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

The latest predominant concerns of the Spanish are reported to be 1. Immigration, and 2. Housing.

As regards the housing crisis. . . Mark Stücklin tells us here of a punchy article (in Spanish) titled “Five Years of Bad Decisions” which, says MS, paints a stark picture of the Spanish rental market crisis, attributing its deterioration to government interventions that have disincentivised landlords and shrunk supply. The resulting price hikes, heightened competition, and exclusion of vulnerable groups demand a reassessment of current policies and a shift towards evidence-based solutions that prioritise a balanced and inclusive housing ecosystem.

The average number of families vying for each rental listing on the country’s main portal, Idealista, is said to have risen from 7 in 2019 to 32 in 2024. Here in Pv city it’s ‘only’14 but in Madrid, the number has jumped from 10 to 43, while Barcelona sees a staggering 63 families competing for each property.

It’s not widely known that there’s a small bit of the Iberian peninsula – in Galicia, in fact – which, for several hundred years, was independent of both Spain and nearby Portugal. You can read about it here and here and see a video on it here.

I mentioned anti-tourist sentiment in La Coruña. One of the reasons for this is the number of large cruise ships now visiting that port and depositing thousands of folk who don’t really spend that much during their few hours there. Here’s something from reader David in La Coruña on these behemoths. And, on topic, here’s a very recent BBC podcast on the moral question: Should foreign tourism be discouraged? [I get the impression from David that it’s actually the Spanish tourists who are more of a problem in La Coruña. Very possibly in unlicensed Airbnb flats].

Lights are being put up on the roundabouts in my barrio of Poio. Seems a tad early for Xmas, so I guess they just could be because of the imminence of Samhain. [Samaín in Galician. See here on local customs around it.]

The EU

Europe is said here to be bracing for a 2ndTrump, presidency, if only because of his sheer capriciousness and unpredictability. Who can blame European leaders for their concerns. As we know only too well:-

• He will take public policy spats and personal point scoring on to whatever terrain his brain alights on that day.
• He is endlessly mercurial, sometimes playful and often cruel.

France

More actions that go against the spirit on EU laws on borders between members.

The USA

• The race isn’t over. Trump’s unending capacity for rebarbative rhetoric may still repulse enough voters for her to win. But the nagging sense is building that, in their infinite wisdom, the Democrats have, once again, as they did eight years ago, ended up with the only leading figure in their party capable of losing to him.
• The well-know novelist and political commentator, Lionel Shriver, explains in this podcast why she despises Kamala Harris even more than Donald Trump. Pungent stuff.

China

Beijing alone among those attending [Putin’s summit] possesses the potential to realign the global order in its favour and dent the dominance of the USA and its allies. ­Consistent with this long game, President Xi has used the summit to warn against the escalation of a war he cynically sustains.

Quotes of the Day

• From that article . . As attendees to Putin’s summit included China, Iran, Brazil. South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the pot was not overbrimming with democratic legitimacy. Again. I don’t suppose Mr P cared a jot about that.
• Trump’s McStunt worked because, with his odd hair and orange face, he is a human cartoon

English

The day after tomorrow is called overmorrow

Spanish

• Pasado mañana: Overmorrow:
• Ápice: Jot
• Pizca: Jot also

Did you know?

The first victims of France’s Revolutionary violence were the country’s rabbits, followed by ‘the doves and pigeons of the nobility. After the ferociously cold 1788/9 winter, the peasantry chose to ignore the game laws in search of something to feed to their starving families. Later, of course, they did move to slaughter the nobles themselves. But not to eat them.

Finally . . .

Tranmere Rovers is an English football club in the town of Birkenhead on The Wirral, where I was born – close to the ground, in fact. I mention this only because it seems to be the latest candidate for rich Americans wanting to ‘do a Wrexham’. The prospective buyers include the rapper boyfriend of Rihanna and the question naturally arises of whether she’ll be slumming it to attend a match and sing the club’s anthem. Assuming they have one. If so, it could double the crowd to 100. . . .No, from 6,000 to 12,000. Or even 16,500, the ground’s capacity.

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts, either after reading on line or in my FB group Thoughts from Galicia.

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. If you do this but don’t read the posts, I will delete your subscription. So perhaps don’t bother if you have other reasons for subscribing . . .
• 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. And this article ‘debunks claims re wealth and residency taxes’. Probably only relevant if you’re a HNWI. In which case, you’ll surely know what that stands for.