Click here for an amusing rant about what’s wrong with Britain. And, in one phrase each, what’s wrong with all the emigration options. All tongue in cheek, of course.

This article, one has say, contrasts sharply with the news report the other week that the UK is the third most popular destination for folk looking to emigrate from their own unhappy hearth. The top position, as I recall, went to the USA, and Spain came in at fifth. If memory serves me correctly, another two Anglo countries were in the top 10, raising questions about what it is - apart from English (and a generous benefits system in the case of the UK) – people are looking for. Obviously not the weather in the case of the UK.

As for Spain, click here for a recent article from The Economist on corruption here. As ever, the comments are more interesting than the article itself. Particularly those from Spanish contributors, who may or may not be truly representative of the nation as a whole.

Finally . . . One of the joys of Madrid is coming upon a magnificent church you’ve never seen before. Often down a side street. This impressive neo-Byzantine affair, though, is near one of the Alcalá exits from the Retiro park, right on the main road.

On the other hand, it’s irritating to find that very few of the tapas bars in the barrio of Salamanca are open at midday Sunday. And so you’re forced to get mediocre sandwiches from a branch of the Viena Capellanes chain. Life can be tough at times.