Awake, for morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts
the stars to flight.
And, lo, the hunter of the east 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

It’s hard to know whether this is justified or just ranks as tit for tat-ism or, worse, a vicious witch-hunt . . . The wife of the Prime Minister proclaims her innocence as she testifies in corruption and influence peddling case. . . The proceedings are part of an investigation into whether she used her position as to illegally get software financed by private companies and initially intended for Madrid’s Complutense University while she worked there – bypassing a public bidding process. This link give you all you need to know, allegedly. It’s said the lady lied on her CV. I sometimes wonder whether I’m the only idiot who never did.

A chap called Miguel Bernad Remon heads up the far-right Manos Limpias organisation. Given his background, perhaps it’d be better called Manos Sucios. I wonder if Spanish law has anything like the English doctrine that a party seeking equitable relief must have acted ethically and in good faith with respect to the matter at hand. It’s based on the maxim “He who comes into equity must come with clean hands”.

Brussels says that Spain is towards the bottom of the rankings as regards convergencia social and demands some gap-closing. Spain’s GDP might be growing strongly but welfare provision remains low by the standards of other EU members. Unemployment and poverty rates are still too high, says the EU Commission.

Quite a coincidence – And an unfortunate one for the chap snapped. The Google Maps car passed through his street for the first time in 15 years. What were the odds??

Cousas de Galicia

When noting the increase in Xmas food prices in the last week or 2, I neglected to record that the price of eels is c. €1,100 a kilo. Mind you, you get quite a lot of the little buggers for that.

The UK

Another film/movie you might want to avoid . . .

Something on Elon and his involvement/interference in British politics . . . After the US, Japan and India, Britain is X’s biggest market, with more than 25m users. But Musk is on a collision course with Ofcom, the communications watchdog, which is about to implement an Online Safety Act. From spring 2025, X will have to make sure children cannot see the large quantity of pornography on its site, as well as material on self-harm, suicide and eating disorders. If the platform fails to comply, it could be fined of up to 10% of its global revenue, or even be blocked in the UK. This is possibly one reason for Musk’s apparent hatred of the UK, and his threat to give $100m to the nascent Reform party. His current attitude is quite a change from his years in South Africa, when he insisted/boasted that – through his Scouse grandmother – he was of English, not Afrikaans. stock.

Russia

Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of President Putin and deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, is reported to have issued a series of threats after The Times published a leading article about the assassination of a senior Russian general. One of his statements is said to be that editors are “legitimate military targets”. Another is that the “entire management team” of The Times are “bastards’”and “mangy jackals” and ‘can be considered military targets’. And that they should be careful as “After all, anything goes in London.” All more than a tad blood-cooling. Especially if you’re a Times editor. Or even a mere ‘manager’.

Of Medvedev. the Times says: When he became president in 2008 he attempted to cast himself as a liberal reformer, promising modernisation and democratisation. He has since reinvented himself as one of Russia’s most vocal pro-war figures and is known for his anti-western attacks on Telegram. Might not go down well in Moscow.

The Way of the World

A nice bit of British ironical comment on Western leaders.

Quote of the Day

Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before and wiser than the one that comes after it: George Orwell

Spanish

• Pan y rosas: Bread and roses: Este es un eslogan político y poético que simboliza la lucha de las mujeres trabajadoras por derechos básicos y dignidad humana. Representa la demanda no solo de condiciones materiales de subsistencia (pan), sino también de calidad de vida, belleza y realización personal (rosas}
• Burdo: Uncouth, gross, rough, etc.
• Corifeo: Leader
• A mansalva: In cold blood

Did you know?

Reflecting a recent obsession with the Franks, I wondered when they’d ceased to be a Germanic ethnic group and became French. This is the AI answer I got, included in the hope that at least one reader is equally interested in the question . . The Franks gradually ceased to exist as a distinct ethnic group during the 9th and 10th centuries. This process occurred as the Frankish Empire fragmented and its population assimilated with local cultures. Factors Contributing to the dissolution of Frankish Identity were:-

1. Division of the Empire: In the 9th century this foreshadowed the formation of modern Western European countries
2. Assimilation: In areas like Gaul (modern France), the Franks increasingly integrated with the Gallo-Roman population, adopting local customs and languages
3. Emergence of New Identities: As the empire dissolved, new political entities emerged, leading to the formation of distinct French and German identities
4. Linguistic Changes: In regions like northeastern France, their language was gradually replaced by Romance languages, while in other areas, it evolved into Old Dutch and Old High German dialects

By the late 10th century, the term “Frank” had largely lost its ethnic connotation and was instead used to refer to free people or, in the East, to denote Western Europeans in general.

Finally . . .You Have to Laugh

Some readers might remember the battle between the British supermarket Marks & Spencer and its competitors over copycat versions of an Xmas cake called Colin the Caterpillar. Well, my sister told me that the latter is now available in a cheeky nude version. Here they are, side by side:-

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts, either after reading them 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.