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

The Bank Of Spain estimates that 17% of Spanish households – 1.6m – which can’t meet essential expenses is 376,000 up on 4 years ago. The table I cited the other day on poverty suggests these are very largely immigrant families. As does the foto in this article.

Here’s Lenox Napier, in his Spanish Shilling blog, on the institution pf mayor-dom. For some/many incumbents, a wealth-creating opportunity.

Here in Galicia, we have several wild-horse-roundups during the summer, as a prelude to tail-and-mane-cutting and, possibly, de-worming and branding. These are called As rapas das bestas. Most don’t see any foreign attendees but the biggest and most well-known of them is the (very tourist-oriented) one that takes place in Sabucedo – featured in this article. Its USP is the wrestling of mares to the ground, prior to the shearing, which is quite spectacular/dangerous. And possibly on a limited life-line.

If there’s anything sadder than seeing thousands of camino ‘pilgrims’ walking through Pontevedra city without taking time to look around its glorious old quarter, it’s seeing most of them walk down Rúa Real without looking at anything at all, apart from their mobile phones. Presumably not trusting the yellow arrows on the walls or the brass conches below their feet and, so, are checking with Google or whatever.

As the name might suggest, The Olive News is a newspaper oriented to the South. So much so that it thinks Pontevedra is in the North East of Spain . . . I say ‘as the name suggests’ but, ironically, Vigo is known as The Olive City.

The Netherlands

Another sign of the times . . . The Dutch coalition government has suddenly collapsed over the issue of restricting immigration.

The EU

From that article . . . The fact that EU initiatives [on immigration] have failed to reassure a sizeable segment of the Dutch electorate that the situation is under control, even as both Poland and Hungary are challenging the Commission’s migration policy, says something for the disarray in the EU. One might also note that the recent French riots also had a migration dimension, adding to an already stressful situation, making this issue one of the most contentious currently affecting the EU.

UK

The kickback . . . Brits are thinking of revolting, it seems. In London, protests are growing against the mayor’s extension of his anti-car scheme to the outer suburbs. This is said to be arguably Britain’s first real anti-green citizens’ revolt. And that: There have been flickerings of similar protests in cities like Cambridge, which are contemplating their own demented anti-car schemes. The same is true of similarly poorly-thought proposals in Oxford and Manchester.

(A)GW/Energy/Net Zero

Says the FT: EU capitals that want to see faster work on tackling climate change are concerned that if the PP comes to power in Spain in July,¡ at the helm of the presidency, it will stymie all green legislation files on the EU’s agenda. The party’s leader has said that renewable energy capacity is not as abundant as the Spanish PSOE PM makes out and that one of his priorities is to make sure Spain has the power to support heavy industry, which would mean delaying the closure of nuclear plants. Asked if he was saying the green transition was happening too quickly, he said: “No. The goal is to make the transition more efficiently.”

Quote of The Day

Despite all the hippyish, faux-Left trappings, Just Stop Oil is the most reactionary movement to hit Britain’s streets for some time. The demand that we ditch oil and gas, in the midst of a crushing cost-of-living crisis, the pain of which is being borne disproportionately by the most hard-up, is a demand that we push people into poverty so as to appease Mother Earth. That we put the quasi-spiritual beliefs of well-to-do greens ahead of the living standards of working-class people. It is a policy that is both barmy and unbelievably cruel. This is not really an environmental movement; it’s a doomsday cult. More here.

Spanish

Just in case you’re unaware and were confused by Lenox’s blog post above, a puti-club is a brothel. Usually displaying a (suggestive) name in pink or purple neon lights. Also called just un club. And to be found on the edge of nearly all Spanish towns, it seems. The biggest and most famous are up near the French border in Cataluña. For obvious reasons.

Finally . . .

My thought exactly . . .

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 – updated a bit in early July 2023.