Editorial:
Easter Week is here and for once the weather is on its best behaviour. Perhaps a few showers up there in Galicia (they seem to enjoy them), but warm and sunny for the rest of Spain.
Which means tourists, visitors, families and an agreeable amount of mayhem and hullabaloo.
Those city folk who can trace the heritage of a far-off beginning in some abandoned pueblo will be back for a few days, making a fuss of the old people who stayed behind, proudly parking their car in the street which used to be more familiar with donkeys than with SUVs. The old kitchen with the fire lit and an agreeable smell of chicken and sausage (bought yesterday at El Corte Inglés) floats out the door where the menfolk are doing their best to appreciate some home-made wine, el vino casero. It’s rough but it’s honest.
But most of Spain, plus a generous number of foreign visitors (they’ve wisely cancelled their hols in Turkey or Cyprus and decided on the old standby of España once again) are now on the beach, getting their first rays since last summer.
The locals are performing their processions, La Virgen María is on the move, and the town band is tootling along behind her, providing melancholic or joyous melodies as demanded. Jesús may be carried solemnly from the church once around the square no touchies, and followed by a clutch of old girls in black, but most of us are in the bars, the restaurants and the souvenir shops (which have stayed open late, just for you).
Is Easter a religious or a pagan holiday? Who knows and, with some small but no doubt vocal exception, who cares?
The cities are another thing again. More crowds taking the week off work, milling about in their finest togs; and then there are the penitents, the nazarenos, often dressed in capirotes (those sinister outfits with the robes and pointy heads) marching down the side streets in columns, briefly posing for the cameras.
Easter is fun. There are special cakes at the bakery – including those wonderful torrijas soaked in milk, egg and sugar then fried (or with sweet wine instead of the milk): it’s a sort of jolly version of French toast, or if your generosity stretches far enough, the Spanish answer to the venerable British hot cross bun.
It’s now the start of the season, and this year Spain is certain to hit its goal of a hundred million foreign tourists (after all, apart from France, where else can they go?). Once the Semana Santa is over, and before the bacchanalia really takes hold, I might be just about able to zip down to the supermarket (and the library) to load up on provisions for the inevitable summer onslaught.
My shopping list reads: beer, bangers and books.
For sure, it’s gonna be a hot one.
Housing:
From Idealista here. Some Spanish regions lowered property taxes for home buyers in 2026. Discover which Spanish regions have reduced property transfer tax (ITP) and property tax (IBI) to encourage home purchases in 2026’.
From El Día here: ‘Lack of resources and slow judicial processes are fuelling the proliferation of illegal settlements in southern Tenerife. Five municipalities are demanding urgent help as they are overwhelmed and lack the resources to contain settlements that are growing all along the coast and in the midlands’.
I think it’s unfair on landlords for the rest of us to always be harping on about them living from their rents or making some extra income at the expense of their impoverished occupants. It’s fine, I believe, to rent out your empty flat or house to those with the right guarantees (nobody wants a tenant in arrears). But what about if you own ten apartments, or fifty, or a hundred? By now, we are looking at something else. From The Olive Press here: ‘Spain forces major landlords to extend rents amid Iran war uncertainty. The Government has ordered Spain’s 13 largest landlords – including real estate firms and investment funds – to extend rental contracts expiring between March 22, 2026 and December 31, 2027 if tenants request to stay’. From elDiario here: ‘From the land of homeowners to the land of speculators. The news that the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has sent a communication to thirteen large real estate companies and investment funds, which control more than 100,000 homes in Spain, reminding them of their obligation to extend rental contracts in the cases stipulated by the decree law, perfectly illustrates this social shift’. Público reports on ‘Gabriel Rufián's reflection on large landlords and their inevitable support from the right wing: "just thirteen of them own 100,000 homes"’.
Tourism:
From the Majorca Daily Bulletin here: ‘Ticket prices will rise at the end of the summer as tourists shift to Spain, says budget airline giant easyJet’.
Seniors:
Early retirement might sound like a lifeline: "I can't take it anymore," "I've been laid off," "I've been paying into the system my whole life." But in 2026, it's still a decision with hidden costs, as it involves permanent penalties, strict requirements, and frequent mistakes that cost money every month. That's why at Plusesmas.com we want to talk to you here about when it might be worthwhile and when it isn't.
Finance:
‘Bizum, the instant payment service will offer an experience very similar to Apple Pay or Google Pay, allowing its more than 30 million users in Spain to pay in physical stores with their mobile phone and without needing to carry their card. This marks another milestone for the Spanish-run Bizum, which continues to add new services’. More at ADSLZone here.
From Cinco Días here: ‘High renewable energy production and low demand drive electricity prices to historic lows. On Sunday, the average price was 18 cents per megawatt-hour, a figure also boosted by the suspension of the 7% tax on electricity generation’.
From El País here: ‘Hacienda corrects the wealth tax to end tax discrimination against non-residents’.
Politics:
Andalucía will hold its regional elections on May 17th. Following from this, the PSOE candidate for the autonomy, María Jesús Montero, having left the national Government, has been substituted in her post by Carlos Cuerpo (the economist and Minister of the Economy who speaks fluent English, French and good Japanese and Chinese) to take over the vice-presidency, and Arcadi España to lead the Treasury Ministry. (All links to 20Minutos).
The head office of the Partido Popular reacted to her candidacy, describing Montero and the PSOE on Twitter as "political trash". Indignant readers responded: "They've lost their way."
From InfoDefensa here: ‘Carlos Rojas, a senior PP deputy, says, "Our goal is to reach 5% of defence spending and we are going to achieve it"’.
From El Plural here: ‘Internal purges and subservience to the Trump-Netanyahu axis brings Vox to a screeching halt. The far-right party's poll numbers plummet after its stance on the Middle East war and its countless internal purges’.
Just to catch up, there’s been no agreement so far between the PP and Vox to share the power in the three regions of Aragón, Castilla y León and Extremadura following their recent elections. El Periódico says: ‘The Government spokesperson Elma Saiz claims that the deadlock in the three regions is due to "electoral calculations" rather than to the general interest’.
From elDiario.es here: ‘Mónica Oltra announces her candidacy for mayor of Valencia. Oltra's candidacy joins that of Pilar Bernabé, representing the PSPV-PSOE, in an attempt to win back a key city, currently governed by the PP under María José Catalá’. Mónica Oltra was vice-president (2015 – 2022) in Ximo Puig’s government, but she later fell foul to a smear campaign centred on her divorced husband.
From RTVE here: ‘A heated plenary session in the Valencian Community Parliament has led to calls for the resignation or dismissal of the First Vice President of the Generalitat, Susana Camarero, who, in defending the President, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, accused the opposition of being "textbook chauvinists" and of condoning a central government "full of prostitutes" (sic). This comes about after accusations of nepotism from the opposition following the news that Pérez Llorca had promoted his wife to a job in the diputación de Valencia. Pérez Llorca dismissed the accusation against his wife as ‘machísmo’.
War:
‘Spain completely closes its airspace to any flight participating in Operation Epic Fury. Carlos Cuerpo assures on SER radio that the closure is part of "Spain's decision not to contribute to a war that goes against international law"’.
‘Far Worse Than Iraq…’ on YouTube here (4 mins in English) ‘Spanish PM Sanchez’s speech goes viral; gives reality check to Trump on Iran’ (Thanks to Jake).
From Newsweek here: ‘The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has called for the U.S. to pull all of its troops from the European country after reports suggested U.S. President Donald Trump is considering withdrawing American soldiers from Germany’. Here in Spain, it’s the far-left who wants them out.
From the ABC here: ‘The EU is preparing a protocol to deploy its own defence independently of NATO. Brussels is seeking greater military autonomy from the US due to their clashes over Ukraine, Greenland, and now the Iran-Iraq War’.
A blog post here: ‘The economic damage caused by this war will stretch to the end of the decade, and shortages will go way beyond oil, gas and fertilizer’.
Europe:
From El Mundo here: ‘Brussels proposes "reducing the maximum speed limit on motorways by at least 10 km/h" to "save fuel" amid the crisis. Commissioner Jørgensen has sent a letter to the 27 capitals inviting them to adopt a ten-point plan of measures, which also includes promoting teleworking, avoiding air travel, and a "license plate-based rotation system" for entering cities’.
Courts:
From El Plural here: ‘In just a few days, one of the most important trials in history will take place: the so-called caso kitchen. Former police commissioner José Manuel Villarejo will be in the dock, along with Jorge Fernández Díaz, who served as Interior Minister under Mariano Rajoy, his deputy Francisco Martínez, and members of the top police brass from Rajoy's first government. These are the so-called "state sewers," the same ones that, using secret funds—that is, public money—spied on and stole from the enemies of the People's Party (PP), in this case, the party's former treasurer, Luis Bárcenas…’
Público says that ‘The Supreme Court confirms that the trial of Ábalos, Aldama and Koldo for the caso mascarillas will begin on April 7’.
No one seems to want to touch Ayuso or her boyfriend Alberto González Amador – but his business partner appears to be fair game. From El Plural here: ‘US jails business partner of Ayuso's boyfriend in Panama for conspiracy and smuggling. Businessman Juan Carlos González was arrested in the Dominican Republic for his alleged involvement in a scheme that included conspiracy, smuggling, and document forgery’.
Media:
For those who think I only choose the pro-Sánchez pieces from the foreign media, here’s the National Review with: ‘A Portrait of a Failing Civilization’.
The BBC has: ‘The Spanish woman who died through euthanasia was failed by the state, say critics’. More to the point, she was chosen as a cause célèbre by the far-right. From elDiario.es here: ‘Noelia's right to die with dignity’. A well-considered piece on the young woman’s right to euthanasia. Meanwhile, Abogados Christianos, furious about the outcome, have now filed a malfeasance complaint against the (woman) doctor who processed Noelia's euthanasia’. In return, she calls the fascist group ‘unos psicópatas’.
Dana Erlich, Israel's top diplomat in Spain, suggests that the Spanish government is part of pro-Iranian international terrorism and proclaims anti-Semitic messages. On YouTube here (the comments to this choice slice of Zionist propaganda are largely unsympathetic). From ETB2 ‘Vaya Semanita’, a funny piece on the ‘fachas’ – confused as to whether the far-right should be more nationalist or more Trump-fans. With video. The man tells the psychologist, ‘I don’t know who I am any more…’
‘JuanMa Moreno, the nice guy who killed public healthcare in Andalucía’. Opinion from Público here. An interesting history of how we came to be where we are in Andalucía.
Vox is upset with El Confidencial for its reporting. Here’s one of theirs: ‘Vox's press officer receives a public salary from Canal Sur TV while working for the party. Álvaro Zancajo, a board member of RTVA (the Andalusian public broadcasting corporation), conceals his position with the party in his declaration of activities. The corporation's regulations prohibit "any direct or indirect connection" with press offices and require "absolute and exclusive" dedication’. Canal Sur is a bit like TeleMadrid when it comes to its news hour. Indeed, all regional TVs plus the national one, must respond – in smaller or greater measure – to their bosses (or to their owners for the private channels like Cuatro, Tele5, LaSexta and so on).
The PP-controlled Senate is to investigate the alleged political slant within the national RTVE, controlled by the Government. The article at The Corner calls it ‘Telepedro’.
Ecology:
‘Sánchez announces public investment of €325 million for three satellites to anticipate extreme weather events. The Prime Minister announces the launch of the ESCA+ constellation, which will send real-time data to improve emergency response capabilities’.
Ivermectin, used in parasite control, is affecting the health of dung beetles and their job of breaking down mammal excrement and transforming it into nutrients that enrich the soil, promoting biodiversity and the fertility of grasslands. Novaciencia has the story.
Going back to the high nitrate level in our tap water – here’s a guide with the levels across every town in Spain: ‘El agua de tu pueblo’.
The Guardian returns with another ‘‘Visible from space’: why Spain has the world’s biggest concentration of greenhouses. Andalucía houses ‘Europe’s vegetable garden’ – a laboratory of development and innovation producing vegetables for all of Europe’.
Various:
From El Mundo here: ‘Pope Leo XIV on his first Palm Sunday: "God cannot be used to justify war". In a seemingly purely liturgical address, the Pontiff refuted the words of world powers that seek to appropriate the divine to justify death among human beings’.
The co-official languages of Spain are a mess. Firstly – euskara is spoken by nobody outside the three Basque provinces plus neighbouring Navarra (the Basques think that Pamplona should be their capital, but are stuck with Vitoria, or Vitoria-Gasteiz to be pedantic, which is at least in the right geographical location). All Basques will (and for practical reasons must) speak Spanish. You might get a word or two in Euskara to make the point, but, if nobody understands… Then there’s galego, a mix of Portuguese and Spanish. There’s aragonés – or fabla – as well (it’s close to extinction apparently).
Over to the East, the Catalans like to speak catalán (unless they live in Valencia, where it’s called valenciano). In Valencia, normally Partido Popular territory, they prefer to speak Spanish anyway, and they would no doubt prefer it if I said ‘castellano’.
Indeed, castellano is more like the King’s English; it’s best spoken in Valladolid, while worst savaged in Huelva.
Catalán unfortunately has so much baggage, what with the Independence thing, that Miriam Nogueras, the parliamentary spokesperson for Junts del Catalunya, insists on making all her presentations in that language. Since nobody else either likes her or cares what she is saying, few deputies bother to plug a pinganillo into their ear for the translation...
Since we got on this subject, I would suggest that el inglés is probably the fourth-spoken idioma in Spain – rising to second place during the summer months.
Having trodden on more than a few toes with the foregoing, I’ll note here that my friend José Antonio Sierra (who founded the Spanish Cultural Institute in Dublin, and served as Director and Cultural Manager of the Instituto Cervantes in Dublin for many years) has been campaigning in Andalucía to get the escuelas oficiales de idiomas, who merrily teach English, French and German, to offer courses in Spain’s minority languages, so far without success.
From Brett Hetherington’s First Thoughts here: ‘Europe's "first women-only library:" in Barcelona. Encouraging literacy in the city's young working women, it started in 1909 and is still open today’.
See Spain:
An article about Macael (Almería) from Infobae here: ‘The town whose marble was used to build the Alhambra in Granada has 40 million cubic metres of marble. The history of this town is linked to the extraction and use of this material since Phoenician times’. Cosentino the tile people are based in this town.
From The Olive Press: ‘The Picos de Europa has been ranked the most beautiful place in the world by the leading British magazine Time Out. The mountain range in northern Spain is marked first among the 51 most spectacular landscapes and destinations on the planet’.
Letters:
If the page you want to look at doesn’t open properly – usually because it has a paywall, or might have malware… copy the code (if it’s long, just copy up to -but not including- a question mark) then paste here at https://archive.ph/ . Nine times out of ten…
Finally:
Rosalía knocks it out of the court with Madre Dolorosa on YouTube here.
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