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 fires . . . A new political controversy.

The (alleged) mismanagement of the terrible fires has once once again raised questions about Spain’s model of government. I’ve characterised it as neither fish nor fowl – in practice a de facto but not a de jure federal state long the lines of Germany or the USA. But rather less efficient. There’s an article below on this issue, which might be of interest to some.

Cousas de Galiza

It’s reported today that orcas have been seen in one of our Rías, in pursuit of octopus. A friend wrote to say he hadn’t believed it until he saw this foto . .

Portugal

Did you know? . . . The “Bom Jesus” was a Portuguese ship that sailed from Lisbon on March 7, 1533, bound for India, but was wrecked off the coast of Namibia, near the present-day city of Oranjemund. The ship was discovered in 2008 during diamond mining operations, buried under the desert sand. It is thought that the shipwreck occurred after a violent storm caused the ship to come too close to the coast, crashing into rocks and capsizing. The significance of the “Bom Jesus” lies in the more than 40 tons of cargo recovered, including approximately 2,000 gold coins, more than 17 tons of copper ingots, elephant tusks, cannons, weapons, and textiles. These pieces offer a window into the trade routes and economy of the 16th century during the era of Portuguese exploration. The find is considered the oldest and most valuable shipwreck discovered on the western sub-Saharan coast of Africa. Currently, there is a permanent exhibition at the Jasper House Museum in Oranjemund dedicated to this spectacular ship and its history.

THE USA and THE MAGA REALITY TV SHOW

Trumpisms

• If you look at the top 25 cities for crime, nearly all of them are Democrat run. [Totally untrue].
• There’s nothing like gold. This Oval Office needed it. It was dirty.

I’m citing again this article on the crisis of democracy in the USA. The potential responses to the threat are certainly interesting. It’s also cited here, in an article entitled Trump has just discovered an awful secret weapon. Quote:-

• The lesson of Nixon is that corrupt men in power will always push as far as they can get away with.
• The lesson of Trump is that he has no intention of ever being forced into exile, prison, or disgrace.
• The lesson of history is that once fascists take control, they will never leave voluntarily.

And here’s a couple more relevant sentences on the rise of the Nazis during the 1920s and early 1930s.

• In 1931, the Nazi Party ran an American-style Presidential campaign focusing on the person of Hitler as the representative of the whole of Germany.
• Goebbels’s propaganda apparatus had targeted specific groups of voters with greater precision than ever before, above all women.

I’m increasingly convinced that the people behind Trump and Project 2025 have taken lessons from this period in German history . . And, of course, from their earlier failure 2016-2020.

Spanish

• Escorrientía: Runoff.
• Ni chicha ni limonada: Neither fish nor fowl.
• Ni pincha ni corta: Ditto.
• Ni fu ni fa: Ditto

Finally . . .

Why is Spain of the Regions [España autonómica] Out of Control?

Spain of the Regions is considered “out of control” because the current system has produced territorial fragmentation, conflicts over powers, fiscal inequalities, and a lack of political cohesion, which makes management difficult and generates growing tensions at both the administrative and social levels.

Main Causes of the Lack of Control: Poor Design and Lack of Definition: The autonomous model is perceived as poorly designed from its inception, which has led to multiple administrative and management incompatibilities between autonomous communities.

Fiscal and Service Inequality: The autonomy to modify taxes and control over certain resources has generated comparative grievances between territories, especially due to the regional tax regimes of the Basque Country and Navarre, and differences in public services, such as healthcare and education.

Accumulation of Political Power and Patronage: The increase in autonomous politicians and bodies, often used to appoint cronies and relatives, has led to corruption, inefficiency, and high public spending, generating significant deficits in several communities.

Lack of institutional loyalty and nationalist tensions: Regional authorities have shown little constitutional loyalty, especially in the face of independence challenges driven by regionalist parties, using powers and resources as leverage against the central government.

Current effects: Lack of coordination and duplication: Barriers to interoperability have been created in healthcare, justice, and other services, resulting in a loss of efficiency and an impact on market unity and equality among citizens.

Political instability: Control of the central government frequently depends on regionalist parties, which influences the national agenda and hinders fundamental solutions due to parliamentary fragmentation.

Social distrust and perception of crisis: The perception of lack of control generates citizen distrust both domestically and internationally, damaging Spain’s image and stability.

Debate and perspective: There is consensus on the need for reform, but there is fear of “immobility” and that any profound adjustment could collapse the system or further strain the territorial balance.

There are opposing positions: some propose recentralization, while others move toward a clear federal model or even independence, without achieving consensus for major reform.

In conclusion, the structural problems of the Spanish autonomous model have led to a widespread feeling of loss of control, hampering effective management and calling into question its medium-term sustainability.

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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.

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.

If you´re thinking of moving to Spain, this link should be useful to you.