Just what Britain needed - It’s reported that ‘an increasing number of 50-somethings are over-indulging in alcohol and food and becoming abusive to locals in foregin tourist resorts.’ Well, I guess the young scum always had to get older so it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise really. Perhaps this is the essence of Britishness that Prime Minister Brown is seeking to identify and propogate. Largely, of course, to stop himself being turfed out of power by English voters and sent back to ‘nationalist’ Scotland.

By the way, the unruly snow-tops are known as ‘Saga-louts’ in the UK. This will mean nothing to non-British readers but life’s too short for explanations.

Another aspect of British society much in the news of late is welfarism and its abuses. The first cause celebre has been that of a 32 year old woman with seven children from five different fathers, whose nine year old daughter was abducted by her uncle. The second is that of a woman who - despite being on welfare payments - managed to take her five or six kids on a six-month tour of India. Until I read she was ‘on the social security’ I had just assumed she was a middle-aged, eccentric hippy of independent means. But it turns out that a trip most of us could only dream of was financed by British taxpayers. Hard to understand how she could get away with it, especially as she was technically obliged to report any absence from home of greater than three weeks. Perhaps there’s a loophole or two in the system. As an ever richer Spain moves inevitably towards wider welfare payments, I wonder whether a tabloid press will develop here to keep us au fait with this sort of thing. If so, it’ll make a nice change from the endless news of cheating politicians, policemen, financiers, tax inspectors, abortion doctors, etc., etc. It’s surely time for the little people to have a go.

There’s been a certain amount of outrage here in the UK about the fact that, in Heathrow’s new no. 5 terminal, passengers who are flying within Britain will have to have their fingerprints taken as they move from one gate to another. Allegedly, this is because of a design fault which means there’s a risk a passenger in transit could mingle with domestic passengers and enter the UK undetected. Given how often one has to prove one’s identity in Spain, I’m tempted to put forward the theory that the Spanish owners of BAA felt that no one would much obect to such an imposition and so underestimated the adverse reaction. But I accept it’s not very plausible. Cock-ups are far more common than conspiracies.

Galicia Facts

Reading a blurb about some local beauty spot, I learned that ‘There is a wide choice of golf courses, one within 10 minuets walk’. Which conjured up a lovely image of middle-aged men prancing towards their date with the greens.

Which reminds me - What a lot of trees people have in their gardens in the UK. These are especially nice at this time of year, as the cherry blossom emerges. Just in time for the Easter gales to pulverise it.