Wisdom from a Basque Patriot

Jose Antonio Aguirre 1904-1960 was a Basque Patriot and Nationalist, and a devout Christian. I read about him in the book




In 1931 Aguirre addressed the Cortes in Madrid thus:

I am affiliated with the Basque Nationalist Party founded by Sabina Arana Goiri. The PNV has for a motto: "Jaungoikua eta lagizarra, God and the ancient laws". In naming God in the first word, we understand that the party wishes to be religious,  and in the phraseology of the left and right. ridiculous phraseology, we have a a well defined position: We are Catholics, virile and upright, in a human Catholicism, not a bigoted sentimentality. For us, in this phraseology to which,  I have alluded, if you are on the right you are opposed to the legitimate process of democracy, since it opposes absolute power. If that is what being on the right means, then we are leftists. If being on the right means defending any kind of regime as long as it is identified with religion, and against the absolute separation of powers of church and state, then we are leftists. And if by being rightist, it is understood that in social matters we oppose progress for the the working class, if that is what meant by being on on the right, then we are leftists. But, on the other hand, if to be a leftist means we are going against family, against the holy principles of the Catholic Church, whose rules we observe, then in this phraseology which I find ridiculous, we  are right-wingers"



Jose Antonio Aguirre




Basque Provinces if France and in Spain





Read more about Jose Antonio Aguirre here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Antonio_Aguirre_(politician)


Read more about the book here

http://www.nytimes.com/books/99/10/17/reviews/991017.17ridingt.html



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