Colin Davies

17 December 2023

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

I might already have cited this article, in which it’s – correctly – said: Driving schools in Spain are physical premises, and state-run, with official cars and instructors who are employed via the public-sector recruitment channels. This means their fees and other procedures are usually similar across the board. Could this possibly mean it’s effectively a cartel, as I’ve previously claimed? Anyway, here’s a 2nd article on the subject.

The ever-increasing popularity of Spain . . .

So . . . Will Spain one day be 90% foreigners?

The UK

The economy is doing rather better than predicted, it seems. Though it’s hardly roaring away.

I pray that this “welcome step in the right direction” happens here in Pv city too.

The EU

If the EU fails to protect its borders, we’re all doomed, says this British historian.

The USA

When the New York Times lost its way . . . And this is a follow-up article based on an interview with the author.

(A)GW/Energy/Net Zero

This (British) columnist takes the side of developing countries who are against the rapid phase-out of fossil fuels.

Quotes of the Day

  • The problem of illiberal liberalism is not confined to America.
  • Social media has been terrible for journalism. It started well as a source of ideas — a digital conversation — but it pretty quickly became a weapon for enforcing orthodoxy.

The Way of the World

We’re on the way to a peak global population of 10.4bn, it says here. Assuming Global Roasting doesn’t do for at least some of us before then, of course.

Corruption in the West, says this columnist, is different from elsewhere – subtler and more insidious. You gain a sense from the sheer number of politicians who pass through the revolving door and earn huge sums of money from companies over which they once had regulatory oversight; how political parties are funded by an ever smaller number of mega-donors; how those who chair public committees and tribunals know that their elevation to the peerage is in the gift of those over whom they sit in judgment. Certainly, both the UK and Spain feature this form of corruption.

Social Media

When it comes to teenagers using apps such as Instagram, Snapchat and TokTok, the genie is already out of the bottle, says this columnist.

Did you know? . . .

I was sure I heard a Moroccan version of Another Brick in the Wall at lunch today in Dukela. Bing came up with nothing but Perplexity came up with:Yes, there are Moroccan and Arabic versions of “Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd. So, there you go. This is one Arabic version.

Finally . . .

At 19 degrees C in my salón, my nose freezes, at least in winter. At 20 it doesn’t. My underfloor heating system rarely achieves the latter. Even with a new boiler, it seems. Life can be hell.

This had been one of those (rare) days when, late in the day, I realise I haven’t polished and published a draft written much earlier. Apologies to anyone who needs them.

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.

5 comments

  1. Prices at driving schools are not all the same. There’s a typical tuition rate, to learn the manual and pass the theoretical exam, and then there’s the driving lessons. Most schools have similar tuitions, but change drastically with the driving lessons. Our daughter went to a school in Santiago. It turned out cheaper than if she had gone here (Besides which, she was living in Santiago and also wanted to gain experience within a city.). What is the same for everyone are the fees charged by Tráfico for the theoretical exam and the practical exam.

    Of course, aside from prices, are the instructors. There was a school slightly cheaper than the one she chose, but the instructor was not known for his empathy with nervous teenagers.

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    • I have read several articles in the last couple of years, which spoke about the huge difference in lesson costs across the country. Madrid being very expensive, Galicia amongst the cheapest. I always found the thing where the driver takes 3 people out at a time quite weird. Does/Did that happen in the States?
      I passed my motorbike A2 licence first time. After 2 years I did the A. Now that is a con. Cost 300, just a half day of theory and a day near Teixeira prison learning stuff on an industrial estate. No exam to do.
      That being said while getting a B driving licence in Spain could be around 500-600, our instructor said in france it was around 1800. Gulp.

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  2. In reference to your article in the Times about the UK economy. This is from Bloomberg last week: “The UK economy shrank more than expected in October (2023) as elevated borrowing costs and wet weather took their toll, setting the stage for another quarter of stagnation that is widely forecast to persist through 2024.” But if you are reading the DT and the Times you wouldn’t know that. The DT the other day went beyond parody. Instead of the shrinking or sinking economy about which the FT and the Guardian were informing, we had headlines celebrating the coming fall in interest rates and mortgages (due to the sagging economy, of course). Turned out not to be true because, as the Bank of England chap said, inflation in the UK is far from beaten – as opposed to the EU. Meanwhile the right wing brexiteer press will continue cheering the bad turn of events in Germany. That is, until that is over, and they focus again on France or Italy, or wherever bad news come from, from within the EU. All in the hope that the EU will one day implode or simply disappear. But as the old man said, that’ll be the day…..

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    • Robert. Colin regularly quotes a wide variety of stories from different sides of the spectrum, including the Guardian.
      I am just glad he doesn’t quote the Daily Star. 😁.

      I find his blog very interesting. You don’t have to agree or disagree with the stories in the DT ot Times. I often do not agree with many journos, whether Telegraph, Guardian, Politico or the Bangkok Post. I still read them, as it is hard to argue against someone if you don’t know what they are saying.

      Occasionally though I find it useful to rest the mind, and step away from news and social media for a few days. Made easier for the next few days as yesterday my phone disappeared somewhere on the A9 whilst on my 2 wheeler, and I was actually following the speed limit. I blame the Chinese phone holder from Ali Express, and not myself who forgot to clip it in. 🤭

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