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 Galicia/España

Click here if you want to know what the PM said in parliament yesterday on the allegations against his wife.

To say the least, the Spanish banking scene has changed out of all recognition since the corruption-rife (phoney) boom years of 2002-2007. Banco Santander is now the largest bank in the EU, by capitalisation.

Lenox Napier of Business Over Tapas tells us a few Spanish oddities will be standing in the imminent EU elections: Frente Obrero; Iustitia Europa; Escaños en Blanco; Feministas al Congreso; Se Acabó la Fiesta (far right); La España Olvidada Existe; Soberanía Alimentaria Española; Pirates de Catalunya y Europeos, and Alianza Rebelde.

Bad news re some Galician farmers.

Reader David advises that the VdG says La Coruña is Galicia’s crime capital. Well, it’s probably the one with most wealth, thanks to the HQ and factories of Inditex(Zara)

Argentina

A man very much in the news . . . Apart from the Spanish PM, President Milei has also insulted the presidents of Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, the USA, China and Venezuela. Plus the Pope. His most recent move is to order the closure of all public media – TV, radio and print – pending a ‘restructure’.

The FT says here that Milei’s anarcho-capitalist dream is colliding with reality.  Beneath the adolescent showmanship, the president is slowly pursuing orthodox reform. So, absolutely no more fake news . . .

The UK

I hear there’s a general election coming up . . .

Richard North’s view is that there’s no good outcome to this election. He thinks it fair to say that: We’re facing an election for which there’s little enthusiasm. And there are many who are entirely indifferent as to the outcome. They’re resigned to the reality of a political system that really represents no-one and has produced parties which differ mainly in their rhetoric rather than in substance on the most important issues.

More here on rotting/rotten Britain

Uncovering who runs Britain, how they think, and what they want . . . . In a superb forthcoming book about the British elite by Aaron Reeves and Sam Friedman, ‘Born to Rule’. the authors track the pseudo-egalitarian drift of the modern establishment. In a study of the recreations listed in ‘Who’s Who’ they note the decline of “highbrow” pursuits like classical music and the rise of ostentatiously ordinary activities like “drinking beer” and “television”. Those in power have never been keener to signal their relatable, meritocratic credentials.

Can we say that the UK has lost its way?

The Way of the World

Eternity rings are back – and some women are buying one for themselves. IGIMSTS

Quote of the Day

In an anti-elitist age, opera is hopelessly exposed. To many on the Left, it is the entertainment of the privileged upper classes. To the populist Right, it is a pastime of the despised “metropolitan elite”.

AI

I was using an AI search engine to try to find who said something like: “When the main parties agree on all the major issues and only disagree on minor matters, there is no true democracy.” The results covered the following topics, showing what can happen with this clever technology:-
– The definition of “true democracy” from the Collins English Dictionary .
– A book titled “True Democracy – A New System of Government for the World” .
– An opinion piece in the BMJ about introducing “true democracy” in the NHS .
– Details about a book titled “Authentic Democracy” by DaN McKee, and

– The reclassification of Cialis* Together tablets in the UK

• A competitor to Viagra . . .

English

• To lean into: One of those currently ubiquitous phrase that will disappear within a short while. It’s said to mean: To persevere in spite of risk or difficulty. To support. Or, possibly, to follow in herd fashion
• Gratis: Free. But not really in the sense of this phishing email received yesterday: Hey there. Feel gratis to reach out for your . . Possibly in Nigeria, I guess.

Spanish

Thanks to Lenox Napier for: No ha venido ni el Tato. Per Lenox: El Tato was bullfighter known as someone who never missed a party, a fiesta, a dinner or an event – even after he’d had a foot amputated after his last fight. Thus, if there’s an event and no one turns up, that’s what you say.

Finally . .

A man not far from me who’s building an expensive looking E-sports car for just 10 grand. A more appealing newsworthy person then the convicted child-carer from a nursery round the corner  in Cheadle Hulme.. . .

Did you know?

The name “Hulme” in Cheadle Hulme is derived from the Old Norse word “holmr” or “holmi”, meaning a small island or land surrounded by water, streams, fen or marsh. This suggests that the area of Cheadle Hulme may have been settled by Norse invaders during the period of the Danelaw,* as it is surrounded by the rivers Irwell, Medlock and Corn Brook on three sides.The “Hulme” suffix was originally spelled “Holme” and arose from the division of the old manor of Cheadle between heiresses.

*When England was a Danish colony.

The Usual Links . . .

You can get my posts by email as soon as they’re published. With the added bonus that they’ll contain the typos I’ll discover later. I believe there’s a box for this at the bottom of each post. I guess it’s logical that this doesn’t appear on the version given to me . . .

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.

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. And this is something on the so-called Beckham Rule, which is beneficial – tax-wise – for folk who want to work here.