The President of the Association of Promoters and Builders insists that – though there are 800,000 to 1,200,000 new properties on or close to the Spanish market, prices will certainly not fall any further. Well, he’s just the sort of uninterested party whose word you’d rely on in this area, isn’t he. Even more predictably, he said the best way to go forward was to help the constructors maintain their prices to subsidised buyers. Or something like that. And who’d now bet on it not happening? We're all socialists now.

Telefónica aren’t going to be obliged to share their new fibre-optic lines with any other broadband provider. Or even offer a wholesale service to them. At least not in the above-30 megas sector. Which, on reflection, probably excludes me. So that’s alright.

Barcelona’s feminists have issued a guide to the places in the city in where women can take a leak in public. “If men can be proud of doing this,” they ask, “why can’t we?”. I must say that, when I ponder the issue of equality in Spain, this isn’t the aspect that usually first comes to mind. But it probably will be now.

More Rolex watches have been reported stolen on the Costa del Sol than have ever been manufactured. Presumably by Brits and Russians, rather than Spaniards. Crime down there is an equal opportunities complier. Though the PP party apparently get more opportunity to indulge in it as they have rather more of the town halls.

Galicia

We have a Mormon establishment in or near Pontevedra and it’s not unusual to see a couple of American male members – as it were – walking through town. They’re always dressed identically in white shirts and black trousers and sport a small rucksack on their backs. As this is how I’ve taken to carrying my new laptop to the town’s WiFi cafés, I’ve now jettisoned all white shirts from my wardrobe. And I certainly won’t be wearing a name tag on my shirt pocket.

Which reminds me . . . I asked my cleaner last night if she knew of an Englishman who’d lived 37 years in her village but whom she’d never mentioned to me. “Oh, yes.” she said, “He’s my neighbour. His wife died a few years ago. They’re Jehovah Witnesses.”
“I have a friend who’s a member of the same religion.” I said.
“That’s not a religion!” she retorted.
“Yes, it is.” I said. “They’re Christians. They worship Christ.”
“After a fashion! It’s just a sect!”
Which is, apparently, the same view as that taken by the Spanish state. Possibly because this means they don’t have to consider giving them any money.

It’s been announced that Burger King are to open an outlet in Pontevedra’s old quarter. This is, I fear, the beginning of the end. Unless they go bust in the Great Depression of 2009.

Finally, the global financial crisis. Here's an article which expands on my recently stated view that the EU will find it rather more difficult to cope in times and circumstances far tougher than those of the booming backcloth of the last 10 to 20 years. I mean, the Euro zone members have actually got Gordon Brown lecturing them today on how to stick patches on the problem. How's that for desperation?