Todo por la patria

... The words on the façade of Madrid's regional military headquarters, just up the road from the Atocha station, represent the committment of the Spanish army to national unity. This is that institutions central raison d'être -- the unity of la madre patria España. Basque, Catalan, and, to a lesser, but still significant, degree Galician demands for autonomy granted by the 1978 Constitution didn't disturb the military because the dreaded word 'federal' had been left out. The reality is that Spain is a quasi-federal state, with regional governments having a great deal of power and responsibility. Some, however, want more. Certainly the Basques and Catalans do (and the Galicians now have a government of socialists and nationalists which may follow the Catalan lead). Catalonia's demand for greater autonomy, however, has infuriated the army. I doubt, though, that we'll see a reprise of 23 February, 1981. El futuro de España será federal.