The thick Infanta; A maligned minister?; Homeopathic logic; & My internet again.

Yesterday was the final day for the presentation of the written defence of the Infanta Cristina, accused of varuous financial crimes in collusion with her husband. This turned out to be: 1. I am stupid; 2. I am a weak woman who just did what her husband told me to do; 3. I know nothing about finance, and 4. I am ignorant of the law. All this despite gaining both a first degree and a masters and working for a major bank. I (sort of) look forward to the day I can plead the "Infanta Principle". People are naturally asking how can she demean herself so much but the answer is surely that neither she nor anyone else in Spain believes any of this nonsense for a second. But it does suggest she had no other conceivable defence. Which means that everyone in Spain will be convinced she is guilty, while at the same time expecting her to be acquitted. If you see what I mean.

In another Spanish development, the Minister of Justice who brought in tougher laws against abusers of women has 'temporarily resigned' after his wife accused him of this very crime. You couldn't make it up. Incidentally, the chap is one of the many hundreds of politicos and civil servants here who are aforados, meaning they're too important to be tried by any lower court. This doesn't happen in any other country, I believe. What an odd place Spain can be at times. There's talk of reducing the number to something more sensible but that doesn't mean very much here. Spaniards enjoy talking.

Here's an excellent exposition of homeopathic logic that I heard during my drive from Santander last night:-

• Coffee is a stimulant that keeps you awake.
• If you dilute it and dilute it, it will eventually serve as a sleeping drug.
• Even if you dilute it until there isn't a single molecule of caffeine left, it will still send you to sleep because the water will have a memory of the caffeine.
• QED.
• Don't take Big Pharma medicines which have been tested and proved to be both effective and safe.
• Take out untested and unapproved products instead.

Finally . . . After 3 weeks in the UK using various internet services, I got home to my horse-drawn service from Telefónica. And this on the edge of a provincial capital. Hey ho and oy vey. Time to change. To anyone. But probably to the radio-based company offering me a speed 6 times that of Telefónica's paltry 0.5 megas. Which hasn't improved in 15 years. During which Telefónica has remained one of the most profitable companies in Spain.