Thoughts from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain: 4.12.19

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

                  Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain

Spanish Politics  

• It's reported that the far-right Vox party has even attracted some previous socialist party PSOE supporters. Hard to understand. Especially when you read articles like this one. Is it too much to hope Vox will rise and fall as quickly as Ciudadanos? After all, such is the complexity of Spain's political scene, just about everything is possible. Or nothing, when it comes to getting. functioning government.

The Spanish Economy

• The collapse of Thomas Cook hit Spain hard. Hotel occupation was 2% down in October.

Galician Life

• This is an old foto taken from Pontevedra's Plaza de Curros Enriquez:-

And here's the same view today. As in nearly all other fotos of Pontevedra's old buildings, a floor has been added to the place on the left. This has also lost a third of its total, possibly by fire. Whatever the reason, it's given the modern building a rather odd, lanky appearance:-

I trust everyone appreciates the pun around the name of the language school on the first floor. Nothing to do with me; the owner is an Irish lady. BTW . . . The drogeuría at the front and the farmacia at the side are not the same place. The former deals in cosmetics, OTC products and knick-knacks. The latter, in drogas/medicamentos.

• Right now it's hard to believe but it's alleged that, with an annual total of 1,472 hours of sun - Pontevedra could meet 100% of its energy requirements via solar panels. The current total is 5-15%. Way to go.
• The Galician government - La Xunta - has cultural centres all over the world. There's one in each of the UK, France, Portugal and Belgium. But in Germany there are 9 and in Switzerland, 12. No idea why but it might be connected with the numbers of Galician emigrés.
• There was a feature recently in the local press on one of the super-fast speedboats favoured by smugglers to bring drugs from a large vessel into our coves. The aspect that fascinated me was the large picture of the Virgin del Carmen in the middle of it.
• Here's the car of the drugged-up imbecile who was hit by a train on the railway tracks in Abegondo earlier this week, looking like you'd expect it to:-

• I know now why I was woken by a helicopter the other morning. There was a massive multi-force raid on the gypsy settlement below my barrio, involving not just the national police but also Guardia civil officers armed with sub-machine guns. As per this pic:-

I should point out that the woman in the foreground is not about to hit the GC officer with a sword; she's carrying a dustpan in her right hand to go with the brush in her left. Anyway, there were several arrests - for drug(heroin) trafficking offences, of course - both there and, oddly, in a shoe shop in the city centre. 

 The UK 

• It's reported that 13 ex bankers have been jailed in Italy over a scandal that necessitated the state bailout in 2017 of the world's oldest bank, Monte Dei Paschi di Siena. In the USA there have been similar jailings. Whereas in the UK: No senior bankers have been jailed for their actions before, during or after the 2008 financial crisis.

The USA

• You'll all recall that Carly Simon song You're so vain. Well, satirist Craig Brown has put words into the mouths of various folk, including Ffart, here:-

All too plausible, ain't it? The essence of good satire.

• The man is is London this week attending a NATO conference, in the middle of a British general election campaign. Unsurprisingly, the Conservatives are worried about the effect of his inane ex cuffo remarks. Because: To say the president has a habit of making comments that aren’t necessarily helpful to his friends is a bit like saying our PM has a habit of hanging out with women who aren’t necessarily his wife. It keeps happening, and it may be compulsive, and a lot of people get screwed.

The Way of the World

• From Private Eye:-

 Spanish   

• Phrase of the Day: Tomar el testigo. To pick up the baton. As in taking over from a drug baron in your barrio who's currently a tad hampered  by being in jail.

Finally . . .

• It's not only Renfe. The Correos tracking page also tells you virtually every time you try to use it that they can't deal with your request. But at least with Correos, if you immediately try again, it changes its mind. Which isn't true of Renfe and it's much longer ticket-buying process.