There seem to be more and more reports in the Spanish press of local governments defying Madrid, even to the extent of suing the central government in one of the numerous civil/constitutional courts in which Spain abounds. Does this happen in truly federal states such as the USA or Germany, I wonder. Is it, perhaps, a reflection of the Spanish character? Or merely a consequence of the stress arising from the transition from a centripetal to a centrifugal state - en route either to the formal federalisation or even break-up of Spain? Or is it all without any significance whatsoever? Merely a sign of how desperate I am to find material for this blog. . .

A couple of days ago there was a remarkable full-page ad in the national press. This was placed by a reporter from one of the major radio channels and the nub of it was a challenge to the President of the Real Madrid football club to prove he hadn’t been involved in some skulduggery around season tickets. And hadn’t illegally obtained ‘protected’ flats for his kids. As the deadline given was today, I await developments with some interest.

Galicia Facts & Perspectives

When it rains here – which it does occasionally in Galicia – you usually have to slalom your way past the unlicensed street vendors offering convenient, cheap umbrellas. But not in the last 2 or 3 weeks. In fact, ever since my back-up umbrella was blown inside out, the streets have been strangely empty of these Samaritans. My [doubtless outrageous] suspicion is that the owners of the rapidly proliferating Chinese bazaar shops have found some economic way to have the law enforced.

Having asked all my Galician friends how they feel about the increased quotas for Gallego in all primary and secondary schools, I’d say the general reaction is a shrug of acceptance at its inevitability. Asked to predict the future, they felt there’d be more of the same in due course, at least if the Nationalists kept their power base. One friend went so far as to suggest in 100 years everyone here would be speaking only Gallego and English, which I guess would thrill said Nationalists. More surprising was the universal comment from those who speak Gallego at home that they read newspaper Gallego far more slowly than Spanish. And the insistence that it’s impossible – for vocabulary reasons - to understand a Gallego writer such as Manuel Rivas. I assume newspaper Gallego is the top-down form authorised by the Galician Academy and the Rivas variant is what’s been called ‘difficult’ literary Gallego. But, if newspaper Gallego is the same as TV Gallego, then regular viewing of Pratos Combinados would presumably facilitate faster reading. Though I doubt that sitting through hours of slapstick from the wildly popular Tonechos would have the same value. But I’m open to correction.

I believe that in Britain’s left-wing Labour Party it’s OK to be sympathetic towards either Palestine or Israel. Or even both. And I’ve no reason to think this isn’t also true of Spain’s left-wing PSOE party. But the Galician Nationalist party [the BNG] takes a different view and is reported to be about to expel someone who belongs to The Friends of Israel. The man in question is President of a local branch of Esquerda Nacionalista, one of the several groups which make up the Bloque Nacionalista Galego. So, a broad church with a narrow mind.

Finally - showing the wonder of the web – hits to this blog fortuitously threw up yesterday the origin of the phrase which foxed everyone a couple of weeks ago. For all you Portuguese and Gallego readers . . . Em 1964 Ian Smith é eleito primeiro ministro. Numa visita oficial a Lisboa encontra-se demoradamente com Salazar e este diz-lhe de chofre que os rodesianos seriam traídos pelos inglêses; e acrescenta que Portugal prestaria o auxílio necessário a Salisbúria. Pouco depois, aqueles a quem Fialho de Almeida chamou de "carrascos ruivos do Tamisa", concretizavam o que o estadista português sentenciara.