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Such a change has already happened to a degree with the election of the PSOE in the
Spring of 2004. At this level, a more ambitious project would be to articulate Spain along
the lines of multinationalism. This would be a radical departure from current practice but
it need not involve constitutional or institutional change. Second, the Spanish government
could finish transferring the competencies in dispute included in the Basque Statute of
Autonomy. The reluctance to do this stems in part from the notion that centralization
equals strength and unity, and from the fear that transferring power to Basque nationalists
will only served to strengthen them. However, there is an alternate logic to this one
suggesting that accommodation of these types of modest demands can foster increased
loyalty to the state. This is the logic of federalism, which in Spain has not been fully
accepted. These powers whose transfer is still pending seem for the most part innocuous
(for example, scientific research and technological development), yet they are a major
irritant in the relationship between the Basque Country and the Spanish state. Finally,
turning the Spanish Senate into a true and effective house of territorial representation
could create among the Basques a sense that they can have greater say in the policies of
Spanish government.
The idea behind these suggestions is to soften the stance of Basque nationalism
and possibly undermine its support. Setting out the objective of eradicating a nationalist
movement is likely to lead to counterproductive policies. For states such as Spain, the
time to do this is long gone.
Convention