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

That old macro-micro gap again.

An interesting move by the Spanish government against airlines charging for onboard bags. Likely to be overturned by the courts.

A nice article from Fascinating Spain on Gaudi’s best works’.

Germany/Europe

The AfD’s obsession with the Third Reich is driving a realignment of Europe’s far right
The UK

[Like all left-wing parties]  . . . If there’s one thing Labour likes more than picking a fight with the Tories, it’s picking a fight with itself. Nothing beats an ideological ground war with its own team. With the Tories’ chances at near zero, Labour is concentrating on fighting an ideological ground war with itself

Those Bulgars again . . . Despite her son’s neglect of her, the mother of the lead criminal has , has stood by him and insisted he’d a “good boy”. Pointing to her tumbledown home, she said: “See where we millionaires live. Do you know how good he is? He can build a house from scratch. He was involved in construction, I know that. How can a child like that be a gangster? I hope England burns.”

The EU

In an article cited yesterday, someone commented that the progressive Left doesn’t realise that the EU is a right-wing corporatist structure. Well, the Labour Party certainly did back in the 1970s, when it opposed entry into the EC. And Jeremy Corbyn still believes that.

The USA

Some has alleged that Trump’s defence lawyers – under pressure from him – made the mistake of denying absolutely everything and calling everyone who made allegations against Trump an outright liar. But was it really a mistake to get him convicted? Near term his ratings have risen. So, stand by the for the same strategy in all the other trials.

No great surprise to read that China and Russia have been revelling in the ‘ridiculous’ Trump verdict.

A couple of choice quotes:-

• The former president is now a convicted felon. It will make for the most bizarre election in America’s history
• America is now – as so often in the age of Trump – in deeply uncharted political waters.

Russia

You have to laugh . . . A Kremlin spokesman said, without a hint of irony: “The fact that a de facto elimination of political rivals by all possible legal and illegal means is going on there is obvious.”

What if Putin wins no. 3: NB: I have no way of knowing how true any of these article are. Make your own judgment . . . Putin’s next conquests are already in his sights. If Kyiv falls, the Baltics, Moldova, and Balkans are at risk – not just from tanks, but from hybrid warfare which wouldn’t break Article 5.

En passant . . . Have there been any anti-Russia marches in London. Anywhere?

The Way of the World

So Trump moves closer to jail and nearer to the White House. This is our world in 2024
This must be a day to reflect that in just one decade it has become realistically possible for a multiple felon to lead the free world. More sharp stuff here.

It staggers me but. . .In 2023 nearly half of global car sales were sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and : The shift towards every larger and heavier cars” is the “defining automobile trend of the early 21st century”.

Israel

However critical you are of the actions of the current government – and criticism is undoubtedly merited – this is an open letter you should read. It’s addressed to Edinburgh university students. In effect, to a lot more people than just these.

Net Zero

Really? A small throwback to the 1950s could break the grip of SUVs.

English

England’s Stamp Act of 1765 is said to have led to boycotts of British goods and, eventually, to revolution. I wonder what word they used back then, as the verb to boycott wasn’t invented – in Ireland – for another hundred years.

Did you know?

A fine article, presenting the truth about ASD and ADHD, both of which I’m familiar with.. Should be read by all.

Finally . . .

Welcome to new subscriber, Alex Blaikie, whose blog is here.

Finally, Finally . .

As it’s the start of the month . . .  Some readers, I hope, will know that the verse I cite at the top of my posts is the opening quatrain of Fitzgerald’s wonderful – but very ‘free’ – translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, which you can read about here. Some verses are well known, of course, eg:-

The moving finger writes; and, having writ,
moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit
shall lure it back to cancel half a line,
Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.

My favourite:-

Myself when young did eagerly frequent
doctor and saint, and heard great argument
about it and about: but evermore
came out by the same door as in I went.

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.
  https://thoughtsfromgalicia.com
• 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. Finally, some advice on getting a mortgage.