Sunday, March 14, 2004 AD
The blame in Spain
I assume I'm not the only person who feels that - however much sympathy one must have for what the Spanish people have been through this past week, and however much it's really none of my business who they choose to vote for, and however ignorant I may be of the dynamics and undercurrents of Spanish politics - that it is not sending out a terribly helpful signal to Al Qaida to have a sequence of events that seems to go like this:
1. One week from election, Government tipped to win again, despite unpopular decision to join in war on Iraq.
2. Devastating bomb attack, apparently the work of Islamic "militants", who are apparently motivated in part by said Government's support for said war.
3. Electors throw said Government out on their collective ear.
The good people of Spain are of course entitled to their opinion, but ... well, from the point of view of the rest of us - particularly those living in countries that might be planning on having elections anytime soon - this doesn't exactly help, does it?
1. One week from election, Government tipped to win again, despite unpopular decision to join in war on Iraq.
2. Devastating bomb attack, apparently the work of Islamic "militants", who are apparently motivated in part by said Government's support for said war.
3. Electors throw said Government out on their collective ear.
The good people of Spain are of course entitled to their opinion, but ... well, from the point of view of the rest of us - particularly those living in countries that might be planning on having elections anytime soon - this doesn't exactly help, does it?
