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Thursday, November 23, 2017

Thoughts from Galicia: 23.11.17

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.

Usual Thursday morning HT to Lenox of Business Over Tapas for several of today's items.

Spain
  • The Bank of Spain has said that the labour market situation in Spain is 'somewhat less buoyant' than the macro economic data suggests. That's one way of describing wage stagnation over the last 15 years or more. Against a backcloth of continuing inflation. And then there's the precarious zero-hours contracts which form the vast majority of new employment contracts.
  • The Tax Office (the Hacienda) has proposed a 4% tax on all second-hand sales via e-bay and the like. I guess the only logic is revenue generation. And the ease of tracking deals. Does this happen elsewhere?
  • Talking of these fine people . . . El Diario tells us that Hacienda has allowed the city of Jaén (run by the PP party) to circumvent 'exceptionally' the same budgetary rules by which it intervenes in the case of (non PP) Madrid. A series of Hacienda documents seen by El Diario reveals the double standards applied to local administrations depending on which party governs them. 
  • According to Transparency International, 91% of Spaniards accept there is corruption in the Rajoy PP Administration. I guess the other 9% live in caves.
  • The Guardian reports that: Gibraltar is heading for an abrupt exit from the single market without the benefit of any transition deal, according to senior Spanish government sources, who revealed that the British government had failed to offer any proposals on the future of the Rock. . . . Gibraltar would be outside any future trade deal with the UK unless an agreement was reached in advance with Madrid over its future status.
  • The Olive Press tells us that Spain will be among the worst affected by global warming, as scientists reveal that world is on track to heat up by 3 degrees C. As if the current drought weren't bad enough.
  • Some good news?
  • Spain's best cheese??
Portugal
  • Tolls: Another bitch. Some of the pay machines reject both my Spanish debit and credit cards and also my British debit card. Others are willing to take one of them. Make sure you carry enough cash, then. (P. S. See reader Jan's comments on the tolls system below yesterday's post.)
  • Once again, in (lovely) Tomar last evening - after my satnav had once more 'dropped' me at the wrong spot - I spoke to 3people who didn't know the location of a street fewer than 100m away. Does this happen in all towns/cities around the world or only in Iberia?
Italy
Nutters Corner
Pontevedra
  • I didn't believe this but a friend assures me it's true. These are new 'laser' radar machines which the police are installing around the city to ensure no one drives at more than 30kph/19mph.


I again thought of the guy who claimed only breakers of the law get fined and wondered what he'd feel about this latest revenue-generating measure. As my friend says, someone has to pay for all the Xmas lights.

Finally . . .
  • Do you want your brain chipped? At least right now you still have the choice . . . It must all be true if the Daily Express says it is.
Today's Cartoon

From my sister in Liverpool . . . 



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