Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.
Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain
Note: Two or three of the items below have been borrowed from Lenox Napier's Business Over Tapas of yesterday.
The Spanish Economy
- El País reports on growing pessimism here.
- HT to Lenox for the news that:-
- El Mundo reports that banks pay the best salaries, with up to €300,000 a year for executives.
- El Economista reports: Alert from the Bankers: The sector will die if it does not recover its prestige. The Asociación Española Bancaria recognises that ‘The main and most urgent challenge of the financial sector is its bad reputation, a consequence of the crisis and the continuous scandals over the malpractices of the past in the sale of products.’ Neither Lenox nor I are very surprised at these comments. 'Thieves in white gloves' is how Spanish bankers were described to me when I first came here. And their morals have not improved since. Not a problem unique to Spain, of course.
- Here's a surprise . . . The AVE high speed train from Madrid won't be arriving in Galicia 'by the end of 2019' but will certainly be here 'within a few months of 2020'. Meanwhile, it's reached the town of Pedralba, which has a population of 232 souls. So, an ideal spot for a high-speed train station. Maybe the mayor is related to someone in Madrid.
- A conversation in a pharmacy last evening:-
Could you give me some paracetamol, please?
Sure. One gram tablets?
Yes.
Are they for you?
Yes. But why is that important? Is is a question of maximum dose?
No. It's because a couple of months ago the government made it a prescription-only item. But since you've been here before a couple of times, I'm going to ignore that.
Do you know that in the UK it can be bought in supermarkets?
Yes. I was there visiting my sister and I just couldn't believe it.
So, that old 'personal factor' again - one of the most important aspects of Spanish life.
- The episode reminded me of my report a few weeks ago that doctors were so fed up with having to write endless prescriptions for analgesics that they were (falsely) labelling their patients' conditions as 'chronic '. Another aspect of Spanish life - bypassing personally inconvenient rules.
- But there are some things you can never bypass in Spain. Paperwork and the notary being 2 of these. I've just relinquished the executorship of my mother's estate to one of my sisters. A simple form from the UK government signed by me and witnessed by anyone at all. I fancy that the equivalent process here would have demanded at least copies of our ID documents validated by a notary. And would have take a lot longer. But I might be wrong, of course.
- Lenox Napier has a nice article on Spanish names here. We foreigners have endless problems with people - and, worse, computers - who/which can't get their heads round the fact we have only one surname and possibly 2 forenames. In the latter case, your second forename will always be regarded by people and machines as your first surname. If, indeed, they can find your name in their records in the first place. Endless fun guaranteed.
- Rosalia is a sort-of-flamenco singer, who's both revered and despised here in Spain. El País explains why here. And Lenox comments thus: Rosalia performs her song 'Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi' on YouTube here. Frankly, it may not help supply an entirely positive answer to the question of why she's despised. Hard to disagree with him. Maybe he and I are both just too old to appreciate the lady.
The USA/Nutters Corner
- A pastor says that Ffart will bring about 'the greatest spiritual awakening in history'. If so, God help us! But not his god, of course. God forbid!
Spanish
- Words of the Day:-
- Tirar. Six ways to use this versatile verb,
- An horrendous triple murder not far from Pontevedra has brought to light the phrase patria potestad - the authority/rights of a parent vis-a-vis his/her child(ren).
Finally
- Prospect magazine surveyed its readers on the global 50 Top Ten Thinkers. I've never heard of the winner - Iranian mathematician, Caucher Birkar - and am familiar with only 2 of the Top Ten - Great Thunberg(sic!) at 8, and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez at 9. This possibly means I'm not smart enough to read this magazine. Which is a shock, as I have a 3 year subscription . . .
- I guess Alfie Mittington will say he's heard of them all. As will Ffart, of course.
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