Viral proposal suggests Madrid could become an independent state
A viral project proposes the 'Liberal Kingdom of the Madrilenian Countries,' featuring six regions, three principalities, and the Bernabéu stadium as a unit of measurement.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Madrid as an independent state: a proposal with its own anthem and currency
Could Madrid play the same game as other territories and claim its own statehood? A proposal is circulating with an official name, capital, national holiday, flag, anthem, and even a royal house: the Liberal Kingdom of the Madrilenian Countries (Reino Liberal de los Países Madrileños). This liberal parliamentary monarchy, integrated into the European Union and the eurozone, aims to become the continent's main hub for companies and investment. The Head of State would be Isabel Díaz Ayuso with the title of Queen; the Head of Government would be Florentino Pérez, leading a Madrilenian Liberal Party; and the Ministry of the Interior would be held by Esperanza Aguirre.
The institutional design goes beyond the headline. The territory is organized into six regions —Villa de Madrid, Madrid Norte, Madrid Sur, Madrid Castellano, Levante, and Isla de Madrid— and three principalities with greater autonomy: Sanjenjo, Comillas, and Ademuz. The national holiday would be May 2nd. The underlying argument is a comparison: if other territorial projects can be proposed as political entities, Madrid can too.
Where the idea comes from and what fuels it
The starting point is a mix of comparative grievance and local pride. The recurring thesis is that Madrid sustains much of the system while facing accusations of taking what belongs to others. Some frame it as a paradox: the territories complaining of plunder are, in many cases, net recipients of resources. Others go further, claiming that without its status as capital and its role as the seat of the State, Madrid would be left with very little.
On the opposite side, the most common response is that the community would not survive without the revenue it receives from elsewhere. «You would starve without plundering the rest of the country», summarizes one intervention. The discussion quickly shifts toward the model of regional financing and who pays for what, an issue that is never settled.
The Bernabéu as a unit of measurement and other quirks
The most recognizable part of the matter is the parody. It proposes abandoning the metric system and measuring distances in Bernabéus: the distance from Madrid to any city would be measured in stadiums; an adult's height would be 0.023 Bernabéus. Capacity would be measured in Vinicius's tears and weight in Champions League titles. The Government headquarters would be the Schweppes building. The currency would be the euro, though satirical alternatives exist.
Sport serves as an argument for legitimacy: 15 Champions League titles as an international calling card. The list of assets includes beaches, heritage, gastronomy, and cultural capital. Territorial expansion is also discussed: some would add Burgos and Cantabria to ensure access to the Cantabrian Sea and seafood supplies, while others warn that the Levante region belongs to Valencia and has no intention of integrating.
The clash with the peripheral narrative
The matter evolves into an exchange of reproaches between those defending Madrid's uniqueness and those who consider it an artificial construct. References appear to the Community being a province of Castilla, the convenience of moving the capital to Toledo or León, and Madrid's status as a "nation of nations." There are also those who remind others that a Madrilenian regionalist party once existed but had little impact.
The conversation heats up with allusions to immigration, security in certain areas, and the convenience of expelling or relocating certain groups. That part of the exchange moves into the realm of inflammatory rhetoric and provides no data: they are unsupported claims that should be read as mere bar-room opinions.
What remains of it all
The project has no institutional path or known electoral support. It functions as a mirror: if some can imagine their own State, others replicate the exercise using the same materials. The fundamental question—who finances whom—remains without a consensus. And the anthem, by the way, still has no lyrics.
Could Madrid play the same game as other territories and claim its own statehood? A proposal is circulating with an official name, capital, national holiday, flag, anthem, and even a royal house: the Liberal Kingdom of the Madrilenian Countries (Reino Liberal de los Países Madrileños). This liberal parliamentary monarchy, integrated into the European Union and the eurozone, aims to become the continent's main hub for companies and investment. The Head of State would be Isabel Díaz Ayuso with the title of Queen; the Head of Government would be Florentino Pérez, leading a Madrilenian Liberal Party; and the Ministry of the Interior would be held by Esperanza Aguirre.
The institutional design goes beyond the headline. The territory is organized into six regions —Villa de Madrid, Madrid Norte, Madrid Sur, Madrid Castellano, Levante, and Isla de Madrid— and three principalities with greater autonomy: Sanjenjo, Comillas, and Ademuz. The national holiday would be May 2nd. The underlying argument is a comparison: if other territorial projects can be proposed as political entities, Madrid can too.
Where the idea comes from and what fuels it
The starting point is a mix of comparative grievance and local pride. The recurring thesis is that Madrid sustains much of the system while facing accusations of taking what belongs to others. Some frame it as a paradox: the territories complaining of plunder are, in many cases, net recipients of resources. Others go further, claiming that without its status as capital and its role as the seat of the State, Madrid would be left with very little.
On the opposite side, the most common response is that the community would not survive without the revenue it receives from elsewhere. «You would starve without plundering the rest of the country», summarizes one intervention. The discussion quickly shifts toward the model of regional financing and who pays for what, an issue that is never settled.
The Bernabéu as a unit of measurement and other quirks
The most recognizable part of the matter is the parody. It proposes abandoning the metric system and measuring distances in Bernabéus: the distance from Madrid to any city would be measured in stadiums; an adult's height would be 0.023 Bernabéus. Capacity would be measured in Vinicius's tears and weight in Champions League titles. The Government headquarters would be the Schweppes building. The currency would be the euro, though satirical alternatives exist.
Sport serves as an argument for legitimacy: 15 Champions League titles as an international calling card. The list of assets includes beaches, heritage, gastronomy, and cultural capital. Territorial expansion is also discussed: some would add Burgos and Cantabria to ensure access to the Cantabrian Sea and seafood supplies, while others warn that the Levante region belongs to Valencia and has no intention of integrating.
The clash with the peripheral narrative
The matter evolves into an exchange of reproaches between those defending Madrid's uniqueness and those who consider it an artificial construct. References appear to the Community being a province of Castilla, the convenience of moving the capital to Toledo or León, and Madrid's status as a "nation of nations." There are also those who remind others that a Madrilenian regionalist party once existed but had little impact.
The conversation heats up with allusions to immigration, security in certain areas, and the convenience of expelling or relocating certain groups. That part of the exchange moves into the realm of inflammatory rhetoric and provides no data: they are unsupported claims that should be read as mere bar-room opinions.
What remains of it all
The project has no institutional path or known electoral support. It functions as a mirror: if some can imagine their own State, others replicate the exercise using the same materials. The fundamental question—who finances whom—remains without a consensus. And the anthem, by the way, still has no lyrics.
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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 (100 replies).
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