Pleasing to see an article in El Pais this morning stressing the points I’ve made in the last couple of blogs – that the British public prefers no data to speculation and has no interest in seeing gruesome pictures. So it’s misplaced to blame the British government for malpractice. Less warming to see reports that the Spanish police regarded their British counterparts as both literally and metaphorically clueless. Interestingly, this was hitting the newsstands in Spain just as the TV stations were announcing the early morning police raids and arrests in Leeds. I suppose they’ll be blaming the British authorities for a smokescreen next.

In the El Pais article a comparison was drawn between British reserve and the high emotion which Latins regard as essential proof of their affection for the deceased. The writer denied this reserve was coldness and preferred to see it as pragmatism. This is somewhat ironic, given that I’ve frequently said pragmatism is a defining characteristic of the Spanish. Different types, perhaps.

On this theme of national traits, I’ve written more than once the Spanish seem to lack social antennae. A good example is when I leave my bar stool to change my newspaper and come back to find someone sitting on it, even though I’ve left my glasses, my pen and my notepad on the counter. Invariably, I’m given profuse apologies and am still convinced this is done without thinking, which is not quite the same as ‘thoughtlessly’. Mind you, I do see examples of the latter. Like this morning when a driver consciously blocked my exit on a roundabout simply to pointlessly gain 3 metres en route to the beach. It was a large 4x4, with Swiss number plates, driven by a well-coiffured woman who is probably an émigrée back for her holidays. As she compounded her lack of consideration by waving dismissively at me when I registered my annoyance, I think we can conclude she has acquired some Swiss wealth but little by way of Swiss manners.

Back to Pamplona – yesterday one of the bulls which had slipped and fallen over at the first corner, got back up, set off the wrong way and gored four people before he could be turned round. As I said, a resounding failure. It reminded me of the old Basque saying ‘There’s many a slip between pen and ring’. Of course, it rhymes in Basque.

My photo has been a great success. Hits to this blog immediately halved.