Awake, for morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts the stars to flight.

And, lo, has caught the sultan’s turret in a noose of light!

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable

Christopher Howse: ‘A Pilgrim in Spain’

Cosas de España

There is little doubt, it’s claimed here, that the Spanish electorate is currently moving to the Right, in line with much of the rest of Europe. [Though not the UK.] Spain has gone through a period of political regression while no one was watching. Essentially, a reaction to feminism and the policies of the left-wing coalition of the PSOE and (United)Podemos. [Not to mention the Sumar newcomer on the block]. Spain has suffered a process of conservative cultural and political backsliding as a reaction to the implementation of ambitious rights policies, especially in the fields of equality, LGTBQ+ rights and feminism. . . Feminism has been the main essence of the reactionary conservative radical right’s resurgence, serving to establish a narrative that the government is distanced from the concerns, interests and needs of what some believe to be the majority of society. According to the extreme right’s sociological blueprint, this majority is, in fact, white, heterosexual, middle-class or working-class men. And the leader of Vox might be a vice-president of the government after the July elections . . .

If you’ve lived in Spain over recent years but not in a cave, you’ll have found it hard not to see the name José Manuel Villarejo – aka The King of the Sewers – in the media. Or to have remained unaware that he has been involved in some very murky business, both for and against the governments of at least the last 30 years. But I, for one, have never really understood what he was all about. So, a big thanks to Lenox Napier of Business over Tapas for citing this New York Times article. Which he, rightly, describes as an astonishing read. Incidentally, ‘sewer’ in Spanish is cloaca. I guess I’m not the first person to see that it resembles Moncloa, where the PM has his residence and offices. Lenox will know.

The final foto from Carabanchel . . . An impressive facade which I thought might once have fronted an indoor market but which, in fact, was a salt warehouse. And is now a Centre for Seniors. The salt was used for de-icing the roads, before (A)GW, when Madrid was really cold in the winter:-

Germany

So, the UK is not the only country where the populace is unhappy with the trains. And my old frind in Hamburg tells me it’s going to get worse.

The Way of the World

From a chap who seems to know what he’s talking about: There is currently a movement known as “red pill” that is handicapping young people and dooming them to a lifetime of failed relationships. They’re the disease presenting themselves as the cure. I talk [here] about why they’re wrong and provide some actual guidance from my relationship experience, which is longer than most of the lives of the red pill content creators themselves. Creepy incels, it seems.

English

The importance of punctuation . .

• . . . Unidas Podemos, or United We Can party.
• . . . Unidas Podemos (‘United We Can’) party.

Spanish

A warning . . . Re eldiario.es, favoured by Lenox:-

• Wiki Spanish: Su línea editorial ha sido definida como «volcada hacia la izquierda, en general orientada hacia una audiencia joven y con formación académica» y adscrita a «posicionamientos republicanos».
• Wiki English: The publication is aimed at a target market of the academic left. The political agenda has been described as “progressive”.

Not at all the same. Twice.

Did you know?

There are 4 odd things about this chocolate-biscuit bar:-

• It’s named after an ex British colony
• It’s Argentinean in origin and not on sale in Spain.
• It ended up in my daughter’s fridge, and
• These days it show 4 health warnings on the front of it . .

Finally . . .

To amuse. A nice definition:-

For new readers:- If you’ve landed here looking for info on Galicia or Pontevedra, try here. If you’re passing through Pontevedra on the Camino, you’ll find a guide to the city there.