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/Galicia

Politics: That amnesty and the next administration

• Eight political parties totalled179 votes, allowing Pedro Sánchez to be sworn in yesterday as President of the Government. The legislature is expected to be full of tensions and very difficult, since it must keep the support of these very disparate parties united if it wants to move forward with its initiatives.
• Sánchez, 51, told parliament on Wednesday that he was “making a virtue out of necessity”. Acknowledging the uproar, he said: “I am very aware of this and I want to say to all of [the critics] that I respect their opinions and their emotions enormously. But the circumstances are what they are.” Right-wing lawmakers shouted “shameless” and “liar” as he spoke. Which wouldn’t be allowed in the Mother of Parliaments . . .
• Lenox Napier gives us his informed view here.
• And María offers her views from a small Galician village here or here – on the recent weather and on the amnesty affair. The biggest problem about all this, she says, is that political life is becoming more and more polarized. From political to public life is a small step. The ultras have been given a sign, by the existence of Vox, that it’s okay to hate. That is what scares me, most of all.

Talking of Spanish politics . . . This was a letter in the VdG this week. Sir; The resignation of the Portuguese Prime Minister has made me very envious.That the fiscal authorities there could initiate a judicial process against him for alleged prevarication and corruption says much about the justice system of our neighbour. That the prime minister shoud resign as a consequence of the damage perpetrated shocks me because it is the diametric opposite of what happens in Spain, where justice and politicisation go hand in hand to an unimagibale extent. There’s also surprise because, even when discovered, our public representatives – whether in the national or regional governments or in the opposition – shelterin their posts, in the expectation that a pardon, an amnesty or judicial compassion will exempt them from imprisonment, or at least provide them with compensation.

The EU’s has an €800bn post-pandemic recovery fund. Hard to believe but one recent beneficiary here in Spain was a shop called Tienda Falangista, which sells fascist-themed gifts, such as Playmobil figures made to look like Falangist fighters of the civil war and children making the fascist salute, plus clothes with the Falangist badge. The distributing body confirmed the shop had received €2,000, as it didn’t violate the Spanish “historical memory” law passed to deal with the legacy of the civil war and because We can’t discriminate for ideological reasons against a company that operates legally in the market

As I’ve noted before, the Pv city retail scene is in constant flux, though with more shops closing than opening, it seems to me – even in Rua Réal, the camino route through the old quarter. One shop there which has defied the trend – despite never appearing to have any customers – sells stuff for hirsute men. And strange T-shirts. The owners appear to be a very hairy man and a violently-red-haired woman. I won’t be surprised to see it close.

Well, at last no water dripping from the balcony early this morning. And, now, the first sun in 5 weeks. There is an upside to this – it’s pretty easy to pull the weeds out of my drenched lawn. That said, would they have proliferated so much without 5 weeks of endless watering?

Germany

My old friend in Hamburg tells me this is a very serious development, causing a crisis in Germany: The recent German court decision about the 2021 budget was issued by the Federal Constitutional Court on 15 November. It ruled that the government’s plan to use €60 billion of unused debts from the pandemic era to fund its climate and transformation fund was unconstitutional because the government had violated the principle of budgetary autonomy and the constitutional requirement of balanced budgeting. The consequences of this ruling are significant for the new coalition government led by Olaf Scholz, who had made the climate and transformation fund a key part of his agenda. The government will have to find alternative sources of financing for its green initiatives and industry support, or revise its spending plans altogether. The ruling also delays the approval of the 2024 budget, which was supposed to be decided by the parliament on 16^th November. The government will have to present a new draught budget that complies with the court’s decision and the constitutional limits on borrowing. The ruling could also have implications for the EU’s recovery fund, which relies on the German contribution and ratification. I doubt that Messrs Xi and Putin have such problems with pesky courts.

In addition, tensions are said to be high ahead of the 85^th anniversary of Kristallnacht.

It’s not easy to run a large modern state. You have to be at least half-crazy to want to do it. Or a pathological narcissist, of course.

Russia

A Russian woman has been jailed for 7 years for replacing supermarket price labels with messages against the war in Ukraine. Maybe she’ll be let out after merely 5, for good behaviour away from supermarkets, behind bars. Or between them, as they say in Spain – entre rejas.

The USA

Formula One suffered a shambolic start to its debut outing on the Las Vegas strip as 2 cars were seriously damaged during first practice, forcing an end to the practice session after only 8 minutes. Carlos Sainz stopped on the track after his Ferrari hit a drain cover at 200mph. Not just farcical but very dangerous. No wonder the drivers are angry about a race they say has been turned into a ‘show biz’ event. Well, it is the USA . . .

The Way of the World

Some folks feel that treaties negotiated in the post WW2 era demand revision, as they make it impossible, in an era of much higher migration, to control national borders. Britain is not alone, it’s said, in being stuck in a legal trap. Germany, Denmark, Italy and Austria are all in the process of trying to come up with their own “Rwanda-type” policies. While this might well be a valid criticism of humanitarian treaties ‘born out of war and atrocities in Europe’, it’s difficult to see international bodies ever being willing to revise them. Too many lawers, for a start.

Iran

Further to my comments on the history of the Persian Empire(s), I recommend 2 podcasts – here and here – on the achievements of Cyrus The Great and his successors. There’s mention of Persepolis. I was lucky enough, back in 1974, to be able to wander around this astonishing place very early one morning, totally alone. Long before it became the tourist target it is now. And I also visites all the other sites mentioned, including Cyrus’s tomb. Back then, this lay in a field, totally unkempt. Rather like this:-

But it’s since been tarted up and is now rather more kempt. And it’s become a rallying point once a year for opponents to the Mullahs who (mis)govern modern Persia. But I bet they’re not allowed to climb up the steps, as I did . . .

By the way . . . The author taking part in the podcasts is Welsh and has the lovely lilt of that language. I often claim that the music of Welsh is similar to what other Spaniards hear with Gallego speakers. Possibly because they both have Celtic roots. Just a guess.

Finally . . .

From Futility Closet . . Worldly Wisdom: Proverbs from around the world:

• Gray hair is a sign of age, not wisdom. (Greek)
• A smiling face is half the meal. (Latvia)
• Fear has big eyes. (Russia)
• Adversity makes a man wise, not rich. (Romania)
• The child tells what is in the house. (Albania)
• Love makes time pass; time makes love pass. (France)
• Rivalry of scholars advances wisdom. (Yiddish)
• The seeds of the day are best planted in the first hour. (Dutch)
• It is easier to criticize art than to create it. (Spain)
• A house does not rest upon the ground, but upon a woman. (Mexico)
• All fear is bondage. (England)
• Nature is better than a middling doctor. (China)
• The miles are longer at night. (German)
• Respect is given to wealth, not to men. (Lebanon)
• If everyone swept in front of his house, the whole town would be clean. (Poland)
• Even the handsome are divorced. (Egypt)
• “With art and knavery we live through half the year,” the Italians say. “With knavery and art we live through the other.”

The Usual Links . . .

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.

For those thinking of moving to Spain:- This is an extremely comprehensive and accurate guide to the challenge, written by a Brit who lives in both the North and the South and who’s very involved in helping Camino walkers.