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

Nice to see that Galicia’s beautiful Ribeira Sacra is included in this list of the ‘most relaxing areas in Spain in which to retire’. There’s certainly a lot more foreigners living there now than there were 25 years ago.

Worrying . . . Spain is set to lose its Mediterranean climate by 2050 as swathes of the country turn to steppe and even desert, as rainfall dries up.

But, meanwhile, here are details of (still) scenic train trips you can take across the country. Including on Galicia’s Trenes Turísticos. And, if you are non-resident, Renfe has a scheme specially for you.

This afternoon I took my grandson to see wild horses in the hills behind Pontevedra and happened upon the largest sequoia forest in Europe. 500 trees planted in 1992, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the achievement of Poio’s most famous son. Hence the name Bosque de Colón, on the mountain of O Castrove. Good to know the locals were able, somehow, to protect the forest from the horrendous fires which ravaged these parts in 2006

The UK

Britain’s 10 best value cities to visit, ranked. Good to see that Liverpool comes top for galleries and museums. And is ‘famously friendly’. Unless your initials are DJT. No surprise to see that it offers ‘the best value overall’.

LA LA Land

Trump’s latest attack is straight out of Nixon’s playbook. The president of the United States has undermined the Fed chair before. But it’s a dangerous ploy when America looks so fragile. Central bank independence has been an article of faith among high-income economies for at least three decades now, and longer still in the United States. So no surprise that Donald Trump should take aim at it as one of the economic orthodoxies he’s minded to rattle. . . . When politicians are in unbridled control of monetary policy, they almost always abuse it. Yet this is Donald Trump, where riding roughshod over establishment thinking comes with the territory. . . . Trump seems to think that by forcing the Fed to cut the official policy rate, he will drive interest rates down across the board. In practice, it is likely to have the opposite effect.

A doctor praised by RFK Jr as an ‘extraordinary’ healer, treated children while infected with measles.

The US’s malaise is entirely homemade — tariffs won’t fix it. President Trump cannot overcome the twin evils of social media and opioids with his trade war. Trump is a liar of genius. How else could he have persuaded so many Americans that their country was on the skids because it had been robbed by “unfair trade” with the rest of the world? The truly extraordinary thing is just how well the US has done, economically, in the 21st century. . . . Just how un-rich his proposed global tariffs will make Americans was set out last week in research led by Goldman Sachs’s chief economist.

Russia v Ukraine

It’s too early to judge what Putin is playing at, announcing at short notice a 30-hour truce in Ukraine over Easter, and then going on to continue fighting in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. Perhaps the local commanders didn’t get the memo.

The Way of the World/Social Media

Whatever the original intention of offering users connections, the effect of social media, now via smartphones, has been profoundly antisocial, not just in increasing anxiety for younger users, and supplanting immensely valuable real local relationships with weird or dangerous virtual ones, but in enabling a profoundly addictive false world of instantly available lies, hoaxes and conspiracy theories.

Quote of the Day

Of course there are lovely trans people, but the activists who have dominated this discussion for the past decade are bullies. Those who caved in to them — politicians, the NHS, the liberal media, the police, schools, publishers, journalists too scared to cover this issue properly — are cowards and stooges. . . . [In the UK] Trans people are still protected from discrimination by the Gender Recognition Act 2004, but the ludicrous era of self-ID and male “lesbians” and “trans women are women” is over. . . . So now it’s April 2025, and what we knew 10, 20, 1,000 years ago has been confirmed: a woman is a woman. What a terrible waste of time, money and energy this has all been.

Did You Know?

Along with Franco, the infamously fanatical – and not entirely with us – José Millán Astray was a Galician. Here’s something on him and his creation and leadership of the Spanish Legion. Who give us this annual treat from Málaga.

You Have to Laugh

Hitler was probably not a Zionist agent. See the rationale for this view below. In case you really need it.

Yesterday Through the Ages

Courtesy of the Autodidact Professor. A good day for Australia, maybe. Certainly for the American rebellious colonists. The former becoming British and the latter ceasing to be,

Finally . .

Highly recommended. Very early Saturday morning but can be heard any time on the BBC iPlayer. You might need a VPN, now or later.

Welcome to new subscriber – Wayne of Ainextgentools.com

Was Hitler a Zionist Agent?

A chap called Patrick O’Carroll made the counter-intuitive claim that Adolf Hitler was a Zionist agent. This is an AI-generated retort to that:-

The claim that Adolf Hitler was a Zionist agent or collaborated with Zionists is a controversial conspiracy theory that has been widely debunked by historians. This theory often centers around the Haavara Agreement of 1933, which facilitated the emigration of German Jews to Palestine in exchange for financial arrangements benefiting Nazi Germany. However, this agreement does not imply ideological alignment or collaboration between Hitler and Zionists. Below is an overview of the key points and criticisms surrounding this conspiracy theory:

Origins of the Conspiracy Theory

1. Mahmoud Abbas’ Thesis: In his book The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and Zionism, Mahmoud Abbas argued that Zionist leaders collaborated with the Nazis to make Europe unlivable for Jews, thereby encouraging emigration to Palestine. He cited the Haavara Agreement as evidence of this alleged collaboration and claimed that Zionists bore partial responsibility for the Holocaust1.
2. Lenni Brenner’s Claims: Historian Lenni Brenner also alleged Zionist collaboration with Nazis in his book Zionism in the Age of Dictators. He pointed to instances such as Haganah agent Feivel Polkes’ meetings with SS officials, but these claims have been criticized for misrepresenting historical events and omitting context.
3. Ken Livingstone’s Comments: Former London Mayor Ken Livingstone controversially claimed that Hitler supported Zionism, citing the Haavara Agreement as proof. His remarks were widely condemned as historically inaccurate and antisemitic.

Historical Context

• The Haavara Agreement: This 1933 arrangement allowed German Jews to emigrate to Palestine while transferring their assets through a German-Zionist company. While it temporarily aligned some Nazi and Zionist interests (removing Jews from Germany and facilitating Jewish settlement in Palestine), it was purely pragmatic and did not reflect ideological collaboration. The Nazis opposed the creation of a Jewish state, as evidenced by their support for Arab nationalism in the region.
• Hitler’s Antisemitic Ideology: Hitler viewed Zionism as part of what he believed was a Jewish conspiracy for global domination. His antisemitic worldview fundamentally contradicted any notion of supporting Jewish nationalism.

Criticism of the Theory

1. Selective Use of Evidence: Historians have criticized proponents of this theory for cherry-picking facts while ignoring broader historical contexts. For example, Brenner’s claims about Zionist leaders collaborating with Nazis are contradicted by evidence showing Zionist efforts to resist Nazi policies and save Jews during the Holocaust.
2. Misrepresentation of Events: Claims about Zionist collaboration often rely on isolated incidents or distorted interpretations, such as Polkes’ meetings with SS officials or Rudolf Kastner’s controversial negotiations with Nazi officers during World War II. These incidents are not representative of Zionist actions as a whole.
3. Holocaust Denial and Antisemitism: The conspiracy theory is frequently promoted by Holocaust deniers and antisemitic groups to shift blame for Nazi atrocities onto Jewish victims or leaders.

Conclusion

While there were pragmatic interactions like the Haavara Agreement between some Zionist representatives and Nazi officials, these were driven by desperation to save lives rather than ideological alignment or collaboration. Claims that Hitler was a Zionist agent lack credible evidence and are rooted in distortion or conspiracy theories that have been discredited.

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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 . . .
• I can also be read on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/colin.davies.752861 or on Substack at https://doncolin.substack.com/
• 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. But see here on this. 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.
• Getting a mortgage in Spain: Some advice on this challenge.