The Resonance of History

As Catalonia today fights for its freedom, it should not be forgotten that the current government of Spain are the direct political heirs of Franco and that many of their ministers have personal and family connections to his rule. Rajoy, Spain’s current Prime Minister, started his political career in 1981 by joining the People’s Alliance, a party founded in 1979 and led by 7 of Franco’s ministers to carry on the Francoist legacy. The People’s Alliance became the major component in the now governing People’s Party.

That is the essential background to the extreme Spanish nationalist dislike of freedom for Catalonia, and far right nationalist moves to declare the Catalan referendum illegal.

This is a good day to think of Euan MacColl’s updating of Jamie Foyers, to remember those Scots who fought alongside the Catalans against fascism at the Battle of the Ebro.

Faur distant, faur distant, lies Foyers the brave

Nae tombstone memorial shall hallow his grave

For his bones they lie scattered on the rude soil o Spain

An young Jamie Foyers in battle wis slain

He’s gane frae the shipyaird that stauns on the Clyde

His haimmer lies idle, his tools laid aside

Tae the wide Ebro river young Foyers has gane

Tae fight by the side o the people o Spain

Thair wisnae his equal at wark or at play

He wis strang in the Union till his dying day

He wis grand at the fitbaa, at the dance he wis braw

Young Jamie Foyers wis the flouer o thaim aa

He cam hame frae the shipyaird, took aff his warkin claes

O, A mind the time weill in the lang simmer’s days

He said, “Thinknae lang, lassie, A’ll come back again”

But young Jamie Foyers in battle was slain

In the fight for Belcite, he was aye tae the fore

An he focht at Gandesa till he couldnae fight more

For he lay owre his machine gun wi a bullet in his brain

An young Jamie Foyers in battle was slain

Faur distant, faur distant, lies Foyers the brave

Nae tombstone memorial shall hallow his grave

For his bones they lie scattered on the rude soil o Spain

An young Jamie Foyers in battle was slain

When the BBC was smugly quoting the current Francoist government of Spain as the bar to Scotland’s entry into the EU, I was longing for somebody to give just a little of this historic perspective. But of course, the mainstream media never did.