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

Three sharp intakes of breath this morning . . .

• The judge investigating the dreadful rain crash outside Santiago de Compostela 10 – yes, 10 – years ago – has acquitted the ADIF company director responsible for safety of all responsibility for the 80 deaths and laid the blame entirely on the driver and the guard.
• One of Vox’s regional leaders avers that “gender-based violence doesn’t exist; violence against women doesn’t exist”. It turns out he was sentenced to prison some years ago for this offence. So he really should know better.
• Another senior Vox politician has tweeted that women “are more belligerent because they lack a penis”.

As someone has written here: Feijóo may yet persuade enough undecided voters to back him next month to exclude Vox from government but it will require all the skills of a trapeze artist.

At the macro level, Spain’s economy continues to do well compared with other EU members and the rate of inflation is said to be the 3rd lowest of the 27 members. I can’t say I understand why. Or even fully believe it. Perhaps the numbers will be different when ‘rocketing mortgage and credit card repayments’ click in – ‘given that their increases are disproportionately high compared with all other price rises in the country’.

At the international level, the Spanish state has taken over from Venezuela as the world’s largest non-payer of arbitration awards against it. One of these centres on the Prestige oil disaster of 21 years ago. I wonder if another relates to the vast EU flax fraud of 24 years ago, involving the Spanish Minister for Agriculture.

My impression is that most Spaniards still think all British tourists are hooliganes. So, if I were German, I’d be upset to hear that the residents of Mallorca now put our Teutonic cousins in the same box.

Some folk love to hear the sound of the first cuckoo of spring. In contrast, I dread hearing the first bloody accordionist of the summer. Which happened today . . .

But now . . . The really bad news. The VdG warns us, as we head into summer: No big bargains . . . Summer is arriving [from 21 June] and, with it, the seasonal sales. But this year, traders assure us, they’ll be “a little watered down[descafeinadas]”, impeded by inflation and the general election period. As ever, the latter will reduce consumption. So, discounts will be “not very aggressive”, as the textile trade has been fighting for months against increases in the cost of raw materials.

UK

The UK’s dysfunctional housing market has long been a key source of instability in the wider economy.  Britain has been afflicted by this curse for more than 50 years and the undying obsession with house prices has left the economy dangerously exposed. More here.

The EU

Back the 1980s, the UK’s 2 main political parties switched views on ‘Europe’, to where they’ve been every since. But now comes this (hell of a) prediction: Something similar to that 1980s swap of positions could happen over the next decade. With the rise of the continental populist Right, the EU is likely to be transformed into an anti-woke conservative bloc.. Bone fleshing-out here. Can it be ruled out? After all: A week is a long time in politics, said one British PM, famously,

Spanish

I really dislike being addressed as Usted, in the 3rd person singular. And I never do it to others. But, talking about this with a Spanish friend last night, I was surprised to be told this was still the correct form when ordering something in a place I’ve never been to before. Instead of my customary Me pones un vino tinto, I should be saying Póngame un vino tinto. I wonder if that’s the universal Spanish view. Though I’m sure it is that I really don’t need – Brit style – to add Por favor. And I guess I should be saying Cóbreme and not Cóbrame.

Did you know?

There are people in the world kind enough to offer on a free psychic reading. One just has to click on a link in one’s email. You’d think psychics would know who’s going to respond and who isn’t.

Finally . . .

Ain’t life funny? Two days ago, I was ever-so-slightly disappointed to see that readership was 20% below the daily average. But then yesterday was was a record, at at almost 50% above. I’m wondering if many of the new readers are permanent or only all the numerous US folk I’m showing round Pv city’s old quarter in October . . Vamos a ver. As of 6-15pm, the signs are actually encouraging. 🙂

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.