Dawn

Dawn

Saturday, October 03, 2015

Spain & Cataluña; Syria; The EU; The UK & the EU; Update on How Things Happen; & An Update to the Update.

Spain & Cataluña: What next, after the utterly inconclusive elections of last week-end? Well . . . The [bizarre] separatist alliance will now enter into tough negotiations to form an accord with the Left-wing CUP, a citizens' group that does not want President Mas to lead the separatist movement. "We are going to appoint someone who has nothing to do with spending cuts, privatisations and corruption," said CUP's number two candidate Anna Gabriel Sabate. So, times that are not just interesting but fascinating. From a distance.

Syria: You have to laugh. The Russian defence - on RT TV - to the allegation that they're bombing not just ISIS but also forces rebelling against Assad is to show pictures of the respective forces side by side and to imply: "They all look the same to us". Nowt to do with us, mate.

The EU: This Wolf Street article contains charts which are: A demonstration that the euro doesn’t work for so many diverse economies and political environments and that 'Vulnerable countries' would have been better off sticking to their banana-republic francs, liras, pesos, etc., and that devaluations and defaults by individual countries would have been better overall than the current international taxpayer-funded bailout and 'austerity” circus'. No one can say this wasn't predicted before the (totally political) decision was taken to introduce the euro in 2002.

The EU & The UK: For the first time for as long as anyone can recall, there are more folk in the UK in favour of a Brexit than against it. This surely reflects the recent economic and social failures of the EU and the growing realisation that, firstly, Cameron is never going to get major treaty changes favouring Britain, and, secondly, that it's virtually certain that France will achieve its aim of getting the UK relegated to Associate Status. So, the negatives of membership without a real voice. Then, of course, there's the obviousness of what some of us have always seen as the naked truth, viz. that the EU never will be - because it never could be - a democratic institution. But what a challenge it's going to be to get shut of all those technocrats and bureaucrats who've lived high on the hog for so long. Oil those tumbril wheels, mes frères!

How Thing Happen in Spain: Update.

1. My mobile phone: Well, the gods were with me and the SIM card was installed midday yesterday. Mind you, I then had to wait 18 hours for it to start working. I didn't bother to ask why. Maybe this happens in other countries as well. My thanks to reader Sierra for advising me, just a tad too late, that Europa Network will rapidly complete an application process - for mobile phone, ADSL, wi-fi and UK TV - in English, over the phone and with almost nil paperwork. Great to know!

2. Telefónica: After I told them on Wednesday I'd be cancelling my wi-fi contract, I got a text message yesterday saying they were about to a install fibre network in my building. Even if I'd been dumb enough to be tempted by this ploy, it was too late. I'd signed the contract on Tuesday evening. Just one of those extraordinary coincidences, I suppose.

Finally . . . Update to the Update: I'm able to use whatsapp on my new phone now but my messages show my UK number. I've tried all sorts of things to stop this but I'll be going back to the shop again this morning. As predicted.

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