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

Carlos Mazón, the embattled president of the eastern Spanish region of Valencia, has bowed to public fury and political pressure by resigning over his botched handling of the deadly floods that killed 229 people in the area just over a year ago. It’s reported that the President of the PP party finally decided to put pressure on him. Perhaps to avoid disclosure of what Sr Mazón was doing in the unaccounted-for 90 minutes between him saying goodbye to the female reporter he’d lunched for 3 hours with and turning up at his office. One gets cynical about politicians in Spain, perhaps even more so than elsewhere. And a resignation is very rare indeed. So, intrinsically suspicious, you might say.

The Spanish government proposes to grant citizenship to nearly 170 descendants of those who fought in the International Brigade during the 1936-39 Civil War. If this means entitlement to a Spanish passport, they’ll need to forgo this or give up their foreign one. Unless the Spanish government makes an exception for them.

The government also proposes to “remove symbols and elements contrary to democratic memory.” and to dissolve the Francisco Franco Foundation. I guess this might be seen as curtailment of freedom of speech and association by Trump and Vance. And as another reason to berate Spain.

Allegedly, there are Five Spanish destinations tourists haven’t ruined yet. Just a matter of time, then. I confess I’ve been to all of them, albeit 40 years ago to one.

I was surprised to read yesterday that Galicians are among the least happy campers in Spain. But today I read that more that 50% of them are not at their ‘ideal weight’ and don’t do enough exercise. So, that could be a reason. Either that or the winter rains.

The UK

An informed and pungent view of Elon Musk’s bromance with British ‘far-right hustler’ Tommy Robinson/Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

Europe

Germany is arming itself to the teeth to transform Europe again. As Berlin prepares for Putin, its growing military might has profound implications for Nato. [Oh to be an arms supplier!]

The mad, bad world of MAGA

Air Force One was stuffed with golden gifts but the promises remain paper-thin. Trump claims victory after trade talks with Xi yet agreements are not so gilt-edged , , , Leader after leader made sure they avoided tedious bilateral meetings in favour of the sort of camera-friendly events that Trump puts on at the White House. . . . The trip settled into a pattern. Hosts deployed flattery and gifts while quietly kicking controversial trade decisions down the road.

This might explain why Trump is talking of sending troops to Nigeria. Assuming he can point to it on a map.

Quote of the Day

Astonishingvbut true . . . The money motive should never be ruled out even when dealing with the fabulously wealthy.

The Way of the World

More than 150,000 people have died in Sudan‘s appalling civil war, and about 12 million have fled their homes in what the United Nations has called the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Both sides in the Sudan conflict are predominantly Muslim, with Christians constituting c.5.% of the population. One doesn’t hear or read much about these Muslims slaughtering each other. Perhaps we would if one side had a special scarf for their vociferous supporters to sport. Be that as it might, here’s a BBC ‘simple guide’ to the war.

Social Media

• News consumers addicted to Tik Tok and YouTube no longer want the sombre tones of Walter Cronkite providing a ‘view from nowhere’. They want a voice they trust, telling them things they already believe. The White House press room now has a dedicated seat for influencers.
• Australia’s social media ban shows the way. Barring under-16s from Tik Tok et al is hugely popular.

Spanish

• Precio ajustado: Keen price.
• Aliciente: Incentive, encouragement, inducement. [Perhaps what the PP president gave to Sr Mazón.]

Did you know?/You Have to Laugh

Chistes de cuñados: Lit. Brother-in-law jokes. Jokes that aren’t funny but you feel compelled to laugh at. I thought ‘Dad jokes’ might be the equivalent but perhaps not, as my daughters clearly don’t feel compelled to laugh at mine. [Note: That’s what I was told the phrase meant by a friend but an AI engine tells me: These center on the stereotype of the brother-in-law but are used to describe someone who acts like a know-it-all or always gives unsolicited advice and opinions in a confident but often clueless way. They highlight the exaggerated, sometimes absurd behaviors and remarks of such characters in various everyday situations. They tend to be short, simple, and play on the pretentiousness and comic incompetence of the cuñado.]

Finally . . .

I seem to have left my e-reader on a bar terraza last night. It has my name and phone number inside the cover but previous experience of lost Panama hats suggests that optimism about getting a call would be misplaced. I needed a new one anyway.

Finally, finally . . .

If I’ve received one email re my (non-existent) cloud storage facility being on the point of being lost, I’ve received a hundred. Are folk particularly susceptible this bit of phishing?

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.

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.