During a recent dialogue in the Comments to this blog, there was a valid reference to the inevitability of stereotypes, both Spanish and British. In this contest of nonsense, I fear the Spanish come off worse. This is mainly because even the UK’s serious press is more superficial and sensationlist than the heavy spanish papers such as El Mundo and El Pais. In these, there is almost daily coverage of UK affairs, involving little by way of trivia. In contrast, the Daily Telegraph, for example, rarely comments on matters Spanish. Today, though, it gives two mentions. The first is to the imminent Law of Historic Memory, which - controversially - addresses the validity of judicial decisions during the Franco era, as well as offering measures to help people obtain data about relatives killed during and after the Civil War. Fair enough. But the second is a brief piece about a cruel fiesta along the coast which involves swimmers tearing apart specially reared ducks. Now this, of course, is dreadful but it’s hardly representative of modern Spain. And it merely serves to further the grossly outdated image of a people who revel in killing bulls, beating donkeys and chucking goats off church steeples. OK, the report centres on a court decision to ban this event but I still regard it as bad as Spanish papers furthering the image - thanks to the McCann case - that Brits are uncaring about their kids simply because they’d rather dine without them. By the way, this is a different issue from the one of leaving them alone when you go out. So, please, no rants about this - or any other - aspect of the McCann case. The norm is to leave your kids with a [handosmely paid] babysitter. British grandmothers are not the soft touch their Spanish counterparts are. If I may be forgiven a bit of two-way stereotyping . . .

Tecnocasa has become the latest big-name victim of the crisis in the Spanish real estate sector and has announced the closure of 145 offices. And the next . . . ?

Finally . . . My elder daughter, Faye, is now writing for Notes from Madrid. Click here to see her opinion of the Pub Prada. I don’t know where she gets her acerbicness from. She should watch her back. Meanwhile, I have it on good authority she doesn't want to hear from El Lusitano.