The leader of Extreme Right VOX, educated at the Jesuit University of Deusto, is also a Basque born in Bilbao.

Santiago Agaspal, the President of VOX, comes from a Francoist political family. Like father like son, a diehard pro-Spanish virulently anti-Basque independence politico. Anti-ETA to the point that he came to blows with PP President Mariano Rajoy accusing his PP leader of being too soft on ETA.

Ex-President José María Aznar (seen yesterday at the Cortes in the risible homage to the 1978 Spanish Constitution) is widely credited as being the driving force behind VOX. Aznar survived an assassination attempt by ETA in the nineties. This duo are now taking advantage of the Catalan push for independence to shift Spain towards the values of Franco: centralisation and authoritarianism.

The leader of VOX cut his political teeth in the Basque province of Araba (Álava) leading the charge against Plan Ibarretxe (the democratic demand by the then Lehendakari or Leader of the Basques in 2004 for greater autonomous powers) including authoring several books and articles (as well being elected from the PP at an early age).

He formed a dubious Foundation for the Defence of Spain around the time Bob Dylan came to play a free Peace Concert in Donostia (San Sebastián) to celebrate a ceasefire called by ETA in 2006.

Santiago Abascal Conde may have risen to international prominence in the south of the Iberia, with the spectacular success of VOX in the Andalucian elections…. but his sights are set firmly to the the North of the Peninsula. The Andalucian campaign revolved around Catalonia and the call to crush dissent and remove autonomous powers. And clearly given his and his family’s lifelong clashes against the Izquierdistas Abertzales (the pro independence left wing Basque movement) ….. his sights are set on a final resolution of the Basque Question.

The Economic Accord which allows Basques to raise and retain the majority of taxes …. will be attacked by the next PP-Cuidadanos- VOX government if they win a general election in 2019.

Aznar and Abascal have set their targets. Driven by One Nation obsession and hatred for Basque and Catalan separatism, they are turning back the clock .. not to 1978 .. but more like 1958…