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 gitanos seek ‘justice and dignity’ after centuries of prejudice. The Roma community, whose contributions to the country’s identity include flamenco, have won royal recognition but feel more must be done.

So, why does Germany has a youth unemployment rate of 6% while Spain has one of 26%? . . . Says Perplexity: The 21 percentage points gap reflects long‑term institutional differences more than a short‑term cyclical divergence. Germany’s youth unemployment is low partly because its labour market and education system integrate young people into stable jobs early, while Spain combines structural unemployment, a weak school‑to‑work transition, and a very dual labour market that pushes young workers into precarious roles and frequent joblessness. The complete answer is given at the end of this post.

As I was saying . . .

Talking of unusual female names . . . The first baby girl to be born here in 2026 was named Coral. Let’s hope she’s fina como un coral, as they say.

The USA

One of the psychologists from Shrinking Trump re-appears with a claim that Trump has had a stroke and is displaying ‘obvious deteriorating mental health’ in at least 4 areas. I can’t imagine he’s very popular with the 47th US president.

In case you hadn’t realised it . . . Trump has reinvented reality. . . . Lacking any strategic vision, he lives only in the present and has to emerge from every conversation as a winner.

So, will Trump demand that the first match of the World Cup be moved from Mexico to the USA? Very possibly. If so, will the equally corrupt FIFA president comply with this demand? Even more likely.

Quote of the Day

A deranged, demented, violent, paranoid man is in charge of our wellbeing. Guess where and who.

Russia

Talking of tyrants . . . The perspective of Khrushchev’s great granddaughter on Putin and on the personality cult he’s created, rehabilitating Stalin in the process.

The Way of the World

A top fact-checking site has dubbed 2025 the “Year of the Lies”, due to the sheer volume of mistruths and false information that has been spread by politicians.

Spanish

• Bazofia: Slop, swill. Hogwash.
• Bengala: Flare. Sparkler.
• Outfit: Outfit. [Pronunciation possibly ow-oot fit, not owt-fit].

English

The non-English languages of the British Isles.

Did you know?

Every culture greets the new year the same way: by briefly acknowledging that time is unstoppable, mysterious, and indifferent—then immediately attempting to negotiate with it anyway.

Finally . . . You Have to Laugh

This is the short (15m) B&W film everyone in Germany watches on New Year’s Eve. Every year . . . Possibly an acquired taste . . . In colour here.

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

Germany’s youth unemployment is low partly because its labour market and education system integrate young people into stable jobs early, while Spain combines structural unemployment, a weak school‑to‑work transition, and a very dual labour market that pushes young workers into precarious roles and frequent joblessness. The 6% versus roughly 26% gap reflects long‑term institutional differences more than a short‑term cyclical divergence.​

Key structural differences

• Germany has a strong dual vocational training system where many teenagers alternate between classroom learning and paid apprenticeships with firms, leading directly to recognised qualifications and permanent contracts.​
• Spain has historically weaker vocational training and a more academic, dropout‑prone secondary system, so many young people leave education without qualifications that match employer needs.​
• German labour market institutions favour coordinated wage bargaining, active labour policies, and relatively low overall unemployment (about 3.8% in late 2025), which also keeps youth unemployment down.​
• Spain combines high overall unemployment with strong employment protection for insiders and widespread temporary contracts for outsiders, so young people bear a disproportionate share of labour market adjustment.​

Spain‑specific factors keeping youth joblessness high

• Very high use of temporary and seasonal contracts, especially in tourism, hospitality, and construction, means young workers cycle between short jobs and unemployment instead of building stable careers.​
• The boom‑and‑bust legacy of construction and real‑estate, plus regional imbalances, left a cohort of low‑qualified youth in areas with few alternative jobs.​
• Long spells of unemployment at labour‑market entry scar future employment prospects, locking part of each generation into underemployment or inactivity.​

Why Germany does better for youth

• Firms in Germany co‑design training content with chambers of commerce and pay apprentices, so training slots more or less match expected labour demand, limiting excess cohorts of school‑leavers without jobs.​
• Guidance, tracking and relatively low early school‑leaving rates reduce the number of young people with neither adequate education nor work experience.​
• Activation policies (counselling, training, job‑search support) tend to be more developed and better resourced than in Spain, shortening unemployment spells for young jobseekers.​

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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.