The Spanish Elections:
These are just round the corner now. And, if you believe the polls,
the centre-left socialist PSOE will be shoved into 3rd place by the
far-left United-Podemos party, with inevitable implications for the
leadership of the party. Here's the FT on the recent 4-way 'debate'
between party leaders. And here's The Guardian on the origins of
United Podemos and its impact on the political situation. Finally on
this, in his Business Over Tapas bulletin to today, Lenox Napier
cites this caustic overview of the new party from Fernando del Pino
Calvo-Sotelo: Like recycled waste, Leninism has resurfaced in our
country hand in hand with the new Made-in-Venezuela party. When
foreign media talk about this party, they happily label it as
populist. Wrong. It is a much dangerous creature: hardcore Leninism.
Having been born as the outcome of an economic crisis, widespread
corruption, and a lacklustre political culture, it has thrived as a
result of the suicidal alliances of a paralysed and baffled socialism
and of the protective covering fire that the governing party has
irresponsibly provided to its benefit through the media and other
institutions.
Brexit: HT to Lenox for
this advice for worried Brit expats on how to keep your EU citizenship
should the UK actually opt for the exit. I continue to
think(guess) that they won't but who really knows? Whatever happens,
I'm armed with an Irish grandmother and can join the thousands
seeking Irish nationality, should I decide I prefer this to the Spanish
version. It might just be less expensive and take less time and
hassle. Plus I speak Irish even better than I speak Spanish.
Spanish Women: I've
just come across this 2005 blog response – from my friend Manoel –
to something I wrote 'back in the day', probably about the confusion
caused to northern European males by the tactility of young (and
not-so-young) Spanish females. It's pertinent to note that Manoel
never told me of the place he cites when he lived here in Ponters.
Possibly because he was dating my daughter.
Football Hooliganism:
First it was Eurovision and now the European Championship has been
politicised. The ineffable RT News yesterday reported on the 'international' mayhem and on its impact on the heads of English fans. No mention, of course, that
the vicious attackers were Russian. See here for a commentary on the
attacks and their international context. This morning RT TV- taking
time off from its relentless attacks on Turkey and in normal martyr
mode - sees everything as more evidence that Russia is being treated
as an international punchbag. One wonders why. As usual, they had an
(unknown) western commentator to endorse their sense of victimhood.
Finally
. . . The Portuguese Camino: I've mentioned that there are many more
foreigners in Ponters this year than usual. Last night I had a
delightful dinner with 12 Californian 'pilgrims' (11 female and 1
male!) and it's suffice to note this is far more than the total
number of fellow pilgrims I and my colleagues met during the entire
Tui-Santiago stretch back in only 2010.
Another day, another nice pic from my eyrie - of a thin cloud hovering above the river Lerez down in Ponters city . . . And, as yet, no rain.
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