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

An upcoming extraordinary regularization in Spain: a lifeline for undocumented foreign residents. A significant development is on the horizon for the many foreigners currently residing in Spain without proper documentation. But will it be open to Brits living under the wire?

If you’re planning a holiday in Spain – be not unwary.

A beach bar in Palma collapsed last week, resulting in 4 deaths and many injuries.  It turns out it didn’t have the obligatory opening and occupation licences. Sadly, this was by no means the first of such tragedies. Or the last, I fear. A  reflection of a ‘low ethics society’, as a Spanish reader once said, after I’d written of ‘corruption’.

The UK

The majority view is that the Labour Party is heading for a massive majority after the general election of July 4. If so, history teaches us that this emboldens the extremists in any party with such an advantage over the Opposition. This prospect is made even more likely by the fact that, this last week, Keir Starmer has been very publicly bested by ‘far left’ members of the party. It’s said that he’d benefit most from a Goldilocks majority: not too big and not too small. So he won’t be dependent on the SNP or the Lib Dems, and nor could he be held hostage by Labour’s remaining Corbynista wing.

Possibly another couple of widespread views . . .

• This facile election shows Britain’s democratic process is a pitiful sham. It should feel like one of the most important elections in the modern era. Instead it is already a caricature of serious debate. Our democratic process is becoming a sham. It’s hardly surprising then that so many people are telling the pollsters that they don’t like anybody.
• There is now a crushing consensus that economic stagnation is inevitable. Both parties have the chance to offer a new economic plan – neither seem capable

The USA

A couple of articles on US politics . . . .

• Donald Trump shouldn’t be surprised — US law has always been political. His conviction is unique but instability has been baked in from the nation’s very earliest days. To Trump’s defenders, though, his conviction is definitive evidence that the rule of law is already dead. . . . The current deep polarisation of American politics has many causes including increasing inequality, the cultural and psychological gap between “left behind” rural America and the big cities, and the internet’s creation of rival partisan “truth worlds”. But all these factors are intensified by a system in which there are no bulwarks against partisan politics. . . . American politics hurtles ever onward, ever more shoutier, subject to the logic of a system with no defence against partisan dysfunction.
• The first criminal trial of a US president is now over. And so, perhaps, is millions of people’s faith in the impartiality of the American legal system.  This case was so obviously political that even a blind toddler could see it.
• It will be a miracle if American democracy survives this election. Trump has tapped into the visceral anger of citizens who no longer believe in institutions that have failed them. As someone who loves the United States, I have reached this conclusion with reluctance, but there is no getting away from it. The attributes that attract Trump’s fans are precisely those that should be the most repulsive: his lies, his boastfulness, his cruelty. These what his supporters have in mind when they talk of his “taking the gloves off” and “saying what others won’t say” and “owning the libs”. Incredible as it seems to outsiders, Trump’s appeal rests on his character, not his policies

The Way of the World

It’s all down to decadence . . . The madness of modern politics is an indulgence the West cannot afford. Autocrats are enjoying our decadent rows. Democracy can only survive if we rise above the trivial.

Quotes of the Day

• We ask too much of politicians. There’s a cultural expectation these days that, if there’s a problem, the government should solve it. But, if you’ve got the kind of politicians we have today, they don’t have the capability to solve everything.
• At 77, Trump is only 4 years younger than Biden, but their mien is different. Biden is old-old, while Trump is young-old. I didn’t think I would ever cover an election where the inside people of the 2 major parties hoped their candidate would die. Plus a lot of other folk, I guess.
• If the debate [this month] is a car crash, there is time to get rid of Biden before the election.

English

Liberal: A tricky word, as it has at least 5 main definitions, with  some nuances and variations within some of these:
– Relating to or supporting political liberalism and an active role for government in supporting social and political change.  (First used in a this context in Spain c.1810)
– Respecting and allowing many different types of beliefs or behaviors; open-minded, tolerant, broad-minded.
– Generous, giving freely; not strict or rigorous.
– Relating to the liberal arts and general knowledge rather than specific skills.
– A member or supporter of a political party, such as the Liberal Party in Canada

And then there’s the one used in a politico-economic context, sometimes pejoratively:- Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on the following key principles:-

1. Individualism and private property rights in the means of production. Economic liberals believe individuals should have the freedom to acquire, use, and transfer property with minimal government interference.
2. Free market capitalism and limited government intervention in the economy. The market should operate freely with little to no regulation, protectionism, or state involvement in commercial and industrial activities.
3. Free trade and open markets. Free trade policies, deregulation, tax cuts, privatization, and labor market flexibility across borders.
4. Opposition to economic planning and socialism. Economic liberalism rejects centralized economic planning and state ownership of the means of production in favor of decentralized private ownership and market forces.

So, make sure everyone knows which liberalism you’re talking about . .

Did you know?

• I guess we all know what stealth taxes are. The incoming Labour Party in the UK is rumoured to be planning a slew of these. Anyway, the Stamp Act I cited yesterday was the very opposite of a stealth tax. Very obvious. And very annoying to the American colonists. And: It had a profound effect, sparking widespread protests and resistance that laid the groundwork for the American Revolution.
• Why we love on-screen female odd couples.

Finally . . .

In a supermarket yesterday, I saw a woman passing box after box of eggs across the self-checkout plate. As I left, I noticed her bill was 78 quid, or 90 euros. So, probably 25 boxes – or 300 eggs – in all. Possibly destined for the kitchens of a nearby sports and leisure club. Or a massive tortilla party.

Finally, Finally . . .

Yesterday I bought an inexpensive backup laptop, to use while I decide which of my my 2 dead laptops in Spain will have its motherboard expensively replaced. Things, of course, didn’t go smoothly. I discovered – eventually – that the laptop was in in S (Store) mode, so wouldn’t let me download a word-processing app competitive with Word, meaning I’d have to buy the latter. A search showed that it should be easy to get out of S mode but it certainly wasn’t and it took me well over an hour – and 3 AI searches – to achieve this. And the re-set removed all the apps I’d downloaded, meaning a repeat today. Technology – essential but irritating. Like kids.

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. Finally, some advice on getting a mortgage.