4 ms·

The senate in Madrid just voted to trigger article 155 of the Spanish constitution, which allows them to cancel the regional government. That should stop tax m

• ensignavenger 9y ago
  If they just declared independence, why would they expect tax money from the government they just separated from?
  • k__ 9y ago
    Also, aren't they richer than the rest of Spain and don't need their money?
  • ben_w 9y ago
    The cynic in me says “because humans are like that”. For example, one elected UKIP official expected the EU to pay for a road in the UK after brexit. Wouldn’t be surprised if either Spain or Catalonia now acts confused when someone puts an armed customs inspector on the border roads between them.
    • Chris2048 9y ago
      Was this David Rowlands, one of seven Ukip MPs in the Welsh National Assembly? Who, specifically, did he ask to pay for the road?
      • ben_w 9y ago
        It was. The BBC reports he wanted to explore the “Trans-European highways fund” to pay through the Republic of Ireland.
        • ensignavenger 9y ago
          I did a bit of looking, and it looks like that fund is also used for projects in non-EU member states. Further, if the UK has been paying into the fund, directly or indirectly, it would make sense for them to explore ways to get funding for their own projects before or even immediately after withdrawing from the EU, especially considering that the fund is already used in non-member states.
          • ben_w 9y ago
            Hm, interesting. I still doubt that fund would pay up, as my gut feeling says that in the event of UK leaving the customs union (current stated goal), then it would make more sense to divert shipping around the UK rather than use the UK as a bridge between two shipping ports for faster RoI-Continent transit. But that’s just speculation on my part, I don’t know the rules by which it operates.
    • tom_mellior 9y ago
      Not sure what you mean by "after Brexit", but the UK is a full member of the European Union. If the EU has current obligations to finance that road project, whatever that may be, then of course it has to fulfill them.
      • ben_w 9y ago
        That would be far too sensible. I mean this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38153180 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38153180 Which seems to refer to this: http://gov.wales/topics/transport/roads/schemes/m4/corridor-around-newport/?lang=en http://gov.wales/topics/transport/roads/schemes/m4/corridor-... Which is currently “planned” and won’t start until next summer at the earliest.
        • tom_mellior 9y ago
          Ha, thanks. To give the guy the benefit of the doubt, he did seem to be talking about Ireland more specifically, and about basically defrauding the EU (which he presumably doesn't like much). But yes, more likely he's just an idiot.
  • notyourday 9y ago
    No one ever went broke acting on politicians not being the sharpest people around.
• andrewla 9y ago
  The New York Times has it now https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/world/europe/spain-catalonia-puigdemont.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/world/europe/spain-catalo...
• gonvaled 9y ago
  Tax money will still flow, but it will b administered by other people. Actually, that is one of the central demands by catalans: money should not "flow" to Catalonia via Spain.