Police overkill; Police absenteeism; Pontevedra Corruption; Morisco moans; & Priestly prejudice.

Earlier this week, a car thief was chased from the nearby port of Marín and finally caught near the market in Pontevedra, down by the river. There were 3 police forces involved - the National, the Local and the Guardia Civil, so I guess there'll be 3 sets of paperwork to complete. Which doesn't smack of efficiency. Anyway, despite the fact he was driving an old Fiat Panda, they took several kilometres to catch him. Perhaps they got in each other's way.

Which reminds me . . . The Pontevedra Marine Civil Guard force has been hit by something which has forced 35 out of 45 officers to take sick leave. Perhaps there was something in the water, though some attribute the phenomenon to the arrival of a tough new boss. Either way, it has to be a good time to indulge in the traditional local practice of bringing drugs into our coves in speedboats.

It had to happen . . . After the implication of Lugo, La Coruña and Ourense provinces in the Pokemón case, Pontevedra province now has a case all of its own - Patos. Yesterday, the offices of the provincial and regional governments were searched in Pontevedra city and Vigo, and lots of paper taken away. We await developments with interest. Perhaps we'll learn how certain officials have become very rich. Including one who started his working career as a hospital porter but is now an allegedly millionaire politician.

Something else that had to happen . . . North African descendants of the Moriscos who were booted out of Spain in the 17th century have accused the Spanish government of racism for granting citizenship to the country's former Jewish population but not to them. It seems the Mariscos' problem is they don't now speak any form of Spanish, unlike the Sefardi Jews who still speak Ladino. So the crime being committed is really Arabicism. Linguistically speaking.

Spanish banks now have a bad debt ratio of 13.6% of all credit extended. At the height of the boom in 2007, this was a mere 0.4% but it's since climbed inexorably to its current dizzy peak and it looks as if it will continue to do so. Whether we should be worried about this, I don't know. No one seems to be telling us to be.

Finally . . . A Catholic priest in León has pronounced on TV that a local councillor's cancer is divine retribution for his homosexuality. Understandably, more than 50,000 people have petitioned for the curate's resignation. It'll be interesting to see how this plays with the new homo-friendly Vatican. It's not as if the Catholic Church has a reservoir of new priests waiting for a parish. So they must be tempted to keep him and not send him back to the 19th century.

The Environment:

January 31 days: On which it rained: 28 - 93% 



February: 20 days. On which it has rained: 20 - 100%. 


So, 48 out of 51 - 94%, and rising.