Thoughts from Galicia, Spain: 2.5.19

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable. 

                  Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain

Note: As it's Thursday, a couple of the items below have been borrowed from Lenox Napier's Business Over Tapas 

Spain

• It seems the PP party had realised how disastrous it was to chase the far-right vote and to compete with Vox to see who could be the most extreme. And 'nationalist'. The party leader has already started to openly row back towards the centre. Possibly in the hope he won't be defenestrated one day soon.
• Although the PSOE didn't get an absolute majority in the lower house, it did manage this in the Senate, ending 25 years of PP party control. And taking the number of its seats there from 43 to 139, out of a total of 266. The PP saw its total fall from 130 to just 56.
• The new parliament, says The Local, is the most 'feminist' ever. I think they mean 'female'.
• Here, also from The Local, for those who aren't already tired of the various analyses, are some impressive maps of the election results.
• But, if you are indeed already tired of politics, you need to heed this comment from Lenox: We won’t know for a while how the new government will be formed, and certainly not who will be the ministers; but, with the local, European and regional elections all still ahead, we do know one thing - It’s not over yet.
• The Olive Press follows up here on the issue of child obesity in Spain. It's not really our fault, say the parents.
• Readers might recall that, when I re-visited the Alhambra around this time last year, there were reports circulating of irregularities there. It's now reported that the ex-director is accused, along with 2 others, of jiggery-pokery around the provision of the audio guides, to the tune of a mere  €7-12m. Having sticky palms is still a widespread problem in Spain, even if - after the PP's fall from grace (as it were) - political parties are suffering a little less from it these days. Possibly.
• Final elections tidbit, from Lenox: A nun from an old people’s home in Bilbao was detained by the police after she was discovered to be filling her charges' envelopes with voting slips for the PP. 

The EU

• I was reading yesterday that, although there are increasing reports of corruption at the corporate (and even the political) level in Germany, no citizen would ever be expected to bribe anyone for anything. Rather like here, I thought. And so the corruption goes pretty unnoticed on the world stage. Unlike with, say, Italy and Greece, whose reputations are far worse. Possibly undeservedly so.

The USA

• Being the Attorney General there is no barr to prevaricating and even lying, it seems. 
• Some of you will realise that I had to fight my spellcheck to get that sentence accepted. 

English

• Odd Old Word: Celibataire: 'Bachelor'. Another one we should bring back.

Finally . . .

• Well, I got 2 takers for my guide to Pontevedra city. Double what I expected. And I managed to thrust it on 2 couples last night, one on the camino and one here for the athletics championship. Today I will put an ad in all the 'pilgrim' albergues between here and Valença in Portugal, offering a 2 week 'Free Offer', after which I'll publish it on the net. And this time next year I'll be a millionaire. When I can quit writing this blog, despite the huge income it brings me . . .