Catalonia: Spain Violates Article 2 Of Lisbon Treaty

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-04/nigel-farage-blasts-eu-juncker-over-catalonia-spain-violates-article-2-lisbon-treaty


Nigel Farage Blasts EU, Juncker Over Catalonia: Spain Violates Article 2 Of Lisbon Treaty



by Tyler Durden
[size=10]Oct 4, 2017 10:20 AM[/size]

Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,
Nigel Farage made his best speech ever in the European Parliament.
Farage called the Catalonia crackdown a foretaste of EU political suppression.
Watch and enjoy.

 
Full Transcript:

Quote :

Aside from the really important issue of Brexit, I think European citizens, those that do take any interest in what happens here, will be stunned that Mr Juncker comes here for his one appearance in the Strasbourg session this week and there is absolutely no mention made of the dramatic events that have taken place inside a European Union member state, that is allegedly a modern democracy.
 
One of the reasons that I always wanted Brexit was because I thought the system of law making whereby the Commission has the sole right to initiate legislation was something that would in fact damage, and in the end destroy, any concept of national democracy. And yeah, I’ve called the European Union undemocratic, I’ve called it antidemocratic, but never, ever in my fiercest criticisms here did I think we would see the police of a member state of the union injuring 900 people in an attempt to stop them going out to vote.
 
Whether or not it was legal nationally for people in Catalonia to have a vote, surely people are allowed to express an opinion. We saw women being dragged out of polling stations by their hair, old ladies with gashes in their forehead. The most extraordinary display and what do we get from Mr Juncker today? Not a dickie-bird.
 
In fact previously we had that the rule of law must be maintained and I think it is quite extraordinary to realise that this union is prepared to turn a blind eye. Can you imagine the British police would have roughed up a couple of Scottish National Party protestors or if something happened against a pro-Remain rally you’d all be screaming blue murder, indeed the calls would be that the United Kingdom must go before the European Court of Human Rights and yet with this you don’t even want to talk about it. Knowing as I do, your advance plans, seven of you members states here with your military police, your euro gendarmerie force, all I can say once again is thank god we’re leaving.
 
Brexit was an act of liberation, it was a voice of national self-determination that cannot and will not be stopped, but through this negotiating process I’m afraid from the start you’ve treated us as if we’re some kind of hostage. Unless we pay a ransom, unless we meet all of your demands, all of your demands, then you won’t even have an intelligent conversation with us about trade heading on from here.
 
There are no guarantees that whatever Mrs May says or does that you will ever, even when we’ve met your demands, that you will ever come to us and want to have a sensible trade agreement. And I have to say, that it is sad, in fact it was pitiful, to see the British Prime Minister in Florence. I heard you say that you thought she was being conciliatory, that she’s been grown up, people are happy with what she’s said. Actually Mrs May I’m sad to say isn’t worldly enough to recognise that when you face up to a bully the one thing that you do not do is try to appease them. She’s begging you to give her a transition period and there’s no guarantee that you will do it.
 
So I do actually agree with the criticisms that I’ve heard around the room about the mixed messages coming out from the UK government. I just hope that in Manchester the Conservative Party start to say in public what they’re all saying to me in private, that she’s a waste of space, she needs to go, that we need a proper Prime Minister who says to Monsieur Barnier ‘okay, here’s a deadline. Here’s a date, we work towards that date and if we can’t reach a sensible deal on trade and everything else then we are simply leaving and reverting to WTO rules.’ This charade cannot go on for year after year, after all we voted for Brexit.

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Here is an interesting comment to the YouTube Post by “Fabian”.
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Quote :

If anything Nigel went easy on them, and to all the people who think they’re being smart saying he called for less EU in domestic politics, THIS ISN’T POLITICS. It’s human rights, and by article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty, Spain should be suspended from the EU for breaching article 2, and dispatching a branch of the military against an unarmed civilian population.

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Here are the Lisbon Treaty Articles in play.
Article 2
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Quote :

The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.

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Article 7
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Quote :

1. On a reasoned proposal by one third of the Member States, by the European Parliament or by the European Commission, the Council, acting by a majority of four fifths of its members after obtaining the consent of the European Parliament, may determine that there is a clear risk of a serious breach by a Member State of the values referred to in Article 2. Before making such a determination, the Council shall hear the Member State in question and may address recommendations to it, acting in accordance with the same procedure. The Council shall regularly verify that the grounds on which such a determination was made continue to apply.
 
2. The European Council, acting by unanimity on a proposal by one third of the Member States or by the European Commission and after obtaining the consent of the European Parliament, may determine the existence of a serious and persistent breach by a Member State of the values referred to in Article 2 after inviting the Member State in question to submit its observations.
 
3. Where a determination under paragraph 2 has been made, the Council, acting by a qualified majority, may decide to suspend certain of the rights deriving from the application of the Treaties to the Member State in question, including the voting rights of the representative of the government of that Member State in the Council. In doing so, the Council shall take into account the possible consequences of such a suspension on the rights and obligations of natural and legal persons. The obligations of the Member State in question under the Treaties shall in any case continue to be binding on that State.
 
4. The Council, acting by a qualified majority, may decide subsequently to vary or revoke measures taken under paragraph 3 in response to changes in the situation which led to their being imposed.
 
5. The voting arrangements applying to the European Parliament, the European Council and the Council for the purposes of this Article are laid down in Article 354of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

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Thanks to Nigel Farage for once again exposing the EU’s blatant hypocrisy. Thanks to Fabian for the Lisbon Treaty comments.[/size]

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-04/catalonia-declare-independence-spain-monday

Catalonia To Declare Independence From Spain On Monday




[size=10]by Tyler Durden
Oct 4, 2017 8:45 AM[/size]


Spanish stocks tumbled, with the IBEX index sliding into a 10% correction, following an overnight report that Catalan leader Puigdemont was set to make a statement at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Wednesday, after an all-party committee of the region's parliament meets to agree a date for a plenary session on independence. That concluded moments ago and CUP, the pro-secession party that is a majority in the Catalan parliament, has announced it will declared independence from Spain in plenary session on Monday, El Pais reports.
As reported last night, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont told the BBC that his government would ask the region's parliament to declare independence after tallying votes from last weekend's referendum, which Madrid says was illegal. "This will probably finish once we get all the votes in from abroad at the end of the week and therefore we shall probably act over the weekend or early next week," he said in remarks published on Wednesday.
Puigdemont’s comments came after Spain’s King Felipe VI accused secessionist leaders on Tuesday of shattering democratic principles and dividing Catalan society, as tens of thousands protested against a violent police crackdown on Sunday’s vote. The Catalan leader is due to make a statement at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Wednesday, during which he is expected to announce that Catalonia will formally announce independence on Monday.
Spain has been rocked by the Catalan vote and the Spanish police response to it, which saw batons and rubber bullets used to prevent people voting. Hundreds were injured, in scenes that brought international condemnation.
And while the constitutional crisis in Spain, the euro zone's fourth-biggest economy, has hit Spanish stocks and bonds, raising Madrid's borrowing costs, it has so far failed to have an adverse impact on the broader European market, or the Euro which has remained relatively steady in recent days.  As shares in Spain’s big lenders fell on Wednesday, Economy Minister Luis de Guindos tried to reassure investors and customers. “Catalan banks are Spanish banks and European banks are solid and their clients have nothing to fear,” he said on the sidelines of a conference in Madrid.
According to Reuters, Caixabank, Catalonia’s largest lender, said in a memo to employees late on Tuesday that its only objective was to “protect clients’, shareholders’ and employees’ interests”.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a conservative who has taken a hard line on the issue, faces a huge challenge to see off Catalan independence without further unrest. Rajoy has been fighting to maintain control after 2.3 million Catalans voted in Sunday’s makeshift referendum and the regional police force ignored orders to prevent the ballot. Preparing for launching the "nuclear option", Bloomberg added that Rajoy is mulling if, and when, to use Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution to take direct control from the administration in Barcelona.
It is unclear what Madrid's response will be if, or when, Catalonia follows through on its threat to declare independence. One option is for Madrid to challenge the declaration at the Constitutional Court, which will immediately rule against it. Next, if the Catalan government ignores the ruling, Madrid is likely to trigger article 155 of the Constitution to strip out Catalonia’s autonomy and to call for regional elections. This would be a risk-negatie scenario, and one which Citi said "could trigger a civil rebellion, with possible wide disruptions and violent confrontations. A move by the regional police force to ally with the pro-independence parties could significantly escalate the situation."