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

Millions of holidaymakers were on the road today. If you’re lucky, you weren’t one of them.

At the ground of Elche FC, down in Alicante province, you’re allowed to smoke in the ground – though it’s technically forbidden – but you can’t indulge the national habit of chewing sunflower seeds (pipas). They cause a lot of damage to the seating and the drains. And attract rats, of course.

An English friend and I were chatting about the Jazz and Blues Festival of next week, and bemoaning the fact that it doesn’t start until 10.30. Noting that Pv city’s bars and restaurants had changed their horario to open earlier, we agreed this too would change some time in the future. Likewise with the many (loud) concerts. Roll on that day.

As it happens, my daughter and I were discussing the Spanish horario with house-guests last night and I suggested they should regard the Spanish timings as equivalent to 2 hours earlier in their own country – Russia, in fact. So, at worst, ‘midday’ is 3pm v. 1pm and ‘first thing in the morning’ is 11am v. 9am. That said, the men on the large building site below my house start up their machinery and drilling bang on the legally-permitted hour of 8am, equivalent – by my rule – to 6am! Fortunately, I am well awake by then.

Cousas de Galiza

This is an outlet in Pv city’s Golden Mile for shoppers. It’s presumably dedicated to drunks who are about to experience a ‘technicolour yawn’ . . .

The UK

What the World Snail Racing Championships say about rural England. Summer fetes show there is still hope for the English village.

The EU

How the EU succumbed to Trump’s tariff steamroller. Relief at avoiding a trade war is tinged with regret at not taking a firmer stand from the start.

THE MAGA REALITY TV SHOW

Trumpisms

• Laughably, one of Trump’s most frequent verbal tics is If you want to know the truth.
• I never had the privilege of going to Epstein’s island.

After 6 months, Trump’s overall net approval rating is minus 11%. This is only beaten by Trump himself during his first term in 2017, when it was minus 17%. It’s even minus 5 on immigration, once his most popular policy.

Donald Trump’s long history of fake history – There’s a long line of fabricated tales about his own history and world history. These serve to exaggerate his foresight about and knowledge of domestic and foreign affairs, embellish his biography and record in office, and diminish his political opponents. The stories tend to be colorful even though they’re fake. Trump’s historical fiction is sprinkled with vivid details and make-believe quotes, all the better to make it seem authentic and get it to stick in the minds of voters.

How Trump might solve his Epstein problem.

These are 7 ‘all-American’ products which are made in Europe and which will now be more expensive back home when the 15-50% tariffs on imports from the EU bite.

The baleful influence on Trump of a lunatic far-right conspiracy thinker.

I guess one of the main questions to be answered about Trump is When will his chickens finally come home to roost? Will we really have to wait for the 2028 elections?

Quotes of the Day

• Does Trump realise he’s making no sense?
• The closest Trump got to Shakespeare: ¨Whether it was spa or not spa?¨
• The reason why MAGA folk are so annoyed is that they cast themselves as warriors against the elite but installed an elite who’s covering up for other elites.

The Way of the World

More from How Tyrants Fall:-

• Tyrants operate in an environment that more closely resembles the Wild West. There may be rules, but they aren’t enforced, or are enforced selectively. Autocracies are enrichment machines. Unencumbered by the restrictions that hold back democratic leaders, the opportunities for stealing are almost endless. When done effectively, everyone at the top makes money. But the tyrant himself? He can get rich beyond belief.
• For tyrants, being an average president or prime minister in a democracy is not a substitute for commanding the entire state from the confines of the presidential palace. All of a sudden they’re supposed to allow investigative journalism? The Glorious Father of the Revolution is to be constrained by parliamentarians? And it’s no longer possible to turn mining concessions into millions? No, thank you.
• For most dictators, kings and theocrats, stepping down is not a real option and they know it. Even if it were possible, doing it would be dangerous because it doesn’t guarantee that the tyrant won’t be held accountable. This leaves 2 options: keep running or look around and see what other countries have to offer. The magic word is exile. But that’s an option fraught with difficulty and uncertainty.
• It was never easy to find a good exile destination, because of the constant threat of being killed or extradited. But, now that the world has become smaller and the chances of being kicked out are higher, it’s even more challenging. As a result, the only rational choice that some tyrants can make is to stay in power until they absolutely can stay no longer. If that means more killings and more thievery, that is what they will do.
• Leaving the treadmill is technically possible, then, but few are willing to take the gamble. Faced with the choice between running, reaching to pull the plug or trying to jump, most tyrants will choose to keep running. But as they’re on that treadmill, the moving surface isn’t all they have to worry about. As they move, they constantly have to watch their backs because the people closest to them usually pose the greatest danger. [Step forward, Mr Vance]

Spanish

Tocado: Headdress. Fascinator??

Finally . . . Did you know?

Qanats are the very ancient Persian form of irrigation. I was lucky enough to see some of them when driving through a desert on the way to Yazd, some years ago.

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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.

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