  This note addresses the question whether in a gauge theory coupled to gravity
internal and spacetime transformation can be mixed. It is shown that if the VEV
of the gauge field is flat, the symmetry group is always a product of internal
and spacetime symmetries. On the other hand, if the VEV of the gauge field is
not flat it is impossible to properly define the notion of a ``spacetime''
transformation; as a consequence, if the symmetry group is nontrivial, mixing
generically occurs.
