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

Following on from my bit about Spanish exports . . . So, taking this information into consideration, would people still claim that Spain is just about tourism and construction? Well, clearly not, 

The changes of the tax laws for 2025. Fascinating stuff

Two more articles on the proposed law on buying property if you’re not an EU resident . .

• The political spectacle . . .
• Placing it within the broader context of Spain’s political climate.

Sounds about right . . . The right in Spain offers no realistic alternatives in terms of coherent and cohesive policies, principles and initiatives. They offer no leadership, ideas or statesmanship. Their opposition is not based on respectable alternatives but on lies, defamation and smears. Not to mention lawfare via biased judges.

When my elder daughter moved to Madrid about 20 years ago, the barrios of Salamanca and Chamberí were already seen as pijo-heavy. But now they’re full of millionaires from Latin America. That said, when it comes to foreign residents there . . . De los casi 52.000 venezolanos empadronados en la capital, 2.193 residen en el distrito de Salamanca; 594 en Goya y 250 en Recoletos. En estos barrios solo los italianos les superan en cantidad. En tercer lugar están los ciudadanos franceses y en cuarto, los mexicanos. Who’d have guessed the Italians would be the most numerous?

A warning . . .

The UK

Can the Rule of law go too far, becoming the rule of lawyers? . . . If the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing mankind he doesn’t exist, the greatest trick the legal profession ever pulled was convincing voters that it needed to be in charge in order to safeguard their interests. The result of this expanding legal activism has been to make Britain something close to ungovernable. Decisions large and small appear increasingly subject to final sign-off not by ministers or by Parliament, but by the judiciary.

Sexual grooming gangs . . . It’s impossible to imagine this article appearing in The Times 5 years ago. Possibly only 5 weeks ago. Down to Musk??

France

Life can be une chienne . . . Last month in Paris, a Left-wing theatre group decided to host a special conference entitled “Reinventing the Welcome for Refugees in France”. And, in a noble demonstration of solidarity, the group offered free tickets to 250 mostly African migrants. After the conference had ended, the migrants point-blank refused to leave. They occupied the theatre – and 5 weeks later, they’re still in there. Indeed, their numbers have now swollen to over 300, as more and more migrants rush to join them, undeterred by the overcrowding and increasingly unsanitary conditions. As a result, the theatre now faces financial ruin.

The USA

Trump:-

• A man who sees all international questions as part of a single interconnected bargaining process, and who determines foreign policy on the basis of personal chemistry.
• Hasn’t invited the socialist PM of Spain to his inauguration but has invited the egregious leader of the far-right Vox party.

China

An interesting take . . .

The Way of the World

Has the world gone mad, asks The Guardian, while brining us views on the second Trump presidency from Journalists in countries that have seen challenges to democracy. One of these is Fernando Peinado, of El Pais, and author of Trumpistas: ¿Quién llevó a Trump al poder?

Spanish

• Pudiente: Wealthy
• Acaudalado: Wealthy
• Rider: Un repartidor de comida y productos a domicilio que trabaja para plataformas digitales como Glovo, Deliveroo, Uber Eats y otras empresas similares. [Pronounced ‘reeder’?]
• Mojarse con: To get involved (with). Generalmente, implica tomar una postura o compromiso, especialmente en situaciones donde hay que elegir un lado o dar una opinión arriesgada.
• Boliburgueses: Un grupo de personas que se enriquecieron durante los gobiernos de Hugo Chávez y Nicolás Maduro en Venezuela – un acrónimo que combina las palabras “bolivariano” y “burguesía”. También conocidos como ‘boliburguesía‘.
• Espantar: To scare, frighten, etc.

Gallego

Parvear. Parvos, Parva, Parveo: From reader Paideleo: 1. As María has said, Parvadas son tonterías, cousas que din ou fan os parvos (tontos, necios ou pouco intelixentes). 2. Pero o do Bar Parvadas [in Pv city] e ‘Bo parveo’ [on its window] creo que ten que ver con ‘parva’ que é unha comida lixeira a primeira hora da mañá acompañada de augardente. Algo así coma un almorzo – ‘desayuno’ en galego.

Did you know?

There’s said to be an old adage for politicians that cautions against arguing with people who buy ink by the barrel. But no press baron ever had a fraction of Musk’s reach. 

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.