Dawn

Dawn

Monday, February 13, 2017

Pontevedra Pensées: 13.2.17

I recently cited some expert who said changing the Spanish clock back to what it was before 1942 wouldn't change a thing about Spanish life and could well be counter productive. The nation seems to be willing to ignore his professional advice, if this report is accurate.

The Brits are leaving Malaga in droves, it's reported here. I can't help wondering whether the notorious Modeloo 720 is also a large factor in this developmet.

Because it was the first, the British national health service is more of a political hot potato here than anywhere else in 'socialist' Europe. Attitudes towards it are quite frankly ridiculous, every proposal to improve it being greeted with outraged accusations of 'privatisation'. It's an open secret – and has been for at least 20 years – that just chucking more money at it is not remotely the answer. Spending has doubled in the last 10 years but the service remains in crisis. But . . . Is there a cloud of common sense on the horizon, no bigger than a man's hand? On Andrew Marr's politics show yesterday, he uttered this long-obvious question: Are we at the point of needing to ask whether we should be doing things in another way? But I won't be holding my breath for a sensible answer. And using the superior – if still imperfect – Spanish system, which relies on a lot of private medical insurance, even for those of a Leftwards persuasion.

British university students have become so averse to being upset by anything at all while boozing their way through their courses that they are now routinely referred to as snowflakes. So, I wasn't surprised to read this yesterday: Fancy dress costumes have emerged as the latest battleground in student politics amid further evidence of curbs to freedom of expression and speech on university campuses. A new analysis shows that censorship has steadily increased at universities, with 94% of campuses having some restrictions on freedom of expression, up from 90% last year and 80% in 2015.

A bellringer in a English church got his foot caught in his rope and was hauled skywards 30 metres. This allows me to crack a joke I made about this possibiity many years ago . . . . Does this mean he was tolled off?

Finally . . . A reader - Perry? - has asked whether Hoylake isn't really on/in Deeside, rather than Merseyside. My mother would be much happier if this were the case and it weren't associated with Liverpool in any way – she was born and raised there – but here is the evidence that it is:-

MERSEYSIDE



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