Following on from the surprise success of Bildu, the centre-left Basque nationalist coalition, in the regional elections held earlier this year in Spain and the Basque Country, a new alliance has been announced to contest the upcoming general election. EITB carries a report on the initiative:
“Basque left-wing nationalists have launched a new political party aimed at providing pro-independence politicians a means of vying for votes in next month’s general elections.
Amaiur unveiled its logo at a meeting Sunday where speakers explained the party was a coalition of small parties Eusko Alkartasuna, Alternatiba and Aralar and supporters of the [formerly] outlawed party Bildu, successor of Batasuna.”
It remains to be seen if the Spanish government will allow the new coalition to contest the election or, as with many other Basque nationalist parties, Spain will ban the organisation. The great weakness of the Basque independence movement up to now has been its fractured nature, in part due to the anti-democratic laws of the Spanish state which favours conservative Basque “regionalist” parties like EAJ-PNV (a Basque SDLP). This makes the possibility of the Spanish pursuing an attempt to proscribe the group more likely.
Meanwhile, the Scotsman reports more news:
“A FUGITIVE who escaped from a Spanish jail 25 years ago has won one of the Basque country’s top literary awards – but has been told he cannot have the money that goes with it until he hands himself in to authorities.
The Basque government yesterday awarded its prestigious Premio de Literatura de Euskadi in absentia to Joseba Sarrionandia, an award-winning poet, novelist, essayist and translator.
Sarrionandia escaped from Martutene prison near San Sebastian in 1985, hidden in the speakers of a PA system after a gig by a local rock singer.
The controversial author – who became the main translator of TS Eliot’s works into Spanish and Basque – had been arrested in 1980, accused of collaboration with Eta in the kidnapping of an industrialist who was later freed, having paid a ransom.
Since his escape, Sarrionandia has won numerous prizes for his works, which he has sent back to the Basque country from what remains an unknown location.”
In honour of Joseba Sarrionandia, two Irish-related poems from the great man:
Irlandar Herriaren Aldekoak
Ez da deus ere ortzearen azpian
irlandar herriaren aldekorik,
itsasoa eta haizea salbu.
Itsasoa, halabeharrak hara garamatzalako,
Irlandatik hurrun,
haizea, abiaturiko itsasontzia
portu onera bultzatzen duelako.
Eta bada arrazoi bat
biak aldekotzat ukaiteko:
hazi egiten bait dugu itsasoa gure malkoez
eta, halaber, haizea gure hasperenez.
Ossian
Fionno Finn mac Cumhail gure aita
Gabran-go gudalekuan hil zen,
haren semea nauzu, mila batailatako garailearen
eta azkenengoaren galtzailearen semea.
Nehork ezagutuko banindu Ossian deituko ninduke oraindik
orduan zaldunek eta neskatilek deitzen ninduten bezala,
eta liburu handitan apaizek urrez idazten zuten bezala.
Egun ez nau nehork oroitzen, eta neuk ere, begi itsuok,
ezin deus ere ezagutu.
Gabran-go zelaia odoletan zetzan, uholde antso odol oldea,
erio gorriak muino-bularretan zabaldurik.
Hasi nauzue bada kondatzen istorioa, utz iezadazue segitzen.
Beraz, ni haurra orduan, Niamh itsasneskak hartu ninduen
heriolekutik beirazko xalupan eta eraman
Tir na n-Og paradisura, itsasoaren bestaldera.
Hirurehun urtez bizi ninduzun, han non ezer ez den zahartzen,
non eztiarnoa doan erreken ildoetatik lili zimelgaitzez
beterikako baratzetan. Han non zaldunek, heriorik gabeko
bataila artetan, edari eta elikadura xarmangarriak
dituzten, eta emakume lirainak aldemenean. Sagarrak,
beirazkoak bailiran dilindan, eta mertxikak, urrezko
harpen doinuarekin.
Hirurehun urte mundutarren itxuraldaketa behatu gabe,
arestian ber, plazeretaz etsitu gabe. Baina,
senditu nuen berriz ere sorlekua ikusteko gogoa.
Niamh maitagarriak arriskuak gaztigatu zizkidan:
hila eta bersortua zela guzia munduan, maizegi,
eta lurra ukituez gero adinarekin berdinduko nintzela.
Halabainan, hain bait dira asmo traketsak temati,
zaldi zelatua ekarri zidan, hegaldun zaldi zuria,
harengan bakarrik abia nindekeen itzultzeko.
Egin nuen bidaia eta ikusi nuen bidea eta ez nuen
deusere ezagutu, Gabran-go zelai berriz orlegia baino.
«Ez duzu —errana zidan Niamhek— oina lurrean pausatu behar
ezen orduan haren babesera itzuliren zara».
Zaldiaren petrala hautsi, zela irristatu eta lurrarekin bat
egin zen ene gorputza. Eta lurra garratza zen.
Altzatu nintzenean agure itsu bat ninduzun,
ene masaileao ildoetan eta zangoen ahulezian. Hona hemen.
Eseria, haurra nintzena agurea, munduan eseria.
Elur malutak —hotzaren zamariak— ene baitara erortzen dira.
Eraman nazazu, otoi, bidaztia, arte baten azpira.
Edozein mundutarren antzera hil baino lehen,
han azalduren dauzkizu istorio gehiago Ossian-ek
Fionno Finn mac Cunhail handiaren semeak.
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AN SIONNACH FIONN 
Following on from the surprise success of Bildu, the centre-left Basque nationalist coalition, in the regional elections held earlier this year in Spain and the Basque Country, a new alliance has been announced to contest the upcoming general election. EITB carries a report on the initiative:
It remains to be seen if the Spanish government will allow the new coalition to contest the election or, as with many other Basque nationalist parties, Spain will ban the organisation. The great weakness of the Basque independence movement up to now has been its fractured nature, in part due to the anti-democratic laws of the Spanish state which favours conservative Basque “regionalist” parties like EAJ-PNV (a Basque SDLP). This makes the possibility of the Spanish pursuing an attempt to proscribe the group more likely.
Meanwhile, the Scotsman reports more news:
In honour of Joseba Sarrionandia, two Irish-related poems from the great man:
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