Said Rajoy
last week addressed the party faithful. In the soporific, metronomic
tone he favours, he told them things were now better than last year
and would soon be better still, as Spain finally emerged from
its years-long recession. He said nothing about unemployment, which
is what really interests voters. But he did predict that the Galician
President, Feijoo, would set the scene by taking the first regional
government out of recession. But perhaps this was because he was
standing next to him. In Sotomaior in Galicia. Protesters were kept
well away from the gathering, so that applause would not be drowned
out by their jeers.
Rajoy also
said he was proud of all his ministers. This presumably includes the
Foreign Affairs clown who was instructed to whip up the population
around Gibraltar. Useful, perhaps, in distracting at least some
attention from reports that the hard disks of the party's jailed
ex-treasurer had been wiped clean of all data.
Rajoy said
nothing about the corruption charges levied against him and his
party. He did insist nothing would be allowed to distract him from
his goals, which I guess we can take as an allusion to the corruption
case going through the courts. And he promised taxes will reduce in
2015. Which just happens to be an election year.
Finally on
this . . . Watching Rajoy and Feijoo together on the podium, a
Spanish ladyfriend spat out the word mariconitos. Literally, 'little
poofs'. I did say Spanish was robust. And not very PC. Though in this
case I think she meant it literally, in view of the rumours that
swirl around Pontevedra. Not that I'm suggesting they're true.
If I've got
this right, until last week any business which wanted to take on
staff here had to use one of 41 models supplied by the government. I
can't understand why the government should be dictating contractual
norms to businessmen but perhaps it's a hangover from the corporatist
Franco era. Be that as it may, in pursuit of greater simplicity and
labour flexibility, the government has now reduced the number to 5.
Critics say it won't work so long as the country's two-tier labour
system continues. This makes some people very easy to let go and
others (the majority, I think) very hard. Allegedly, the unions only
look after the interests of the latter.
On Friday
night I parked my car in a tight spot in town and made sure the car behind me
had enough space to easily exit. It was tight at the front (i. e.
behind me) but there was plenty of space behind it. You're probably
ahead of me but, when I got back, I found that my back bumper(fender)
had been scratched. As if that wasn't enough, on Saturday afternoon I
had to swerve a little to avoid a car coming out of my narrow street
and clipped the wing mirror of a parked car. My mirror was broken but
the damage to the other car was worse. I've tried since to find out
who the owner is but so far without success (if success it really
is). But at least I've done my honourable bit. Perhaps it was stolen.
It's certainly not re-appeared. Or perhaps its broken mirror was
pre-existing. It's possible.
I've
mentioned more than once how slim the young (and not-so-young) women
of Pontevedra are but, in the last week, I've seen not just one but
three examples of the dark side of this coin - anorexia. I recall
reading years ago that this was a major problem in Spain but, whatever
the national statistics are, I'm sure they're higher here in
Pontevedra City.
Talking of
Pontevedra people . . . In Spain, the percentage of people working in
the public sector is 23%, against 18% globally. I suspect
the number here in the city is a great deal higher than 23. Somebody
must be patronising the city's numerous jewellery stores.
Finally . .
. One of the great joys of Spain's culturally rich history is that
wonderful discoveries are made from time to time. I recall seeing
some marvellous Moorish frescoes recently discovered in a church in,
I think, Tordesillas. And now comes news that drawings, paintings and
a frieze on the inside of a chapel in Overa suggest it may have once
been a mosque. Hopefully they'll have the money to continue with the restoration.
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