Are the Spanish rude? The answer to this depends on whether you’re an absolutist or a relativist. My own experience is they can be the politest, most charming and, best of all, the noblest people on the planet. On the other hand, I object to being walked into 5 times a day by people who appear to lack the slightest awareness of the existence of others. In a nutshell, my own advice is that, if you want to be treated well in Spain, the onus is on you to force yourself into the consciousness of others. This is not a place for shrinking violets. Or introverts. Or even British reticence. But that’s enough from me; here and here are the views of a couple of other Brits with experience of life in Spain. They appear to be relativists. As they should be.

Still on Spanish society – I regularly say Spain is a more sane place than Britain. In evidence, here’s another post from Kalebeul on Spanish attitudes to the sort of ludicrous directives that are ignored in Spain but not only slavishly implemented but first ‘gold-plated’ in Britain. In case you don’t know, this is the practice of adding further [job-securing] proscriptions and requirements to those emanating from Brussels. The very opposite of what happens in fellow EU states.

In today’s Sunday Telegraph, the head of a think tank says “Membership of the EU's political and economic union now holds Britain back. The EU's regulations damage business competitiveness, its protectionist policies restrict trade and Britain's increasing net budget contributions could be far better employed domestically by cutting taxes or improving public services”. Probably true but much of the blame lies with the country’s own civil servants and with the exaggerated British notion of the Rule of Law. This was a fine concept for nation states but is utterly misguided in the Age of the Bureaucrat.

Tune in later this week – tomorrow even – for my latest 3 year compilation. On the EU of course.