Dawn

Dawn

Saturday, June 03, 2017

Thoughts from Galicia: 3.6.17

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.
- Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain.
Life in Spain:-
  • There do seem to be quite a lot of sensitive people and organisations in Spain. Some chap who put his face in place of Christ's is being investigated by the police for the crime of upsetting some theists. But it could be worse; if you're a Guardia Civil officer and you insult your sergeant, you face a prison sentence.
  • Politically, things really are bad when your top anti-corruption prosecutor has his integrity widely questioned and is forced to resign. See here for details on this.
  • The chief investigator for narcotics in Segovia has been arrested. Speaks for itself.
  • According to a judge who was removed for being too good at his job: In Spain there is no separation of powers between the legislative, judicial and executive authorities. And the Consejo General del Poder Judicial [which supervises the judiciary] serves its political masters. Who'd have thought it?
  • Spain is infamous for its nepotism and croneyism. So it wasn't too surprising to read that: The real estate company of José María Aznar’s son is doing well despite only having three clients: Bankia​, Cajamar and Sareb, better known as the 'bad bank'. The company is said to have made €31.3m last year. Getting towards Tony Blair levels. Nice work, if you can get it. 
  • Spain is also infamous for its paperwork. Of which this report is a nice example:- HT to Lenox of Business Over Tapas for it: The world’s leading expert on Velásquez and the 'Siglo de Oro' is Peter Cherry, professor at Trinity College in Dublin, and he was applying to join the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas here in Spain. But it’s no use being listed and documented on the internet, if your paperwork is not in order, you aren't going to be accepted.
  • It's good to see the police being even-handed. Not only are they now going to force cyclists to obey the relevant rules, they're also going to be tougher on drivers who maltreat them, especially those who crash into and occasionally kill them. Not before time.
  • Here's one view of our governing party: The PP is a right-wing, conservative and Christian Democratic party, very closely linked to the church through its sects such as the Opus Dei, the Legionaries of Christ, or Neocatechumenal Way. However, it is very different from similar parties in Europe. Here, the PP acts as an organized criminal gang. The huge number of corruption cases has exhausted the dictionary; so it is hard to find words to name the new plots that keep appearing. If that wasn’t enough, corruption cases from the use of public funds to make a personal profit - accumulating millions and millions of euros, and sparing no means of financial engineering to reach their goal - have been added other scams in which robberies have occurred to the public treasury to finance elections - illegal financing to play with an unfair advantage - with even the President of the Government Mariano Rajoy involved.
Locally . . . It's no great surprise to read that motoring fines this year are 12% up on last year's total. Or that only1% of prosecutions for corruption in Galicia involve the private sector. Is there anyone is a position of power in the public sector in Spain who isn't on the take?

Nor is it a huge surprise that witnesses in the big drugs trial taking place here in Pontevedra this week withdraw their testimonies.

Finally . . .  After I'd taken delivery of the two unwanted LPs/albums last Tuesday, I took one to an IT shop and asked them to make a CD copy. Stupidly, I assumed this 50 minute operation would allow it to be ready by the time I needed it 4 days later. And the guy didn't tell me that he wouldn't have the equipment until this weekend and that the CD won't be ready until next Tuesday, a week after I requested it. Will I never learn?

Today's cartoon:-




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