP of Opus Dei and multiple envelopes; Vox of Israel. Others, however, argue that the criticism of De Prada is brainwashing that simplifies the world into good guys and bad guys, and that Cuba has had more than 120 years to rejoin Spain and has not wanted to. Some even compare the writer's position to that of a 'Kremlin employee', while several forums point out that Franco and Fidel Castro maintained good relations, and that it was the left that broke the bridge.
Who serves whom?
The debate has unearthed old wounds: Spain's dependence on the United States, the loss of sovereignty since 1973 (when the nuclear program was abandoned), and the perception that NATO is an instrument of domination. Some see in the 'sepoy' right the prolongation of an elite that has always looked to the Atlantic; others see in the left a mirage of solidarity with Cuba that actually hides ideological interests. The truth is that no political party seems to defend the interests of the Spanish people, at least according to the participants' reading.
The paradox of Hispanidad
De Prada appeals to Hispanidad as a community of peoples, but his critics point out that this same community was broken by the Cubans themselves, who kicked Spain out. The question hanging in the air is: can Spain defend its interests in a world where its elites are puppets of others? The debate leaves more questions than answers.
Related debates in the forum
In an article published in ABC, Juan Manuel de Prada accused certain sectors of the Spanish right of behaving like 'sepoys' by applauding Donald Trump's rhetoric against Cuba and justifying the sanctions that suffocate the island. The writer recalled that during the Franco era Spain maintained a pragmatic relationship with the Castro regime, based on their shared history, and that today any Spaniard with blood in their veins should be outraged to hear a US president boast that he can do with Cuba 'whatever he damn well pleases'.
The reaction was not long in coming. One school of thought holds that the 1978 democracy has turned all parties into terminals of foreign powers: the PSOE of the Democratic Party and the CIA; the PP of Opus Dei and multiple envelopes; Vox of Israel. Others, however, argue that the criticism of De Prada is brainwashing that simplifies the world into good guys and bad guys, and that Cuba has had more than 120 years to rejoin Spain and has not wanted to. Some even compare the writer's position to that of a 'Kremlin employee', while several forums point out that Franco and Fidel Castro maintained good relations, and that it was the left that broke the bridge.
Who serves whom?
The debate has unearthed old wounds: Spain's dependence on the United States, the loss of sovereignty since 1973 (when the nuclear program was abandoned), and the perception that NATO is an instrument of domination. Some see in the 'sepoy' right the prolongation of an elite that has always looked to the Atlantic; others see in the left a mirage of solidarity with Cuba that actually hides ideological interests. The truth is that no political party seems to defend the interests of the Spanish people, at least according to the participants' reading.
The paradox of Hispanidad
De Prada appeals to Hispanidad as a community of peoples, but his critics point out that this same community was broken by the Cubans themselves, who kicked Spain out. The question hanging in the air is: can Spain defend its interests in a world where its elites are puppets of others? The debate leaves more questions than answers.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (34 replies).
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