Just to prove Spanish politicians are not always at each others’ throats screaming Liar, liar, you’re pants are on fire, the Senate has approved the new regional Constitution for Castilla y León. The only note of discord was abstentions by the PNV and BNG, which are, respectively, the Basque and Galician nationalist parties. I guess they had their reasons. Perhaps the new constitution doesn’t give independence to CyL. But where were the big-hitter Catalans when protest was needed?

Just what you don’t want to hear – In the same week as Spain toughens measures against those who drive at 60-80kph above the urban/motorway speed limits, the Road Safety Prosecutor has said there are more drivers on drugs than under the effects of alcohol. To deal with this, the police are developing a two-stage detection system. All strength to their test tubes.

It was reported yesterday that the country’s electrical grid had been on the point of collapse on Monday and that ‘The situation was saved by disconnecting some large companies for a time’. The Energy supremo blamed high demand at the start of the cold spell but added that two nuclear plants had been offline, while ‘renewable energy sources did not behave as expected’. But isn’t this their quintessential problem? Which reminds me . . . The Global Warming gadfly, Bjorn Lomborg, has recently written that he agrees that climate change is real and that it is caused by man but that ‘predictions of destruction on an epic scale don’t stack up.’ A better solution than inappropriate and expensive panic measures, he says, would be a ‘dramatic increase in spending on R&D into low-carbon energy production’, via national investment commitments. When you see oil-producers Iran and Venezuela cosying up to each other, you can’t help feeling this must be right. And the sooner the better.

Telefonica 1: Against the background of Spain’s appeal against the humongous fine imposed by the EU for abuse of a dominant ADSL position by this operator, the responsible EU Commissioner has said she’s ‘worried’ that Spain’s broadband is amongst the slowest but most expensive in the EU. She’s worried!

Telefonica 2: Another little scam? A friend has had a basic Telefonica line installed so she can get broadband from Orange. Coming to use it, she’s found she can only get access via one socket, in her bedroom. Friends have suggested this is because Telefonica have fitted the necessary splitter not where the line comes into the flat but only in the bedroom socket. Telefonica have said they’d be pleased to come back and rectify this, at a cost of 40 euros.

Galicia Facts

Spain as a whole is said to have fared badly in the 2008 Michelin Guide. Not a single new restaurant has gained three stars and a batch of places have lost their one-star status. However, up here in Galicia, two new restaurants have had this honour bestowed on them - Yayo Daporta, just down the road in Cambados, and Retiro da Costiña, in Santa Comba, La Coruña province. I wonder what their January price increases will be like.