Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.
Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.
- Christopher Howse: 'A Pilgrim in Spain'
Covid
Worrying news: It’s reported - reliably? - that an unexpected side effect is found in 10% of patients who’ve overcome serious contagion - diabetes.
Even more worrying: While most European countries - and the USA - are seeing a decline in the death rate, Spain isn’t. See the 3 and 7 day averages here.
But some good news
Living La Vida Loca in Galicia/Spain
The Russians are coming. To some parts of the country anyway. Back to the past - a business concept that involves saving costs on rent, decoration, and personnel.
Spain’s democracy is said to be a little less ‘full’ that last time it was assessed. Covid hasn’t helped, of course.
My neighbour is having his garden fence replaced, involving the removal of huge chunks of granite. Yesterday someone was hitting one of these with a sledgehammer. When I suggested he put on safety glasses, both he and my neighbour laughed. And the latter's riposte was that the guy had 'true Galician eyes'. 'Different from everyone else's in the world, then?' I asked. To no reply.
A slice of country life from Lenox Napier.
And María's Tsunami, Day 10
See the article below - largely a Google translation - on the obstacles now facing Brits who want to move here. It's not impossible, course. Just more difficult. Back to the past again.
The UK and Brexit
Not a problem for some, it seems. It's an ill wind . . etc: Rapacious veterinary contract firms - known for hiring cheap, newly qualified foreign vets and hiring them out at top rates – the provision of a 'complete [EU documentation] service' is a license to print money. Hard-pressed companies desperately needing have incomprehensible EHCs for their consignments, are having to pay anything from £150-250 a time for each certificate. The government is footing the bill [other people's money, of course] for certifying food products destined for Northern Ireland, to the tune of £150 per document each time a certificate is needed. Very profitable opportunism at the expense of taxpayers
But, anyway, this answers my question about different coloured ink requirements . . . If loads are being delayed or rejected for "the wrong kind of colour", this is down to the official veterinarians. Who, being foreign, might not understand the clear instruction on the form to use a different coloured ink in some parts of the form. (For reasons unknown, by the way.)
These comments are taken from ¨Richard North's post of today, in which he concludes: This is bullshit. The Commission has completely lost sight of what they are trying to achieve. All it takes is a bent vet to sign off the form and take the money, to make a mockery of the system. . . . Interestingly, people now ask for Brexit "benefits". Well, what Brexit has done is expose us to the full force of a shitty system that we've been instrumental in supporting for the past 50 years (since before we joined). Inside the 'walls' of the Single Market, we have been shielded from the realisation of quite how bad it really is. Now we're exposed to the full horror of it, it might motivate us to do something about it. And pigs might take off.
The EU
More - from this article - on the debacle of the trip to Moscow of the EU’s ambassador: Rather than getting EU-Moscow relations back on track, Borrell’s visit drove them to a new low . . . German broadcaster Deutsche Welle said his visit was “perhaps the biggest shambles” in the EU’s short-lived history of international diplomacy. Some are now even calling for Borrell’s resignation. . . . The fact that Brussels appointed Borrell as its chief diplomat despite the central role he played in Spain’s post-referendum crackdown on Catalonia means that every time the EU wants to send a message on human rights, it risks facing ridicule. Not a great couple of weeks for Brussels.
The USA
This is video presented by the Democrats to the impeachment hearing. Shocking. And meant to be, of course.
The Way of the World
The devaluation of language. . . . A letter I received yesterday from a money exchange company I've used began thus:- Dear valued client. We are closing your account, as we have decided to focus on business clients only. Perhaps their spellcheck dropped the 'un' off 'valued'.
Spanish
A phrase and a word new to me:-
Llegar contrabajo: To be in work (Literally: To bring a double bass)
Cateto: Hick, hillbilly, country bumpkin.
English/Spanish Refrains
It's an ill wind that blows no good: No hay mal que por bien no venga
Finally . . .
If you’re thinking of checking your ancestry via a DNA test and hope to believe the results, you might want to view this first. And then select one of the better - but still far-from-perfect - options.
THE ARTICLE
Settling in Spain, "mission impossible" for the British after Brexit
As of December 31, they have to abide by the immigration regulations like other non-EU citizens.
Settling in Spain becomes an arduous and complicated task for the British after the UK's departure from the EU, effective December 31, since with it they have seen most of their privileges as community citizens disappear, such as receiving public health care, coming without having a job offer or moving without crediting financial resources to support themselves.
This is an issue on which experts in Immigration and British associations such as Brexpats in Spain coincide, which brings together more than 20,000 citizens of the United Kingdom who live on Spanish soil and who have been "fighting" to avoid the materialization of Brexit for the last four years. Although it is already a fact, there are those who have not yet assimilated the situation, says the Marbella lawyer and specialist in Immigration Ricardo Bocanegra, and many are upset at the procedures that they are now forced to do.
Accustomed to being citizens of the European Union, they have begun to feel like "foreigners in our country", says the Marbella lawyer, who considers that the real problem is not for those who are already here, but for those who want to come from now on.
Abide by the immigration rules like other non-EU citizens
From January 1, the British who are thinking of settling in Spain must abide by the provisions of the General Immigration Scheme, whose conditions are "very strict," says Bocanegra, and they will be required the same as any other non-citizen. community.
This means that they will have to prove, among other issues, that they have accommodation to stay, financial resources to support themselves if they do not work and medical insurance that provides them with health coverage equivalent to that provided by Social Security itself.
Their newly acquired status also affects everyday issues such as driving vehicles, since since there is no reciprocal recognition agreement between the two countries, British people who want to drive a car must obtain a valid driving license in Spain for what they will have to do the necessary tests and pass an exam.
This issue generates great discomfort, especially among those who already live here, since previously no process was necessary, while since the announcement of Brexit and until the end of the year the British driver's license could be exchanged for the Spanish one, but to those who move from now on there will be no other option but to be examined, adds Ricardo Bocanegra.
"No more coming to Spain to find a life"
For the youngest, "Coming to Spain to find a new life like I did is over," said Brexpats in Spain treasurer, said Sharon Hitchcock, who has lived on Malaga's Costa del Sol for more than thirty years, with regret.
When she moved, she did not need to have work lined up or prove she had resources that were "higher than the amount established each year by the General State Budget Law to generate the right to receive a non-contributory benefit" in order not to become a burden on Social Assistance in Spain ", indicates the website of the Ministry of the Interior; if not, otherwise it is complicated, according to the experts.
According to Hitchcock, the position in which Brexit has left them represents a change "for the worse" and a throwback to the 80s that is "very sad" and she insists that, as things are currently, the only people to move will be those who have significant financial backing.
This new situation - with difficult demands to cope with - does not favour British pensioners who wish to retire in Spain, a large percentage of whom to date used to settle in the areas of Malaga, Alicante, Mallorca or the Canary Islands, says the president of this entity, Anne Hernández.
The elderly have their pensions and many also have some savings, explains Hernández, which before the UK left the EU was enough to live here.
However, now they have to adapt to the new conditions and meet the strict requirements established by Spanish law, some of which are very difficult to assume - such as taking out medical insurance with coverage that, due to age and pathologies, is "almost impossible" for them to pay; or prove they have in the banks an amount of money that the majority do not have, concludes the president of Brexpats in Spain.
14 comments:
Post referendum crackdown? what role did Borrell play in it? I'd be interested to know. He was not in government at the time. Not in Madrid, not in BCN, not in Brussels, not anywhere. His "crime" was to be a catalan and voice opposition to independence. He is certainly not the greatest politician to strut the face of the earth. I remember and interview with him a few years ago with former BBC journalist Tim Sebastian. Sebastian was very confontational, but I have watched British politicians give as good as it takes with him. Borrell got emotional and threatened to leave the interview. I can't tell whether he was just unprepared and taken aback for such an agressive style of interrogation, or maybe questions about Catalonia touched a nerve, but I felt he could have handled that a lot better. Maybe he lacks the sangue froid, the devious cynism and dialectal agility of a Daniel Hannah or a Nigel Farage, He is too up front and possibly too honest, or simply, perhaps, he is just getting a bit senile, but the result was sorry to watch. Mind you, his English is clearly not good enough to counter-parry with a British journalist going for his jugular. His job in Moscow would have been less difficult if the EU was able to present a united front concerning Russia. But the EU is hopelessly divided on this issue. And even if it were united there is not that much it can do as long as the regime can continue using London, and other financial centres in the West, to launder its money. London is the biggest cesspit&laundromat in the world. Tackle that, and the Russians would start complying a lot more with EU demands.
I will ask the writer of the article and let you know what he says,
I agree about London. A huge scandal and long exposed on British TV, including the (criminal) roles of estate agents and law and finance firms there.
Re the shocking Democratic video. I watched it. Quote from Mein Kampf. "All propaganda must be presented in a popular form and must fix its intellectual level so as not to be above the heads of the least intellectual of those to whom it is directed."
That seems to be a low bar in the US Senate, Eamon . . .
Borrell went to Moscow to complain about a politician (and party leader) being spuriously locked up as a political prisoner.
In return, the Russian foreign minister asked tenderly after the sundry Catalonian politicians who were (then) cooling their heels in clink as 'political prisoners'.
A tricky question to answer.
Then in the UK, we have the most famous political prisoner of them all - Julian Assange.
@Anonymous: The writer's response: He raises some interesting points. I would like to respond to them but am snowed under with work right now. Will try to write a response in the next few days.
Veterinary Export documents:
Managing 500 comestible export container units a year, with an average 4 container deal - 125 vets documents
Doing it 15 years, never ever seen a vet physically present in a food factory
in Europe, South America or Asia
One of the office girls takes the form to the vets, and the vets secretary signs it for him��
When you receive an offer from a producer:
Produce Cost +
Handling Cost+
Transport Cost +
Docs, Vet Certificate, Certificate of origin etc
are all built into the costs
, or alternatively as a buyer, accept those costs in the price negotiation
Amusingly on the standard Spanish Vet Cert there's only room for 4 Container numbers.
So if 5+ containers
are in the deal a smart arse Vet might ask for twice the price
And smart arse traders tell the Vet to fuck off or i'll
go to the vet down the road
And that's the way the cookie crumbles
Many thanks for that. At first blush - I will re-read it now - it seems to fall well within North's description of 'shitty' . . .
Read it again. Had another laugh. The way of the world.
But did wonder who'd get copped for, say, rotten horse meat. Or any rotten meat.
Wasn't there a scandal not so long about about horse meat that had had its labels changed? Did any vet heads roll?
Yes it's a Joke, but it puts money in Vets pockets, their kids need to eat
If I was a vet I'd prefer to charge an exporter than a father of 3 putting down the family dog
The banks probably started it?
If you were a bank would you issue a Letter of Credit against a simple Invoice?
So with time a pack of documents becomes standard
-Commercial Invoice
-Packing list
-Veterinary Certificate
-Certificate of Origin
Most importers/exporters avoid LCs due to exorbitant Bank charges and choose to work on 30% pre payment, 70 % against copy documents by fax to start import clearance
Only an idiot would send the original documents by DHL prior to final payment
The system works well
Any UK exporter who wasn't prepared for this should go and put their trotters up?
'Any UK exporter who wasn't prepared for this should go and put their trotters up'.
Yes, I agree. And Richard North surely would too, as he constantly berates exporters for their ignorance on how the EU goes about dealing with Third World countries. Their big mistake, though, might have been to rely on poor government info/advice.
It's not as it they haven't had enough time to become knowledgeable about both the theory and the actual practice.
And all those export documents are registered
-Commercial Price
-Exporter
-Importer
The secret of good trading is finding who's processing /entering that data and finding out what his price is
And that's the way the cookie crumbles
You see as an importer/Exporter
I don't give a shit about vet bills, that's a small percentage of cost
I have issues with port authorities collecting and collating commercial information for the purpose of Government economic reports, GDP etc
Such information susceptible to being hacked or traded
The guy here does seem to have a vet problem. Finding enough of them, if not the cost of them . . .
http://eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=87882
But . . . "what is wearily familiar to the regulatory afficionado [i. e. Richar North] is the predictability of it all, combined with the shocked naivety of the victims, typified by the comment that, "it's scandalous that the governments are allowing this to happen"."
Thing being "inspected not once, but twice by vets is a ridiculous state of affairs that is so much of the "new normal" that the absurdity of the vet's role is not specifically picked out."
"But this "new normal" is the way it was always going to be and if the media – and government – had been doing their jobs properly, nothing of this should have come as a surprise." As you said too.
"Untrammelled by logic or sense, courageous vets will continue to guard the fragile Europeans against the ravages of rogue ravioli, and other perils."
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