Dawn

Dawn

Friday, April 23, 2010

In the currently bizarre world of British politics, today's ‘poll of polls’ suggests that the opposition Conservative party will soon be forming a coalition with a Lib Dem party which has been a bit-part player for seven decades and which contains no one with any experience that would be useful in dealing with the country’s problems. Indeed, one poll even has them achieving a greater share of the vote, 33%, than the Conservatives at 32%. So, is this the British people showing genius or madness? Or just exasperation at the totally discredited political class as a whole? Either way, I’m sticking my neck out and saying the Lib Dems won’t get more than 20% of the popular vote when the moment of truth arrives in early May. Though the prospect of the Conservatives having to form a coalition with them remains a better bet. As to why the Lib Dems would want to form part of what is bound to be an unpopular retrenchment administration, one can only guess. Possibly they’re overcome by the excitement of having their names in the media for the first time in seventy years. But not for long would be my guess.

Talking of unpopularity, I see that things in Greece have reached another pretty pass, with the Athens government admitting further failure and having to seek billions from the EU and the IMF. Which may or may not calm a bond market which is jittery about both Portugal and Spain The times get more and more interesting with each passing day. Though you’d never guess this from walking around the streets of Madrid. Or even Pontevedra.

Which reminds me . . I missed my chance to change the course of Spanish judicial history tonight. Going into dinner with my Galician (and American) friends, I learned that one of them had just bumped into the judge (Varela) who’s taking the key decisions in the cases against the (in)famous Judge Garzón. Like Sr Rajoy, judge Varela hails from Pontevedra. And when I learned that Señora Varela was very short, I realised I’d passed the judge and his lady on the street on the way to dinner. However, it turns out they are my neighbours up in Pijolandia on the hills overlooking Pontevedra. So maybe I’ll get another chance to affect history. If Graeme from South of Watford could just send me a list of key points to get across.

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