It’s not only in Navarra that the politicians are finding it tough to from a government. Here in Pontevedra – as well as up in Lugo – discussions are still continuing on the challenge of how to compose the council so as to reflect the confusing wishes of the electorate. One local commentator opined yesterday it was perhaps time for the BNG [Nationalist] mayor to recognise his party got only 17% of the votes. Perhaps he’s still in shock at the success of the party which got the most votes and seats and yet is excluded from the negotiations around the formation of a Nationalist-Socialist coalition.

On a wider but related front, the leader of the PP opposition party has tabled an electoral reform which would deny government to any party getting less than 30% of the total votes. How you view this depends on which side of the line you’re standing. The left-of-centre El Pais accuses the PP of blowing apart a 30 year old post-Franco consensus, as if things were always cast in stone. The right-of-centre El Mundo agrees there’s a case for reforms aimed at depriving the nationalist parties of undue influence but seems to think this proposal might not be the right one. It points out each of the very different British, French and German systems is superior to Spain’s in this regard and calls for a debate. Which hardly seems revolutionary. Or likely.

Although I defended Galicia yesterday against the claim it’s always raining here, I’ve got to admit we’ve been at the tail end of the weather front which has so badly affected the UK and France this summer. While it hasn’t been a disaster, neither has it been what the region’s hoteliers and restaurateurs would have wanted. Especially in a country where people tend to leave their holiday location decisions until late in the day. Not surprisingly, then, anecdotal evidence suggests, in Pontevedra at least, there are fewer tourists than usual so far this summer. Which, to be honest, doesn’t exactly depress everyone.

As of September, children in Galician schools will have to learn a second foreign language in addition to compulsory English. This will be on top of having all other lessons half in Spanish and half in Gallego. There are some of us who feel all this can’t possibly be good for their ability to assimilate knowledge in a timetable that won’t be any longer than previous years. A columnist in yesterday’s Voz de Galicia put it thus . . . I’m shocked by the stupidity of the Xunta in imposing a second foreign language requirement. Here in Galicia, we won’t be teaching our kids badly in just one language, nor two, nor three but four. 90% of those affected by this measure will chose French, a language clearly in decline throughout the world. Those in the ministry responsible for this stroke of genius should remind themselves that only 3% of Spain’s graduates are fluent in English, against the figure of 39% for jobs in which it’s essential. The obvious solution would not be Galician kids having to tackle four languages. It would be enough for them to be taught in three. The ideal program to allow the pupils to acquire knowledge with which to take on the world would be 40% of classes in English, 10% in Gallego and 50% in Spanish. Fat chance. In Galician schools these days, there are higher priorities than education.

Oh dear. There is a Catalan ‘spectacular’ touring Spain and it’s called “Cómeme el coco, negro.” Roughly, this means “Worry me, nigger”. As if this weren’t bad enough, the ad in our local paper features the sort of jet-black face with white protruding lips which has long ceased to be acceptable elsewhere. It’s at times like this one sees just what 30 years of Franco isolation did for Spain. Or not.