Catalan Puts Heat on Spain’s Leftist Coalition Government

Paul Collier March 21, 2024

Catalan’s President, Pere Aragonès, is threatening the coalition that kept leftist PM Pedro Sanchez in power after performing poorly in the recent national election. He told the PM that unless Spain compromises with Catalan on its desire to be the only tax collector in the region, no new legislation will pass the parliament.

Excerpt from www.catalannews.com

… Speaking in Madrid on Wednesday, Pere Aragonès said Pedro Sánchez had committed to talks on financing during the negotiations to be re-elected, when he required the support of Aragonès’ party, pro-independence Esquerra Republicana (ERC).

“He will have to comply with the investiture agreements and negotiate,” Aragonès said, emphasizing that ERC has always said that “new agreements can only be made if previous ones are fulfilled.”

Aragonès said that the negotiations with the Spanish government over funding must be bilateral, between the two executives, excluding regional governments from other Spanish Autonomous Comunities.

Catalan Pushes for “Full Fiscal Sovereignty”

Paul Collier March 20, 2024

Following the passage of legislation that would give Catalan separatists amnesty for their efforts in 2017 to push for independence from Spain, Catalan is considering legislation that would make it the sole collector of taxes in the region. The region would still pay “taxes” to Madrid, but through the governing authority, not through direct taxation by Spain of its citizens.

Excerpt from www.catalannews.com

… The “singular financing” model would give the Catalan government “the key to the safe,” amounting to around €52 billion per year, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Natàlia Mas Chalk, said in a press conference on Tuesday.

The proposal includes plans for financial contributions to the Spanish state and to a new territorial rebalancing fund.

The model is based on “full fiscal sovereignty” and would imply that the government manages and collects taxes including VAT, personal income tax, corporate tax and special taxes, going from managing 9% of tax to 100%.

The government would receive approximately double the €25.6 billion it received in 2021 under the current model.

“We are presenting a paradigm shift to leave behind decades of injustice,” Mas Guix said.

The proposal, which the government says is fully constitutional, foresees Catalonia transferring funds to Spain for services provided, such as Defense or administration of justice, and payment to a “territorial rebalancing” fund for Autonomous Communities with fewer resources.

… “It is a fair, reasonable and essential proposal,” the minister said, preferring not to quantify the amount that would be transferred, in order not to hinder negotiations that she said must be “honest and rigorous.”

Would-Be Bush Assassin and Illegal Immigrant Sentenced

Paul Collier March 20, 2024

Iraqi National Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab was sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempting to smuggle Islamic State allies into the U.S. and form a team to assassinate former President George W. Bush. In light of President Biden’s current Executive orders that have created a de facto open border with Mexico, the news is causing some to wonder just what else has been left in under Biden’s watch.

China Celebrates Its Allegiance to Hamas’ Cause

Paul Collier March 20, 2024

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs envoy, Wang Kejian, joined Hamas’ political head, Ismail Haniyeh to praise the organization and reiterate China’s shared vision with Hamas. He called Hamas “part of the Palestinian national fabric” while echoing Hamas’ talking points, stating their support for “the Palestinian people’s just demands for freedom, independence, and the establishment of the Palestinian state.”

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Excerpt from freebeacon.com

A top Chinese diplomat emphasized China’s relationship with Hamas during the first meeting between a Chinese official and a Hamas leader since the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel…

“The two parties discussed political and field developments related to the situation in the Gaza Strip and ways to stop the war and deliver urgent aid, especially in light of the killing, starvation, massacres, and attempts to create chaos,” Hamas added in the statement.

Haniyeh, meanwhile, expressed his “pride in the close relationship between the friendly Palestinian and Chinese peoples,” while praising the Chinese government for trying to broker a ceasefire and sending humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The Hamas leader also stressed “the need to quickly stop the aggression and massacres” and “achieve the political goals and aspirations of establishing an independent Palestinian state.”

U.S. Looks to Delay Order By Niger Junta to Leave Country

Paul Collier March 19, 2024

The Pentagon has announced it has no plans to withdraw its troops despite an announcement by the Niger Junta that the military agreement between the two countries was now over. Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said, “We want to see our partnership continue if there is a path forward.” The Pentagon also claimed it was seeking “clarification” on the order.

Excerpt from www.al-monitor.com

The Pentagon has not yet issued orders for US troops to withdraw from Niger, officials said Monday, as the Biden administration hopes to negotiate with the country’s leaders in a bid to offset Russia’s military inroads in Africa.

A spokesperson for Niger’s ruling military junta announced on Saturday that it was ending its counterterrorism ties with Washington following a tense meeting with senior US officials led by the State Department’s top diplomat for Africa, Molly Phee.

Germany, France, and Poland Form Anti-Russia Pact

Paul Collier March 19, 2024

The heads of Germany, France, and Poland met in Berlin this week and vowed to stick with Ukraine in the war against Russia to the end, which includes expanding their efforts to buy war resources in the world market for Ukraine’s use against their common enemy.

Germany’s PM Olaf Scholz said, “Our three states are among the greatest political, military and financial supporters of Ukraine’s struggle against the Russian imperialist aggressor. We are closely and unshakably by the side of Ukraine. … Solidarity and common action are essential to defend liberty and peace in Europe. More than ever, our unity is what gives us strength.”

Excerpt from www.wsws.org

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met yesterday in Berlin to declare their united support for escalating war with Russia as NATO-backed Ukrainian forces are collapsing on the front.

The Berlin summit came as the European powers’ bellicose statements threaten to unleash total war between NATO and Russia in Ukraine. Only two weeks ago, at the February 26 Paris summit, Macron said the NATO powers did not rule out sending ground troops to Ukraine to fight Russia. A leaked recording of German officers then confirmed that Berlin is preparing to send long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine for strikes on targets deep inside Russia.

In a press conference yesterday, Scholz, Macron and Tusk said they were united in support of escalation plans. Having confirmed their staggeringly aggressive position, they ended the press conference after less than 20 minutes, taking no questions from journalists.

Canada’s High Court Rules Women No Longer Exist

Paul Collier March 18, 2024

The highest court in the land of Canada just let all the citizens know the government no longer recognizes women at all. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that using the word “woman” to describe a victim in a sexual assault case as a “woman” was “problematic,” because it may “have been unfortunate and engendered confusion.”

Justice Sheilah Martin, a woman herself, wrote the ruling, stating, “While the choice of the trial judge to use the words ‘a woman’ may have been unfortunate and engendered confusion, in context, it is clear the judge was reasoning that it was extremely unlikely that the complainant would be mistaken about the feeling of penile‑vaginal penetration because people generally, even if intoxicated, are not mistaken about that sensation.”

Excerpt from thepostmillennial.com

In a decision delivered on Friday, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the use of the word “woman” to describe the victim in a sexual assault case was “problematic.”

According to the National Post, Justice Sheilah Martin wrote that the use of the word “woman” by a trial judge may “have been unfortunate and engendered confusion.”

The ruling came in the case of R v Kruk, which involved a 2017 charge of sexual assault against then-34-year-old Charles Kruk of British Columbia, Canada.

“Mr. Kruk was charged with one count of sexual assault from an incident at his home in the early hours of May 27, 2017. Earlier that evening, he came upon the heavily intoxicated complainant on the street. The complainant testified that she woke up in Mr. Kruk’s bed with her pants off, Mr. Kruk on top of her, and his penis inside her vagina,” the ruling states of the case.

Spain’s Sanchez Gets Coalition-Preserving Amnesty Bill Passed

Paul Collier March 16, 2024

After failing the first time, Spain’s far left coalition government received a reprieve when parliament finally passed an amnesty bill that satisfies its Catalan separatist allies. The bill passed 178-172 with the center-right and many leftists still protesting the measure.

The next step for the bill is the Senate, which, controlled as it is by the conservative opposition, is likely to kill it, leaving the coalition in as tenuous a position as it was before the bill passed.

100 U.S. Soldiers Depart to Build Port for Hamas

Paul Collier March 13, 2024

100 U.S. Soldiers have departed for Gaza to build a port for the Gazans that is also sure to be used by Hamas. The port is ostensibly being set up as a humanitarian port but military experts have little doubt the port will be used to supply far more than humanitarian aid. The team is expected to arrive within 30 days.

The people who live in Gaza do need humanitarian aid, but getting humanitarian aid to them without aiding the Islamo-fascist group has proven to be difficult in the past, including the recent past. The port seems to be one of the most ineffective ways to provide aid to the victims without also providing aid to the militant faction that controls them.

United Kingdom Halts Trans Kids’ Butcher Clinics

Paul Collier March 13, 2024

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has announced it will no longer allow the chemical castration of children as a method of treating gender dysphoria for kids. The reason for the reversal comes from the NHS’ claims that “gender affirming care” works to lower suicide rates or that it doesn’t have other “unintended” negative side-effects.