Pedro Morenes' observations regarding the military - its preparedness and its not reacting to absurd provocations - were deliberately vague. But vagueness demands that meaning is sought. And the Catalonians and Basques have taken the vagueness to mean them. A defence minister would be expected to speak positively about the military, but Morenes' veiled comments have been interpreted as a veiled threat.
A national politician can't - or you wouldn't think he could - specifically refer to military action of a domestic nature, but there has not been such reticence within military circles. There has been the example of Colonel Castro, who has stated the case for military intervention in the event of independence by Catalonia. If Morenes was indeed implying the same thing, then it is fair to ask whether his observations represent an alignment with the military - or elements within it, because Castro is well to the right - and as to who exactly might be setting the agenda. Is the military tail wagging the government dog, or is it the other way round? Whichever way round it is, Morenes and parts of the military will have taken note of what Mariano Rajoy had to say last year about upholding the Constitution if necessary. The "if necessary" was loaded with its own euphemistic vagueness.
The role of the military in today's Spain is an oddity. Theoretically, its role was diminished under the Constitution, and so a culture of militarism that had existed for decades and also the military's means of affecting the political process were removed. Historically, it had been the military, through the "pronunciamiento" - an officers' insurrection - which had brought about change to the political landscape. This all became firmly a thing of the past once democracy arrived.
Nevertheless, the military seems to still cling to these old days. You wouldn't have thought that a Colonel Castro could make the sort of comments that he has. And nor would you have thought that he could get away with them. But he appears to have, the Partido Popular excusing them on the grounds that they were personal opinion, a position contrary to that of the former Zapatero regime, which put General Mena under house arrest for daring to suggest something similar.
It isn't the case that parts of the military align themselves solely with the principles of Spanish nationhood and with the defence of the Kingdom of Spain. Again historically, the military didn't always see the nation and the monarchy as meaning the same thing. Franco certainly didn't. He was quite content for Alfonso to be in exile at the time of the Civil War and to overlook his successor, the current King's father. And there have also been elements of the military which have had an ideologically different position to that of Franco's: a Republican ideology.
There is one military Republican who is today commanding a good deal of attention. He is Colonel Amadeo Martínez Inglés, and he faces the prospect (remote, one would imagine) of being sent to prison for 15 years. His alleged crime? He has "injured" the crown. In other words, he has insulted King Juan-Carlos. Among various things of which the Colonel has accused the King, there is the small matter of the King himself having been behind the 1981 coup attempt.
What is attracting particular interest as a result of the Colonel's appearance at the High Court to face his charges is the law under which he has been charged. It is one that the European Court of Human Rights quashed, yet it has been reactivated in the case of Colonel Martínez, despite the European Court having made clear that the law went against the principle of freedom of speech.
The Colonel is insisting that certain witnesses are brought to testify, including Antonio Tejero, the officer remembered as the one who waved the gun around in parliament during the failed coup. He has also stated that he is in favour of the Catalonian wish for a referendum on independence. So in every possible way, he is the complete antithesis of what might be thought to be a typical Spanish military figure.
Considered a nutter by the right-wing, there are serious issues that his case throws up. One is the use of the law limiting freedom of speech. Another is that, for all he has become the darling of Catalanist and Republican supporters, he is from the military (albeit that he has retired). Like Colonel Castro and General Mena, it might be wiser were these military figures to keep quiet; freedom of speech or not. By making pronouncements, they are echoing the past, one that many would prefer was finally laid to rest. A pronouncement bears great similarity with "pronunciamiento".
* I acknowledge Alan Murphy's article about Colonel Martínez Inglés from Iberosphere - http://iberosphere.com/2013/01/spain-news-martinez-ingles-7709/7709
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
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