Editorial:
Bullfights seem to be dominating the news this week – a terrible goring here and a protestor climbing into the ring there... The first of these at least should go towards reminding us how dangerous is the show and how brave the matadors are, but it is much more likely to bring out the cries of those who don’t approve of la tauromaquia and worse still, don’t believe that others should enjoy the spectacle either (and not just the idiot protestor mentioned above). Here’s a quote from Féderico García Lorca, the poet: ‘Los toros is the most cultured spectacle in the world’.
Maybe we were right to shoot him?
Housing:
The former mayor of Partaloa (Almería), Frederico Molina, has been condemned to 18 months in prison and nine years disbarment from office for allowing a relative to build nine houses in the town. The judge declines to order demolition of the properties because they are not on specially protected land and are occupied by purchasers in good faith. Story here.
‘Foreign buyers boosting Spanish property market, especially on Costa del Sol. An increased number of foreign buyers is set to boost the residential property market in the Costa del Sol in Spain, one of the country’s most popular areas with overseas purchasers...’. Story at Property Wire.
Tourism:
Benidorm had the fourth largest number of ‘pernoctaciones’ – overnight stays – in Spain during the first six months of this year at 4,999,682. It was beaten by Madrid at 8,724,169; Barcelona at 8,570,240 and the Canarian municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana (which includes Maspalomas) at 5,374,318 overnight stays. Fifth was Adeje (Tenerife) with 4,674,979. Information from Top Turisme.
Finance:
The Government plans to cut back on unemployment benefits after the next elections, says Nueva Tribuna. The budgeted figure of 19,820,940,000€ shows a fall over 2015 of 21.7%.
From The Economist: ‘Spain’s economy. Back on its feet’. The article praises the recent Spanish growth, but notes that it ‘...is in any case important to put the Spanish recovery in perspective. It follows a decline of 8% in GDP between its peak in the spring of 2008 and its trough five years later. The economy may now be growing fast, but it is still 4% smaller than seven years ago, a bigger shortfall than that of the euro area as a whole, whose GDP is about 1% below its peak. Despite the decline in unemployment, the jobless rate in Spain is still the second-highest in Europe, exceeded only by Greece’s...’. Expansión looks at the article for Spanish readers, with a less than enthusiastic headline: ‘The Economist puts into doubt the merits of Rajoy’s reforms’.
‘...Spain, heralded by many as a success story for austerity policies, is on track for more than 3 percent growth this year and has created more than one million jobs since the beginning of 2014. But for many Spaniards ... the statistics are meaningless — even suspect. Experts say that is not surprising because the vast majority of the new jobs are part-time — some lasting only a few days — and they pay poorly, doing little to improve the lives of the millions of Spaniards who lost their jobs during the global economic crisis...’. Major article from The New York Times.
Politics:
The mathematical proposals for a reform in the system of choosing winning candidates in local elections will benefit the Partido Popular says an essay in El Diario. Mind, the PSOE did the same thing with its peculiar boy/girl/boy/girl reform a few years back (two/three out of every five listed candidates). What’s wrong with a simple vote?
It’s ‘let’s knock Gibraltar time’ again... there must be elections in Madrid around the corner, says El Diario in an amusing opinion piece here. ‘Gibraltar and Spain accuse each other of encouraging crime on the Rock’: Report from El País in English.
Catalonia:
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s SuperCat. Independence rulz! Or, how about a number-plate with a ‘CAT’ instead of an ‘E’? You’ll get fined, that’s what.
By the end of July, the intention of vote was Junts Pel Sí (Together For Yes): Artur Mas’ independentist coalition with ERC and others, at 35.8%; followed by Ciutatans at 19.1%; Catalunya Sí que es Pot (Podemos-led left coalition) at 12.8% and the PSC (socialists) at 12%. (N.B: I had the numbers wrong in BoT 122)
Brexit:
‘...British citizens can at present move easily to another EU country. If we left the EU, they would have to satisfy more restrictive rules on getting a work permit, setting up a business, studying and bringing family members to join them. More than two million Brits already live in another EU member state. Pensioners could find that their pensions are no longer increased every year at the same rate as those of people living in the UK - as happens now...’. From The Guardian: ‘10 Ways in which Life could Change if the UK left the EU’.
Courts:
Following from the hotels (private apartment rentals, airbnb etc), the taxis (Uber), and the bars (botellones), now it’s the turn of the bus companies to complain of ‘unfair competition’ with BlaBlaCar (an easy find-a-passenger-going-the-same-way service). Story here.
Fashion:
Beard transplants, apparently. The ‘hipster’ fashion means that men are looking for beard and moustache transplants. That’s the news from the director of the Institut Vila-Rovira as reported by Ideal. One shudders to think what they will come up with next!
Bullfights:
According to Libertad Digital here, the anti-taurino people are heavily funded by interests from Holland. A Dutch group called 'CAS International' is apparently (if you believe this story) behind the new wave against la tauromaquia in Spain and elsewhere, with finance, exaggerations and silly/gruesome pictures.
Bullfights return to San Sebastian, after a three-year ban from the local Bildu party was overthrown. Toros have been fought in San Sebastian since 1589. El Mundo reports.
Los Toros brought 45 million euros in IVA in ticket sales in 2014, which is 60% more than the (heavily subsidised Spanish) cinema managed. Bullfights got no Government subsidies in 2014, against 74.5 Million euros for the national cinema production. Found at El Mundo.
Various:
‘A British photojournalist has captured his fellow countrymen at their worst as they enjoy the excesses that Ibiza has to offer. The Local talks to Peter Dench on the publication of his new book "British Abroad" ... "The British behaving badly provide a year round television viewing staple. It’s fair to say, the image of the young British abroad isn’t great and I wanted to add my voice to the visual debate: some of the images endorse the stereotype, others challenge it."...’. From The Local.
‘An open letter: 32 Reasons Why I Love Spain’ from The Chorizo Chronicles.
The Spanish Royal Academy (RAE) is strongly against the new, trivial and generally politically-motivated repetition of nouns with masculine and feminine endings (‘todos y todas’ etc) in Spoken Spanish. A Latin American newspaper has some fun.
‘New statistics suggest Londoners could save a fortune if they commuted to work from Spain. UK MP Tessa Jowell claims those working in England’s capital could save more than €5,500 a year by living in Madrid. Citing sky-high London rental prices in England’s capital, Jowell also factors in the travel costs as well as the cost of living in her study...’. Story at The Olive Press.
‘Collecting obscene amounts of money, writing illegal contracts, handing out bribes - all things you can do with a new Spanish mobile app inspired by headlines of corruption in Spain. ... The aim of the game, which is available on iPhone and Android, is to collect as much money as possible through illegal activities...’. From The Local.
There’s a good video of a dry river-bed in Alba, Almería, filling up, fast. This shows how dangerous those ramblas can be and why – for example – you shouldn’t build in one.
See Spain:
Stunning photos of the Urriellu peak, also known as Naranjo de Bulnes, situated in the national park Picos de Europa, in northern Spain. It has an altitude of 2519m. All sides are vertical, especially the west side with a vertical drop of 500m. Here.
Letters:
Dear Lenox,
Interested to see you following the "booming tourism" angle whilst we, and quite a number around here, are having the worst rental season for over 20 years.
To check it out I asked our cleaning ladies who are mainly employed by a big letting agency. They replied that there's less work than usual.
Jávea is full of Spaniards (largely from Valencia we think as one cannot move at weekends) and who have been buying small apts. here. But, like the French visitors, they do not eat in restaurants.
John
Finally:
Some of the differences between and the USA and Spain... An oddity from YouTube.
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