With a general election
only a few months away, the Spanish Prime Minister has found a new - and revolutionary - line on corruption: "The corrupt must pay the price". This
came hot on the heels of the resignation/dismissal of the
Ministress of Health and Social Services, who's going to be charged
with benefitting from her husband's financial shenanigans. This is
part of a huge trial which seems to have been meandering through the
courts for an eternity now. Of course, there's always a chance the
State Prosecutor will follow precedent and persuade the next judge in the series that the lady has no case to answer. But, anyway, I look forward to
the Prime Minister sacking himself for receiving black cash in
addition to his salary. As if.
The Pope has very
publicly sacked a Spanish bishop for covering up sexual abuse of
minors by a club of priests (Los Romaneros) in his diocese. My friend
Dwight told me tonight that all the offenders were members of OpusDei but that this fact is no longer reported, demonstrating the
residual ability of this right-wing/fascist organisation to muzzle
the entire Spanish media. Readers may recall me citing a while ago
a Spanish wine called - in Galician - The Priest and the Altar Boy.
Time for a change of label, I'd have thought.
As for Cataluña . . .
The President is facing charges of, grave disobedience(!), abuse of
power and misuse of public funds. This is because he went ahead with
a voting exercise on independence even though the Constitutional
Court had ruled it illegal. This'll be an interesting trial, should
it ever come to court.
After almost 3 weeks in
the UK, staying in 7 different places, I have to say I share
the Spanish amazement that the 2-tap system is still universal there,
even in new places. There used to be a rationale for this - something
to do with risks from the hot water, I believe - but now it's an
anachronism and must reflect a bizarre cultural preference. See here
for more on this and for some amusing solutions for frustrated foreigners.
And foreignised Brits like me.
Thanks to the
'humanisation' measures of the last 10 years, Pontevedra has been
awarded the prize in the Europe category of the Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment. This is because it's a 'city centred on people'. Of
course, you'll find this hard to believe if you're hit by a cyclist doing 20kph.
The American shopping
experience of Black Thursday is well established in the UK and
attempts are now being made to replicate it here in Spain. As Christmas arrives here at least a month later than it does in Anglo
cultures, I wonder if this will catch on. I rather hope not.
Finally . . . I can't
resist posting these fotos of my beautiful daughters. I should stress
they get their looks from their mother, not me. Though Faye does get
her curly hair from my father.
No comments:
Post a Comment