Talking
of which, these are the matters this noble body is currently
considering:-
- Are the government's pension reforms constitutional?
- Can the government force the regions/provinces/towns not to pay the extra month's salary usually received by civil servants at Christmas?
- Can the government stop Cataluña imposing a tax on bank deposits?
- Can the government stop regions other than the Basque Country providing healthcare to people 'without papers'?
The
Court has recently found it unconstitutional for the government to
try to stop regional governments giving healthcare to 'people without
papers', whom I understand to be illegal immigrants. The government
has responded with the claim that this judgement applies only to the
Basque Country but we will see.
I
mentioned the other day that the Spanish tourism and export
sectors were both defying the Crisis and growing well. There's a third
business which is clearly expanding - begging. On my way to the main
square today, I passed five sorry-looking folk sitting passively
on the steps of shops that have closed, behind little placards that spell out their woes. And to sit outside
any bar now is to invite the attentions of a stream of panhandlers.
Finally, it's not possible to park in any public place in town
without someone seeking payment for effectively doing nothing. I'm
guessing that, since the dole stops after two years, if you have no
family to rely on, begging is your only option in country of 26%
unemployment, and rising. But I could be wrong. It could all be a
vast (Rumanian?) business. Whatever, I wonder how many other European cities are afflicted by this phenomenon.
On a happier note, I
had the pleasure of seeing a performance of the New Orleans Gospel
Chorale last night. It
confirmed that the Devil certainly doesn't have all the best tunes. The
evening began well, with me winning a bet that it wouldn't start on
time. And then with the laughter of a phone ringing five minutes
after we'd been asked to switch them all off. And after the soloist
had started singing. But, hey, we take these things in our stride in
Spain and they didn't stop the evening being a joy.
Finally
. . . Courtesy of Prospect
magazine, here's a comparison of some English words and phrases and
their equivalents in Indian English, or Hinglish. I hope you enjoy
them as much
as I did:-
English Hinglish
Huge
mistake - Himalayan blunder
100% - Cent
per cent
Arrested - Charge-sheeted
Naughty - Badmash
In
need of a drink - Glassy
Nepotism - Son
stroke
Something
was ruined - Gone for a six
Sexual
harassment - Eve teasing
Out
of town - Out of station
To
graduate - To pass out
To
go haywire - To go for a toss
Leisure
activity lacking purpose - Timepass
Blister - Shoebite
Sunglasses - Goggles
Playing
hard to get - Acting pricey.
How appropriate son stroke would be for Spain.
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