The
politician Carlos Fabra is a Spanish rogue straight out of central
casting, with the slicked-back black hair, the perma-tan and the
impenetrable, never-off-his-face sunglasses. His was the decision to
pour billions of euros into the huge white elephant of Castellón
airport, which is unlikely to ever see a commercial flight. He also
commissioned the massive, stylised statue in front of the airport,
which just happens to be of himself. So, a modest man as well as a
crook. Seeing a reference to him today, I got to wondering whether it
would ever be possible to calculate the total of taxpayer funds
stolen by the likes of Fabra and taken offshore to those countries
where questions are never asked. Friendly little Switzerland for
example. I imagine not.
Another
duff 'investment' of the good years was the Terra Mitica theme
park down in Valencia. This was recently referred to by Roger Cohen
in the New York Times as “a product of the Valencia region’s
giddy building boom fed by cheap money, venal politics and galloping
illusion”. Which could easily stand as an accurate comment on
Spain as a whole.
In
today's Spanish property market, there's little but gloom.
Residential planning approvals sank to only 4,022 in July. Which is
95% down on July 2006. Activity is now so low, it's a safe bet some
parts of the country will experience property famines when things
eventually pick up again. Even if there are still more than a million
unsold properties on the market.
El
Roto was at it again in El País today. This time there
was drawing of a young child with the letters C to O across its face.
The caption ran “Why learn the letters when only the numbers
count?” Strangely, the only colour in the cartoon was the blue of
the child's eyes.
When
you get a prescription filled here in Spain, they take the box the
pills are in and cut off a small, serrated portion of it. Sometimes
with a knife and sometimes with scissors. This they then either
staple or sellotape to a copy of your prescription. Which rather
contrasts with the computerisation of the rest of the process. Surely
there's a better way.
On
University Challenge tonight, there was a chap from UCL with
two surnames. The second was simple enough – Smith. But the first,
and I kid you not, was Tyszczuk.
Much
money is being invested in Vigo airport – as it is in the Santiago
and La Coruña facilities. But not in the services of a native
speaker. Hence the sign over the newsagent's – Kiosk of Press.
Finally
. . . A brief and amusing history of the English language.
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