Bang on cue, the Galician Nationalist Party [the BNG] has made two proposals which it clearly thinks are critically relevant to the challenges faced by the region. Firstly, it wants the local government to do something to ensure all ‘barbarically Hispanicised’ forenames and surnames are returned to their pure Galician form. Secondly, it wants kids’ toys to be ‘Galicianised’. Specifically, they’re unhappy about dolls that speak Spanish and not Gallego. You couldn’t make it up. The leader of the PP party [Mr Feijoo-who-should-be-Mr-Feixoo -or-Feixo] has rightly said there are surely more important things to be thinking about. But not for language fascists, of course. I wonder how long it will be before they ask for the return to a genuine Galician currency last used in the 11th century and bearing the head of, say, the mythical king Breogan. Meanwhile, the BNG says it’s not pushing for obligatory name reform; all it wants is a campaign from the government aimed at motivating people to act of their own free will. Maybe but who would rule out ‘erroneous’ applications for government jobs ending up in the bin?

The Minister of health recently published an article critical of bullfighting. The writer, Albert Boadella, has responded with a piece headed ‘Contradictions in the alleged defence of animals’. It includes the assertion that ‘Bullfighting is the last great art of the Western world, having miraculously survived all forms of political correctness’. Possibly but it would be nice if its supporters could admit it’s undeniably cruel before setting out the ‘artistic’ merits which mitigate this. Or perhaps this would be to put a first step on a very slippy slope.

Through my visitors this week, I learned that films are all dubbed in Germany as well as in Spain. Hearing Robert de Niro speaking in English for the first time, one of them exclaimed this was nothing like his real voice. Apparently, in Germany all famous actors have a doppelganger who accompanies them throughout their careers. Or at least until one of them pops his/her clogs. Here in Spain, though, my impression is that females of all ages and sexual inclinations are dubbed by just one – or possibly two – Spanish women in their 40s. On the other hand, there may be as many as 4 or 5 male dubbers covering the whole of the world’s non-Spanish output.