Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.
Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain
Spain- I see that 8 of Vox's 24 seats are occupied by women. Which is a bit of a surprise, until you read their profiles and conclude that most - if not all - are Catholics and, therefore, 'pro-life' and anti-feminist. It takes all sorts.
- The estimable Matthew Bennett argues here for constitutional change in the direction of a true federal state. As usual, I agree with him.
- Eye on Spain centres here on Galicia's best known white wine and here on one of Spain's best foods.
- I've now read Brett Heatherington's Slow Travels in Unsung Spain. I'll come back to it but, for now, 3 things I didn't know (or at least recall):-
- The city of Zaragoza(Saragossa) got its name from Caesaraugusta.
- The cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is one of numerous places claiming to have Jesus's foreskin. Perhaps he was a large chap.
- The Camino de Santiago was originally a pagan 'pilgrimage' to the end of the world - Finisterra. Where one's clothes were symbolically burnt. An old Catholic practice. Stealing pagan festivals, I mean. Not burning your vestments.
- Which reminds me . . . Galicia, Gales, Wales, Wallacia, Galatia, Walloons, Galata, Galway and those wandering/gandering Celts . . . See here.
- They say that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. I wonder how they'll define a Brexit designed by May and Corbyn, both of them fearful of a general election that the latter pretends to want. And desperate not to be ousted by their own MPs.
- Meanwhile . . . Voters could be forgiven for spontaneously self-combusting, says Politico here.
- Unfortunately, the whole business [of UK carbon reduction levels] is an exercise in vanity and hubris. The UK generates barely 1% of annual global CO2 emissions. So if we were, by magic, to become “carbon zero” by lunchtime tomorrow, it would mean — based on accepted links between manmade emissions and climate — an average global temperature (in 2040) about 0.005 degrees lower than if we had carried on with “business as usual”. Someone would need to tell the planet, as neither Gaia, nor indeed any of her inhabitants, would notice the difference. Except in their pockets in the latter case.
- Going into town at 8.20 last night, I was surprised to see the road blocks still in place, as well as the fences enclosing the lanes for runners. But then I saw a lone triathlon contestant making his slow way up from the market, impeded somewhat by a woman in front of him pushing a supermarket trolley. As the last runners had set out at 8.30am, the poor guy had been swimming, biking and running for almost 12 hours. But not continuously, I suspect.
- BTW . . . I see that athletics associations are among the few people these days brave enough to use the word 'elite'.
- Brett: If you're reading this, you might like to know that the price of €8 to get into the Cordoba Grand Mosque that you baulked at in 2014 had risen by 25% to €10 last spring. And might well be €12 by now. That money-grabbing RC church again! They'll be charging us to take a peek at JC's foreskin next. Oh, hang on . . .
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