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 Torre Pachecho fallout . . .

• Over 300 people ‘identified’ over possible criminality during racist riots in Murcia.
• The alleged leader of the far-right ‘Deport Them Now’ group has been charged with hate crimes, illegal possession of weapons, and belonging to an illegal group with the intent of committing discriminatory crimes.

If you preside over a dysfunctional property market and don’t deal with the structural deficiencies, you end up dealing in counter-productive tinkering, usually in an eye-catching populist fashion. This writer points out here that: The data exposes how Spain’s rental market is evolving in ways that systematically disadvantage tenants. What appeared to be a tenant-friendly reform in the 2023 housing law has inadvertently created a lucrative loophole that’s reshaping the entire rental landscape.

Another clash with Brussels . . The EC has initiated infringement proceedings against Spain over conditions imposed by the government on the BBVA proposed take-over of Sabadell bank. If history is anything to go on, the courts could be busy with this for as much as 10 years.

Cases of serious political corruption come along so frequently in Spain, it’s hard to keep up with them. So it is that I can´t recall if I’ve already mentioned the one I think is the most recent – that of an ex Finance Minister in the Rajoy PP administration. In a nutshell . . . It’s alleged that Montoro and his top officials used their positions in the Treasury to modify laws and regulations in exchange for financial gain. Montoro is accused of heading an “organization” within the Ministry of Finance, which trafficked in legislative amendments to benefit certain companies in return for bribes and commissions. The case is extensive, involving 28 individuals and 6 companies. It’s not to be confused with another case involving María Jesús Montero, the First Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Finance in the PSOE government. Who also might have suffered from Desert Disease – or ‘sticky palms’ . . .

On a lighter note . . . Another article on other (strange) Spanish practices. . .

Cousas de Galiza

Going in opposite directions . . . As we read reports of Brits – well, Londoners at least – starting to dine out at Spanish times of the evening – along comes the claim in a local paper that Spaniards are bringing forward their evening fun. Or, as the paper puts it: El tardeo, cada vez mas fuerte. Some of the blame for this is laid at the door of the Covid pandemic. I’m not quite sure how – perhaps the 9pm curfew in the later stages – but I’ve just remembered that I predicted this, after the restaurants started operating 90 minute turnos. Of course, here in Pv city, we have the influence of 300,000 Caminers passing through every year, some of whom will want to eat at 6pm, 3 or 4 hours before the normal Spanish hour..

The UK

If you’re a Brit, you might like to know which of these tribes you belong to:-

• Progressive activists
• Incremental Left
• Established Liberals
• Sceptical Scrollers
• Rooted Patriots
• Traditional Conservatives
• Dissenting Disruptors

More info here – Shattered Britain.

Germany

Dear dog! Some of the most egregious kitsch in the European musical canon.

THE MAGA REALITY TV SHOW

The ¨News¨

Trump is suing the WSJ for 9 billion dollars over the 2003 letter to Epstein it reported on a couple of days ago. Not everyone sees this as a smart move, because of a possible ‘Streisand effect’.

Trumpisms

• My uncle taught the Unibomber. [He didn’t, of course]
• Re Rupert Murdoch: I’m going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper.
• I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his “pile of garbage” newspaper. [As we all do, of course.]

Quotes of the Day

• Trump – A venal, dimwitted perma-celebrity with an army of devoted sycophants. Who has flooded the zone with grotesqueries, providing a ready-made caricature of himself.
• Trump has a simple 3-pronged approach for dealing with crises: deny, deflect, distract. Cry fake news, then blame Democrats — and, if all else fails, order a huge shift in policy that sends the media chasing a new shiny object. None of that is working to defuse the furore among his supporters about the mysteries hidden in the so-called “Epstein files”, the supposed client list buried in pages and pages of documents from the investigation into the paedophile activities of the late financier.

The Way of the World

Spanish

• Freático: Groundwater. Phreatic. Not to be confused with . . .
• Frenético: Frantic, hectic, frenetic, etc.
• Acaparar: To garner most of. To hoard.
• Tardear: To do (fun) things in the evening. To be late.

You Have to Laugh

Finally . . .

I don’t get many letters is my buzón these days but the one I dread is from El Tráfico, telling me I’ve incurred yet another fine for unwittingly exceeding a speed limit. One arrived yesterday but, happily, it turned out to be my renewed driving licence.

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 . . .

I can also be read on Facebook at or on Substack.

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.

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.
• This post of mine contains several relevant articles from ThinkSpain.
  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.
• Buying a property ‘off-plan’.
• A comparison of UK and Spanish living costs.
• And here’s a personal guide to moving to Spain – to work, not to retire.
• What to do if your visa application is rejected.
• A warning re social security and VAT(IVA) payments for those who plane to be sel-employed.
• Finally, from a tax lawyer: Everything you need to know about taxes and healthcare when retiring to Spain.