The big political news of the moment is that the Spanish government - finding itself strapped naked to a [pork] barrel - has made last-second concessions/bribes to the small Basque and Galician nationalist parties in order to get its 2009 budget approved in the face of universal opposition. The Galician BNG has come away with more than 100m euros for the development of infrastructure here, which will certainly come in handy as a triumph to crow about in the upcoming regional elections. Indeed, the party's president is already telling us Galicia is a greater country today than it was yesterday. The lesson is obvious. If you are a budding politician in, say, Andalucia, you should start a new nationalist party and wait for your chance to play the game of beggar-my-neighbour.

Well, I've received my October issue of Prospect but those of August and September really do seem to have disappeared into the maw of the great Spanish Summer Slowdown. Or Stop, in the case of the Poio sub-post office. I guess I could waste an hour or so going down there to ask them to trawl through the sacks lying around but it's a lot easier and quicker to email the fine people at the magazine to ask for replacements.

A Spanglish challenge:- 1. What is the difference between un bossing and un mobbing? And 2. Do either of these words exist as nouns in any form of English?

Galicia

The tiny UPyD party says it will pitch for some seats in our spring elections, aiming at those voters who are fed up with the socialist-nationalist coalition and who particularly resent the linguistic policy of the latter. Just what we need - more fragmentation. Or is it democracy in action?

Meanwhile, the owners of the tiny, in-trouble Lagun Air company have offered their 3 planes to the Xunta, so the latter can set up Air Galicia. Well, if we're going to get greater and greater under the BNG, we will certainly need this symbol of our stature. Even if it does lose bucketfuls of money. Galicia's population is about the same as that of Britain's North East Region. So, guess this would be on a par with setting up Newcastle Air.


Finally, an insight into the humour of the late Tommy Cooper. Who had this little chat with the Queen back in 1964 . . .
"I say, Your Majesty - may I ask you a personal question?"
"As personal as I'll allow," the Queen replied.
"Do you like football?"
"Not particularly."
"Well, could I have your tickets for the Cup Final?"