Is the PNV conservative? The strange toil of a certain right to buy the framework of the left

One of the things I understand the least about a part of the right is their eagerness to buy into the mental framework of the left.

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The leftist frame of 'conservative' as bad and 'progressive' as good

One of the clearest examples of this phenomenon can be seen in the tendency to subscribe to the idea that "progressive" is synonymous with "good" and "conservative" is synonymous with "bad". It is an idea that is repeated insistently by leftist parties and by many media outlets, and many right-wing people have ended up assuming it without further ado, even using the word "conservative" as a criticism in the case of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV).

It is normal for people on the left to criticize the PNV using the term "conservative", but the paradox is that I am seeing more and more people on the right who do so as well. But is the PNV a conservative party? Certainly, it was in its origins. In fact, originally it was a purely clerical party, which tried to combine an openly racist Basque nationalism with a Catholic discourse, two elements that are difficult to combine. Finally, the nationalist side ended up having more weight, even though some still consider it a Christian Democrat.

The PNV belongs to a center-left parliamentary group in the EU

It is enough to review the news of the PNV to verify that it no longer has anything conservative. His group in the European Parliament is Renew Europe, the same group as Ciudadanos , a center-left group that has been supporting all progressive policies and has been known for its attacks on Poland and Hungary, due to the conservative policies of the governments of these countries.

The PNV's support for the most radical pro-abortion theses

The party founded by Sabin Arana has portrayed its submission to the ideological dogmas of the left in various fields. In 2009 he showed support for the abortion law promoted by the PSOE, which considers it a "right" to kill unborn children. The PNV used a typically pro-abortion argument to justify its support for that law, even denying its deputies the possibility of them being able to vote conscientiously, something that inconvenienced some of its affiliates.

The PNV has not been satisfied with supporting this infamous law, but has also joined the most radical and anti-democratic theses of the promoters of the culture of death. For example, in 2022 he supported the gag law of the PSOE against pro-lifers, which imposes fines for praying or reporting to abortionists. In addition to supporting this attack on freedom of expression, the PNV tried to promote an amendment to prohibit all pro-life demonstrations within a radius of 150 meters from the abortion clinics, with fines ranging from 10,001 to 20,200 euros. At the same time, the PNV opposed sanctioning the tributes to ETA terrorists, in line with the leftist parties.

PNV support for gender ideology

Likewise, the PNV has joined the leftist gender ideology, including lashing out at the then Bishop of San Sebastián, Monsignor Munilla, for criticizing her. In fact, in the Basque Autonomous Community, the regional government of the PNV is dedicated to imposing gender ideology in schools, just as the PSOE and the Popular Party do in other communities. At the end of last year, the PNV also supported the Trans Law of Podemos, which imposes the most radical version of gender ideology : the so-called queer theory.

The PNV's support for the reduction of sentences for rapists and pedophiles

To complete the picture, last year the PNV voted in favor of the law that has lowered the sentences for rapists and pedophiles. Once again, the Basque Nationalist Party joined the left and the extreme left to clearly show that this party is as conservative as I am Marxist. I wish the PNV were really a conservative party, instead of bowing so submissively to the ideological dogmas of the left, but in the end for that party, the only thing that matters is separatism. Everything else is secondary.

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Photo: EAJ-PNV.