A great deal is being made here of the passing of Pinochet in Chile. It’s odd the way the Spanish work themselves up into a lather about distant criminals but seem so indulgent towards those of the home-grown variety. It’s almost as if the corrupt bankers, builders, drug dealers and lowlife who run the prostitution trade are seen as loveable rogues. Or perhaps it’s more a reflection of resignation born of perceived impotence. You can talk and even shout but you can’t achieve much by way of change.

A topical case in point is a mayor near here who happens to be a very rich constructor and who’s just been accused of reclassifying marshland and walking away with millions in profit. He’s said he’s going to stand for mayor of the larger Pontevedra municipality and I, for one, wouldn’t bet against his chances. After all, the mayor of O Grove was once re-elected when he was in jail.

I see French politicians are beginning to complain that the one-size-fits-all Euro was a huge mistake and that nations should again be free to control their own economies, in particular their bank rate. If the end result is a range of Euro rates, it might be best to start selling the ones with Spanish symbols on them, since devaluation would be inescapable.

I’ve mentioned before that some Spanish forenames are distinctly odd. Like Peregrina and Dolores [Pilgrim and Sorrows] for example. But now I’m told that a few years ago it became common in Spain to call your daughters Provident or Colgate, after toothpaste products advertised on TV. I’m very sceptical so can anyone confirm this? I suspect it’s part of an old joke that ends with someone saying, “Oh, yes. Then your daughter, Maria, must be named after a biscuit”.