Divide and rule coming home.

Western countries perpetuate their power by dividing others so that they become weaker. India was divided, Kuwait was carved out of Iraq and Israel was established in Palestine. More recently the Soviet Union fell apart, Yugoslavia was broken up by inciting others against Serbia, Czechoslovakia became 2 countries and the Kurds have become a semi-independent part of Iraq. Libya is still hanging together but how much longer is anybody's guess. However, it now seems that division maybe coming home to western nations. On 25 November nationalist parties, which want independence from Spain, won 87 of 135 seats in the parliament of the Spanish region of Catalonia. Catalonia is unable to raise money from the markets because Spain is surviving on loans from the EU. It represents 8% of Spanish territory, 16% of its population, 20% of its GDP, 25% of its tax revenue, 35% of its exports and 45% of its high tech exports. In return it receives only 11% of government investment. It has a GDP of 200 billion euros and a debt of 160 billion euros and the Catalans feel that they are not responsible for the recession in Spain and would be much better off as an independent country within the EU. The Basque region of Spain has been agitating for independence for a long time and even had an armed resistance group called ETA. Even Galicia and Aragon may want to leave Spain. In Italy the Lombard League won 26% of votes in regional elections recently and wants more autonomy for the industrial north of the country. Belgium is effectively divided into Dutch speaking Flemish and French speaking Walloons who can hardly stand each other. The monarchy is somehow holding the country together but it is only a matter of time before they go their separate ways. Scotland is to hold a referendum in 2014 on independence from Westminster according to an agreement signed between the British Prime Minister, David Cameron and the Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond in Edinburgh recently. At present a majority of Scots are against independence but Salmond has managed to include permission for 16 and 17 years old to vote for the first time because the young are more keen on independence. A canny Scot? Corsican nationalists want separation from France but the French government takes a hard line to any talk of independence. On 5 November 2012 the Texas Nationalist Movement held a Texas Independence Conference in Washington-On-The-Brazos in the US where speeches were made. No one seriously thinks that the US is going to fall apart but the recent presidential election showed that white men feel that they are being outnumbered by non-white people and some are very angry. This could increase confrontation and with 250 million guns floating around in the US results could be noisy. As you sow, so you shall etc etc.