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/Galiza

Spain’s deepening housing crisis has been described as a “social pandemic” that threatens to tip society towards collapse, if supply is not urgently increased. . . . It’s a stark picture of a market where only 100,000 new homes are built each year, while more than 200,000 households are formed, fuelling stress, anxiety, and even depression, with more than 40% of Spaniards – and over half of tenants – naming it as one of the two biggest problems in the country. It’s said that developers point to bureaucracy as the main bottleneck, as I guess they would. Anyway, the message from the Senate was blunt: unless Spain finds the courage to cut red tape, reduce taxes, and expand supply, the crisis will deepen – and so will its political fallout.

Pv city’s population has grown from 70,000 in 2000 to 85,000 now and there can be little doubt that accommodation hasn’t risen at anything like the same speed. Which is reflected in soaring prices, of course. Also slow is the conversion of ground floor retail outlets – either never occupied or now empty – into living space. Very possibly the fault of bureaucracy again.

This summer, we had a new type of concert in a park area along the river. It was free but the ad for next year’s concert cites a ticket price of €57. Which is both an odd number and quite a change in the approach towards entry. Perhaps it’s an attempt to keep away the riff-raff who upset local residents, one way or another, this year.

Which reminds me . . . Talking of music, sort of. . . . For the past 2 Sundays, there’s been a bagpiper playing near where I take my morning coffee. He stands under one of the arches (soportales) where homeless people sleep and my suspicion is that the council pays him to keep them awake/away. Probably cheaper than an assassin.

The Middle East

Just in case, like me, you aren’t sure of the status of a Palestinian state in these complicated times . . . More than 150 countries now recognise a Palestinian state, with more expected to do so soon. It has observer status at the UN, which grants Palestine certain rights in international law, such as joining treaties and the right to bring cases to bodies like the International Criminal Court. BUT: The extent of practical sovereignty and international legal effect is limited by ongoing occupation and lack of Security Council approval for full UN membership. The government is primarily the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited administrative and political control over parts of the West Bank. Mahmoud Abbas’s presidency has seen increasing centralization of power, with the parliament dissolved and most decisions made by presidential decree. The legislative branch has not functioned since 2006. Since 2007, the PA’s authority has mostly been limited to the West Bank, as the Gaza Strip has been under the de facto control of Hamas. One wonders what will happen if a 2-state solution is actually achieved, given that Hamas might still control part of one of them and exists to destroy the other one.

South America

The chainsaw economic strategy of the Argentinian president, Javier Milei, is faltering — and the Peronists are circling . . . For the global right, he is an icon, a rockstar president taking a chainsaw to government spending. Musk called him a “beacon of hope”. Trump hailed him as a “hero”. Kemi Badenoch sees him as the “template” for all conservative leaders. But back home it is a far more complicated picture, for he has just been through the worst fortnight of his 21 months in office. A corruption scandal is circling around the powerful general secretary to the presidency, his sister. His disapproval rating this week hit 54% and in key provincial elections, on September 7, his “Liberty Advances” political party was roundly defeated by a coalition of the country’s Peronist opposition, whose big state ideology is the antithesis of the Milei model.

THE USA

This video* is the latest episode of Shrinking Trump, providing advice – from minute 49 – on how perfectly Trump fits the detailed profile of a psychopath, as well as that of a malignant narcissist. Other evidence, from the horse’s mouth – is his recent statement: ‘I hate my enemies’. Which is an awful lot of folk, of course. And very probably an increasing number, if his poll numbers are anything to go by.

* If you have difficulty seeing this – The Jimmy Kimmel canceling is a tipping point – because it’s no longer on YouTube . . . You can hear it here. Episode 69.

If you want to see Trump – a performer par excellence – play-acting at sympathy and empathy for someone other than himself, see any of the videos of the commemoration event for Charlie Kirk.

The real Trump?

Nothing seems to have changed, apart from the colour of both his face and his hair . . . Oh, and his ankles.

Spanish

• Pegado: Stuck.
• Pegada: ‘Punch’. Resilience? The finishing touch – as in a football’s team failure to put the ball in the net.
• Chapa: Sheet metal, metal panel. As in the protective sheet below a car`s engine, damaged by a daughter trying to drive over rocks on her way to a hillside fountain.

Did you know?

Abandoned bird nests in southern Spain have turned out to be time capsules crammed with human relics – including a 700-year-old sandal, a painted leather mask fragment and even a medieval crossbow bolt.

Finally . . .

Another of those headlines, in a local paper . . . Tortillas for sexual diversity. And this foto . . .

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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.

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