Talking
of job departures . . . Someone has finally resigned in Spain. Not
the President and not the Ministress of Health but the husband of the
latter. Who, as a member of the PP party's administration, has been
implicated in corruption for some time. It's a start.
While
we're on the subject of corruption:-
- The VP of the PP party has defended the President's salary increases as 'electoral bonuses'. In other words, his income rose 27% but his salary didn't. That's alright then. Now things don't look quite so bad.
- President Rajoy is embattled. Indeed, he was before the latest crisis. He shouldn't survive, even if the presidency doesn't go to the scheming Esperanza Aguirre. But he may, if he continues to be supported by most of the party barons. Which can't be taken for granted.
- “Top level members of the PP government have pledged to publish their tax returns in the next few days to wipe out suspicions that they received backhanders in cash.” How, exactly?? Black money never mixes with white. Until laundered.
- Spain will get 1bn from the EU to help youth unemployment. And 2bn is earmarked for Galicia. Sadly, no one will be very confident it'll all end up where it should.
All
of which reminds me . . . To complete the image, I should've said
that Sr Fabra de Castellón has black
slicked-back hair. As it happens, the 'star' of the recent
earth-shattering revelations about PP party skulduggery could also
have come straight out of central casting as a crooked Spanish
politician of the Franco era. Although he doesn't go as far as the
24/7 sun glasses. His speciality is a sort of enigmatic smile. As if
he knows where all the bodies are. Hang on . . .
With
the EU forbidding member countries from testing the meat coming into
them, the horse-meat scandal was clearly a fraud waiting to happen.
Indeed, it was totally predictable. Someone who should know has said
that fraud is endemic in the industry and it'll be interesting to see
how the Brussels bureaucrats deal with the reañ-world challenge of
restoring faith. And beef.
I
was sympathetic towards the writer of a letter to El
País
today. He reported on a flagrant police scam on leaving an autopista,
when the speed limit was reduced from 70 to 40 within 20 metres and the
machine was located right under the sign. I, too, have been the victim of
one of these traps, which don't do much for respect for the police.
Of course, I've also been done for listening to podcasts on my iPod
Shuttle. Even though this is quieter than just one talking Spaniard in the
car.
Finally
. . . I'd never heard of The Mumfords until today. Probably more a
comment on me than them. But I understand they're mocked in the UK
(their own country) but almost revered in the USA as the saviours of
folk music. I tried a few tracks on Spotify today and the question is
– Do they ever sing? Or do they specialise in instrumental versions
of songs we used to sing as kids”
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