Dawn

Dawn

Wednesday, September 06, 2017

Thoughts from Galicia: 6.9.17

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.
- Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain. 

If you've arrived here because of an interest in Galicia or Pontevedra, see my web page here.

Life in Spain
  • The confrontation between Cataluña's secessionists and Spain's centrists continues to heat up, ahead of the referendum there slated for October 1. See here and here.
  • For Spain as a whole, it's disappointing to read that the usual end-August unemployment spike is the highest for years. Presumably it reflects the massive increase in temporary contracts in the tourism sector over the summr.
I see that 45 Catholic theologians have opined that, though Pope Frankie is not himself 'heretical', many of his statements are. And, on the 'extremist fringes' of the Catholic church, there are people who genuinely believe that at least the last 4 popes were 'impostors'. Doesn't bode well for the institution's long-term survival. Thought it's come through worse, albeit in simpler times.

One fascinating aspect of the Brexit saga is that it regularly wrong-foots parties of both the Left and the Right. For example, the Labour mayor of London is today criticising a draft Conservative law designed to protect UK workers from cheap migrant labour from East Europe. Strawberry-pickers, for example. And yet Labour is the party of the workers. Even stranger, the Labour mayor talks about protecting the economy, more usually the concern of the Conservative party.

Talking - sort of - about the EU . . .  
  1. How about this for an opening sentence: Poland has proposed “serious talks” with Germany about reparations for the Second World War after one minister said the bill for damages amounted to $1 trillion. Belated German hegemony is clearly coming at a price. 
  2. Here's Don Quijones on the ECB's plans to stop us taking money from banks we fear are going under. Which doesn't sound very customer-oriented. Would an accountable national government dare do this? And, given DQ's comment that the ECB has a genius for bending its own rules, one wonders why it needs to take this measure. Maybe there is a limit to its politically-driven chicanery, designed to save the EU at all costs. Especially those of its citizens.
Nice to read the suggestion that Donald Trump is so stupid that he doesn't realise he's stupid. Probably not original to him, though. By the way . . .  Are Mrs Trump's heels 4 inch or 6 inch? I've seen the same shoes described in both ways. Different measuring methods???

And Here's another unvetted (but comprehensive) TurGalicia offering. Our local press is boasting that Pontevedra province/the Rías Baixas is/now are the 4th most popular tourist draw in Spain. Which is not entirely good news as far as I'm concerned. Too many guiris.

As ever, the early-Sunday clean up after Saturday's Feira Franca in Pontevedra was staggeringly efficient. Not a trace of the massive fiesta by 10 on Sunday morning. Possibly earlier. But it was interesting to read yesterday that the council is considering measures to 'stop the event dying of its own success'. I wonder what they could be.

Finally . . . As I've said, there's a perennial need here in Spain to think up new ways of having fun via another 'traditional' fiesta. I'm not sure I've ever before seen evidence of a gastronomic fiesta in Sanxenxo centred on onions. But I could be wrong.

Today's cartoon:

It's only me

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