Dawn

Dawn

Sunday, November 18, 2018

Thoughts from Hamburg, Germany: 18.11.18

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.
                                                                                                - Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain. 

If you've arrived here because of an interest in Galicia or Pontevedra, see my web page here. Garish but informative.

Matters Spanish
  • I wonder if I will ever get to try any of this.
  • I see Atlantis has finally been found, again.
  • Among some old papers, I found a blow-by-blow account of a World Cup football match between Spain and South Korea, watched in a Pontevedra bar. In 2002. Some of the things I noted:-
- Constant noise. Do Spaniards know how to stop talking?
- It's as if we were in the crowd at the match. Every good decision is applauded.
- Every move instantly analysed.
- Humour constant.
- Penalties looming. Hearts in mouth every time Korea comes forward.
- Terror now of last minute Korean goal. Even Spanish throw-ins are applauded.
- Extra time. Golden goal. Tangible, palpable tension. Cursing and swearing reach new heights.
- Second goal disallowed. Replays. Utter disbelief. Furore.
- Agitation refuses to die.
- Crowd now turning a little nasty. Every mistake by Spain now triggers an outpouring of Latin scorn.
- The air is purple with swear words I know and probably several more.
- Nil-nil final score. Penalty shoot-out
- Korea win the shoot-out and – unexpectedly and utterly undeservedly – go into the semi-finals while Spain goes into mourning.
- In eerie silence and with immense finality, the bar empties in less that 2 seconds.
At least the final comment answers the question posed in the first.

The EU
  • So long as the political elites in France and Germany aimed at a Bundesrepublik Europa, Brexit was both inevitable and necessary. Now that we are leaving, however, European integration has ground to a halt. With the election of populist governments, it may even be going into reverse. So, why leave now, one might ask, especially on the terms on offer.
Brexit
  • Some pertinent overviews:-
- The only thing that is now absolutely certain about Brexit is that what we voted for in the referendum was not the utter chaos we are looking at today.
- Of course it would be better to remain in the EU than to accept this appalling “deal” – which is not in fact a deal but merely a precondition for a possible one. 


- The Withdrawal Agreement is not a “start”, as Mrs May keeps saying. It’s the end. [of Brexit].
- This is the place at which we were always meant to arrive: the destination determined from the outset by the select group of people who decide these things. 
- The choice of “this deal or no deal” is a complete red herring. The Remainers will stop banging on about a second referendum – which is a non-starter – and demand instead an extension of Article 50. This is a request that Brussels should happily accept.

The USA
  • Nice article on Fart and authoritarianism here.
Spanish
English
  • Here's a list of words that the author says don't exist and are untranslatable. But then goes on to translate them . . .
© [David] Colin Davies 

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