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

The 2024 stats were good but a high level of unemployment – especially among the young – has long been one of Spain’s persistent ‘structural’ problems. But it is easing, though not as rapidly as the macro-level growth rate of the GDP. For the tiny percentage of readers interested in economic matters. There’s an AI answer below to the question How much is unemployment a major structural problem for Spain?

On NY Eve, one of the TV stars, for whatever reason, showed a foto of the ‘sacred heart’ of Jesus, with a cow’s head replacing his. The – very active – Foundation of Christian Lawyers has filed a complaint against the president of the TV station and the performer for both possible hate crimes and crimes against religious sentiments. I can’t help wondering if something rather more serious would have happened to her if she’d shown a foto of another revered leader with cow’s head replacing his/her own.

The estimable Mac 75 suggests that, if you’re en route France from, say, Pamplona, you should stop off at Olite. Yes, well, when I did that and shortly afterwards got a €200 ‘ for not following rules I didn’t know existed, on semi-circles the police called ‘orejas’, or ‘ears’. Mind you, they were kind enough to draw me a diagram to explain what they were talking about.

Cousas de Galicia

Says someone: Galicia counts many beautiful spots, but the village of Combarro, in Pontevedra province, is a top choice for those seeking authenticity and unique views. Combarro is appreciated for its distinctive seaside granaries or hórreos and traditional Galician architecture, making it a postcard-perfect village. Yes, well, it was 25 years ago. Now you will remember it more the difficulty in parking and having to slalom past many other folk in a very narrow lane lined with expensive restaurants and shops overflowing with Chinese tat.

Castelao is a famous Galician artist, whose work I like greatly. Pv city’s art gallery has a guided tours of his works on Tuesday next but I will give it a miss, as I know it’ll be all in Gallego and that that were will be no translation, even into Spanish. The title is: ‘Castelao: de chumbo a verba’, un documental ficcionado para entender o pensamento e a dimensión cultural e política de Castelao. I was stumped by chumbo. Ch is Gallego is usually double L in Spanish but I couldn’t think of a Spanish word Llumbo. It turned out to be ‘Lead’, as in a pencil, I guess. With chumbo coming from the Latin, plumbo. [think ‘plumber’]. So, de chumbo a verba means ‘from lead to word’.

I’ve said Pv city’s football team was on a roll. An understatement. Despite being in the 4th Division, last night they knocked out of a Cup a team which is 6th in the First Division and last year was the beaten finalist. Not only defeated, but thrashed 3-0. The city is painted purple today, the team’s colour, of course – Los Granates.

The UK

Should it really have been headline news in every journal this morning that the king is sad about the relative of his nanny being killed in New Orleans? Not for me, anyway.

Luke Littler is a 17 year prodigy at the game/sport of darts. He became world champion last night and you can watch his triumph here. It looks so bloody easy but I can tell you it ain’t. Must get my board and darts out of the basement next time I go down to see how well the flood of 2 years ago is drying up.

The USA

Would you choose an 80 year old Cuban-American millionaire to be your ambassador to Spain? Probably not. But, then, you’re not Donald Trump. No surprise to see that Benjamin Leon donated about $3 million to Trump 

It’s an intriguing question Who or what does Elon Musk think he is?Apart from a prolific marrier and progenitor. Some new sort of medieval Pope? Surely riding for a fall. Then what?

A relevant article, which I read some time after posing that question . . . Bottom line: Whatever one might think of the man, I don’t think politics is ever going to be quite the same again.

Russia

At least one commentator believes Trump has been turned and will not be soft on Putin throwing Ukraine under the bus.

The Way of the World

The world is undoubtedly in flux but are we witnessing the death – for the moment at least – of Liberalism, however you define that word? Or will it transmogrify itself, casting off what needs to be cast off​

A propos . . . It is an obvious fact of our present [US] political moment that anyone concerned with shaping the world they actually live in can only now engage with “the Right,” simply because “the Left” is both intellectually and politically defunct.  . . . Broken, dejected, for the first time self-doubting, America’s liberal establishment has come to accept the extinction of its political order.

Social Media/Quote of the Day

As a child psychiatrist, I see what smartphones are doing to kids’ mental health – and it’s terrifying.

AI

Beware of the ‘slop’.

Spanish

Cháchara: Take your pick: Chatter, chit-chat, small-talk, jabbering, babble, banter, blather, prittle-prattle, yakety-yak.

Finally . . .

Welcome to new subscriber Jimmy Baum, who’s been living up in the Galician hills near Monforte since 2017. He has his own blog – Among the Stones. We have a lot of them on our grass verges and one of these – unseen from my driving position – ripped a wheel arch off my car yesterday, as I did a 15-point turn out of a small cul-de-sac outside the medical centre. But, anyway, I hope Jimmy will enjoy my posts and stay for the ride.

Spain and Unemployment

Unemployment is, indeed, one of Spain’s major structural economic problems. The country has consistently struggled with high rates, particularly when compared to other EU countries.

The problem is not merely cyclical but has deep structural roots:

1. The country has the highest structural unemployment rate in the European Union, standing at 11% in 2022
2. Even during periods of economic growth, Spain’s unemployment rate has remained persistently high, never falling below 8% since the 1980s economic crisis
3. The problem is long-standing, with Spain having the most serious and persistent unemployment problem in Europe for decades

Contributory factors:-

1. Economic structure: The economy heavily relies on sectors like tourism and construction, which are prone to seasonal fluctuations and economic shocks
2. Skills mismatch: There is a significant mismatch between job market demands and the skills of the workforce, necessitating improvements in education and training
3. Labor market rigidities: The tight labor market regulations make it difficult for employers to hire and fire, leading to a dual labor market with permanent and temporary contracts
4. High non-salary costs: Elevated Social Security contributions act as a disincentive for companies to create or maintain jobs
5. Temporary employment: Despite reforms, temporary jobs still account for a significant portion of employment, contributing to job instability

The persistently high unemployment rate has significant consequences:

1. It represents an underutilization of the country’s productive capacity
2. It leads to the exclusion of a large part of society from the labor market
3. It disproportionately affects younger, unskilled or semi-skilled workers, and immigrants
4. It contributes to social inequality and economic instability
5. Addressing the structural unemployment problem requires a comprehensive approach, including improvements in education, labor market reforms, and policies to promote a more diversified and resilient economy.

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts.

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.