Nicholas Sartorius: "Federalism is the natural composition of Spain"

The co-founder of Comisiones Obreras Nicolás Sartorius defends a federal model for Spain. “It is its natural composition,” he said in a meeting organized by Club Siglo XXI in which he has opted for some changes that, without needing to modify the Constitution, can deepen the federalization of the country, such as a change in autonomous financing or a different distribution of communications.

“Faced with the territorial question: A federal solution?” was the trigger for the talk in which the former deputy of the Communist Party of Spain and the United Left, imprisoned during the Franco regime for his links to CCOO, participated. “Federalism in some way is the natural composition of Spain. In its history, plurality is a reality,” he defended to begin his intervention.

For Sartorius, there are two trends that currently endanger the country's integration. On the one hand, the bilateral tensions of the different territories. “Everyone wants to be bilateral: what about mine? It is being imposed, with a certain logic, by Catalan and Basque nationalism. Bilaterality is the principle of confederation. I think it is the beginning of disintegration,” he said.

The other danger: privatizing impulses. “Our state is a lie that it is a liberal state. It is a social state. The social state means the state of well-being. Free education, free healthcare. “To attack this social state is to attack the essence of our Spanish state, which is a social state,” has resulted in his intervention, in which he has opted for a Europe that also includes the social issue and not just the economic one.

To move towards that federal Spain, the historic communist leader has said, there are reforms that need a constitutional modification. Among them the conversion of the Senate into a truly territorial Chamber or the modification of some powers of the autonomous communities. But for other aspects it is not necessary, he has said: “Enough with agreements.”

Among them, the improvement of regional financing. “We have everything so open that when the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council meets it is like a Persian market,” he joked. “There is no autonomous community – except Euskadi and Navarra – that thinks it is well financed,” he said. He has defended other measures such as an improvement in land communications, a less radial train network, or moving some institutions to other territories, as the Government has begun to do.

He has also defended institutionalizing the presidents' conferences so that they do not depend on the will of the president in office. “It is one of the most federal institutions we have,” he said, recalling that in other countries such as Austria or Germany they are even reflected in their constitutions.

“The right to self-determination is deeply reactionary”

Sartorius has dedicated a good part of his speech to talking about the right to self-determination or the right to decide that the pro-independence parties demand. “In the European Union, the right to self-determination is deeply reactionary. Let's see if a certain left finds out. Deeply reactionary to divide countries in the face of great monsters like the United States, India or China. We have to unite more and more,” he claimed. “It would be a catastrophe from the point of view of the left,” he then added.

“I tell the nationalists something that bothers them. When you want to separate, what do you separate from? What do you want to separate from? From Spain? No. From Spain and Europe. That is the fundamental axis to dismantle separatism. They don't give a damn about separating from Spain but not from Europe. “You cannot leave Spain without leaving Europe,” Sartorius defended regarding a possible independence referendum, which he considered would go against the Constitution.

“Submitting to a vote or referendum whether a territory is part of Spain is not a political issue of special relevance but rather going to the heart of the constituent power. That would mean another constitution. A reform of the Constitution would be necessary,” he insisted.