I see Spain’s Attorney General has joined me in expressing disquiet at the quashing of the [remarkably short] gaol sentence given to the Albertos. So, what next?

It’s not terribly difficult here to buy prescription drugs without the bother of a bit of paper from your doctor. Most pharmacies will give you, say, antibiotics, thyroid drugs and even antidepressants with no questions asked. I’m decidedly ambivalent about this. Even allowing for the claim that Spanish pharmacists are more clued up than in other countries, it seems to be an intrinsically dangerous practice. And I guess, if the legal system were more efficient, it would eventually stop, under the weight of negligence claims. Or criminal prosecutions. That said, I’m pretty pleased right now to be able to get my antihistamines so easily. As is so often the case, I’m glad I don’t have to take the decisions.

It’s regularly reported that anti-American attitudes are more prevalent here in Spain than elsewhere in Europe. Including France. In this month’s edition of Prospect magazine, Michael Lind demolishes what he calls the ‘three ubiquitous myths about America that make the country seem weaker and more chaotic than it is.” If interested, you can read the article here. For my Spanish reader[s], here’s an appetite whetter – “Among second-generation Hispanics, roughly half speak no Spanish at all.”

The same edition contains details of a claim that the French government was responsible for the 1994 assassination of the Rwandan President that led directly and swiftly to civil war and the death of hundreds of thousands of, mainly, Tutsis. Allegedly, this was because of a fear the country was about to leave the Franco-sphere and join the Anglo-sphere, dealing a hard blow to France’s influence in Africa. If this was the objective, it consummately failed for this, indeed, has come to pass. It’s all pretty remarkable and you can read the full article here. I can’t help observing that France and Britain were then – and still are – fellow members of the emerging EU superstate. I thought things were bad here in Spain but it’s hard to see the governments in either Madrid, Cataluña or the Basque country going to these lengths to protect their interests.

The Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso is reported to have said about Spanish drivers that they aren’t any different from any others but “We have the problem that we like to party.” Now, Alonso is certainly a superb driver himself but I haven’t the faintest idea what this comment means. Partying at the wheel? Surely not. Views welcome.

Galicia Facts

Talking of driving in Spain, the police tell us there are 14 places here where illegal road races take place. And their problem is that the participants are pretty good at monitoring the movements of the officers sent to deal with them. I guess, then, we’ll have nearer 20 by this time next year. But it’s not all failure; the police did manage to stop and arrest the guy doing 140kph [88mph] through the centre of Vigo at 8pm last Saturday night.

The Galician Xunta eventually stepped in to knock together the heads of the warring Pontevedra and Poio mayors in the affair of the displaced gypsies. The latter will now be removed from the turbulent Pontevedra district and found flats elsewhere. This has had the predictable effect of increasing the preventative demonstrations in other areas where the residents feel under threat of unwelcome new neighbours. Meanwhile, the residents near the camp in Poio where the original demolitions took place have complained to the courts that new illegal shacks have already been built where the previous ones were knocked down. This could run and run.

Reportedly, we have more than a thousand tourism establishments operating illegally here in Galicia. Given the bureaucracy that surrounds every entrepreneurial initiative here, my sympathy is with the businesses. I wouldn’t be surprised if the hotels needed a licence to change the colour of their towels.

Five thousand people demonstrated against coastal despoliation in Santiago last weekend. Their banners read “Galicia is not for sale”. Let’s hope not. Sanxenxo is already The Marbella of Galicia. And that’s surely bad enough.