Spain - a California for Europe

With it's more relaxed approach to immigration and the very public withdrawal from Iraq, Spain seems more 'Blue State' than ever. Commentators have expressed surprise, but older political traditions may just be resurfacing. Policies like the gay marriage laws are turning Spain into something like Europes liberal West Coast - only Belgium and the Netherlands have such laws already more from the BBC... Since a new law on domestic violence passed in October the new Socialist government has proposed a long list of changes to the law, without looking for the backing of the Church, and all on hot topics like immigration, sex and womens rights. A seemingly big change for a historically conservative Catholic culture, but only if you think Franco's Spain was 'traditional' Spain as opposed to it's historic Liberal, Communist and Anarchist movements. The Church may be paying the price for being too closely associated with only one of these traditions or Spain is just falling in line with other European states long drift to a secular identity more from NewsDay... Humanist and Atheist organisations have been encouraged and see Europe as increasingly the only source of good news - the EU Constitution does not mention God, France has banned religious symbols from schools and an EU Commissionar with strongly religious views was ousted from his post more from Reuters...