Taxation: I've
mentioned the appalling Modelo 720 statute several times and touched
on my own experience with it. Sometimes it seems that the Spanish
government – in its desperation to increase revenue – is
oblivious to the consequences on actual and potential investors in
Spain. Including those who bring their capital and income here as residents and those who are thinking of doing so. Click here for an article on
this.
SPANISH SOCIETY
Pigs: This, for example, is one of
the words you should avoid using in the context of the Spanish police
or Guardia Civil. For 'insulting' them is a (Francoist relic?) criminal offence. And you
don't need to do this face to face. From your bedroom is enough, as
this article shows. How would the Socialists Workers Party be able to stay in business here?
(Un)Employment: The EU
has thrown a huge spanner into the workings of what many say is the
Spanish two-tier labour system - some employees extremely protected;
some not protected at all. Click here for details. If there is to be
any change, it will – of course – be very slow in coming.
Plastic bags: No great surprise to hear that the Spanish use an average of 133 plastic bags a year, compared with 4 in Denmark. Bags are an obsession here, even for the smallest of items.
THE SPANISH ECONOMY
Dead White Elephants:
HT to Lenox for this article on the (always corrupt?) construction of
massive sports venues that now lie in ruins. Even if you can't read Spanish
you can enjoy the fotos.
Cartels: If you do read
Spanish, here's another article from Business Over Tapas, on the
illegal price fixing which keeps our prices up.
SPANISH POLITICS
Monarchical Interventions: The Spanish king is not
having much luck. He urged national politicians to get their act
together so that a government could finally be formed but the
headline next day was: Politicians ignore the king's words and use them to make accusations against each other. And then the hapless
monarch contributed his pennysworth to the Gibraltar imbroglio and was
immediately slapped down for his 18th century attitude. Click here
for more on this. He didn't mention Ceuta or Melilla, of course. Not
seeing these as 'colonial anachronisms'. A universal Spanish
blindspot.
LOCAL STUFF
A Low Bridge: I clocked this attempt to avoid crashes the other day when doing a day's camino. One inevitably wonders what happened after a truck knocked down the dangling strips and headed for the bridge. And why the strips haven't been replaced.
FINALLY
Heroes and Villains:
Funny, isn't it. Stalin and Hitler were monsters whom very few still
admire. So was Napoleon but the French still revere him.
Likewise, Henry VIII was another complete bastard but he's held in
great esteem by the English. Hard to explain.
Protecting Trump from
the Real Devil: You do have to laugh
PUBLIC SERVICE NOTICES
Flights to NW Spain
from the UK: Some good news – Monarch will have flights from Manchester next year. Of course, these won't be going to any of
Galicia's 3 'international' airports but to Oporto in North Portugal.
But you can be sure many of the passengers will be ending up here.
THE GALLERY
More examples of
Finnish/British nightmares:-
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