Who said Spanish satire was dead? Well, I did, for one. Discouraged by the disappearance of TV latex puppets Los Guiñol and their real-life counterparts on Caiga quien caiga, and disheartened by the lack of laughs afforded by El Jueves magazine, it seemed to me the satirical landscape looked worryingly barren. But things suddenly looked a good deal rosier when I came across a string of news-related-but-not-quite-real headlines on website elmundotoday.com: “He shot at a wild boar, thinking it was his mother-in-law”, or “Argument over Dostoyevksy sparks Latin Kings gang fight”, or, more topically, “Congress approves law of the jungle”. El Mundo Today is run by Xavi Puig and Kike García, … [Read more...] about El Mundo Today keeps Spanish satire alive and kicking
Spain’s Socialist reshuffle reaches out to left
If Spain’s Socialists manage to engineer an incredible turnaround in the polls and win the 2012 general election, the chances are they will look back at October 21 of this year as the day when the comeback started. Such a result still looks a long way off, but José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s biggest Cabinet reshuffle of his six years in power was one of the boldest moves of his career and it looks certain to invigorate a party that was limping along under a leadership with shrinking capital. Zapatero’s seventh reshuffle sees six ministers depart, four new ones arrive, with two changing portfolios and two ministries scrapped altogether. While the scale of the move is noteworthy, the … [Read more...] about Spain’s Socialist reshuffle reaches out to left
A Basque pact to save Spain’s economy
In the spring of 2009, the Basque Socialists (PSE), led by Patxi López, closed a groundbreaking governing pact in the northern region with the Popular Party (PP). It was the first time in the democratic period that the Basque Country was to be governed by non-nationalists and the deal was also remarkable in that it united Socialists with the PP, two parties that on a national level seemed locked in a tribal relationship of mutual antagonism. At the time, many forecast a short life for the new Basque government. This was partly because of the political differences between the two parties in Madrid, but also because of the bitter reaction to the pact on the part of the PNV Basque … [Read more...] about A Basque pact to save Spain’s economy
No end in sight to Zapatero’s succession dilemma
As José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero stood listening to the barrage of booing and shouts for him to resign while he attended the October 12 national festivities in Madrid, the idea of enduring this kind of vitriol until 2016 can hardly have been appealing. And yet, although the prime minister is going through by far his toughest spell since taking office in 2004, he has still not announced whether he will run for a third term. Even King Juan Carlos expressed his annoyance at the abuse voiced at the military parade and the government attributed it to elements of the extreme right. However, while Zapatero has heard it before, the boos ringing in his ears this year represent widespread anger at … [Read more...] about No end in sight to Zapatero’s succession dilemma
Venezuela’s ETA haven tests limits of soft diplomacy
A characteristic of the current Spanish government’s foreign policy has been a softly-softly approach to potentially explosive issues. Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez’s old nickname, ‘Bambi’, may now be out of date on the domestic front, but on the international stage, he still treads with the caution of a deer through the woods. Since angering George W. Bush by withdrawing Spanish troops from Iraq on taking office in 2004, Zapatero and his foreign minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, have often gone to great lengths not to upset their counterparts –in Morocco, Cuba and France, to mention just three examples– through their soft diplomacy. Lately, however, their tolerance has been … [Read more...] about Venezuela’s ETA haven tests limits of soft diplomacy
Improvisation, not plotting, behind Ecuador’s “coup”
Was it a coup attempt or wasn’t it? This has been the question on the lips of those who followed events in Ecuador on September 30, when a group of rebel police officers detained President Rafael Correa in a Quito hospital before he was freed by military special forces in a siege which, along with the day's violence, left at least eight dead. For Correa’s supporters, inside the country and outside it, this was classic proof of the dark hand of the country’s elite at play, and also the imperialist meddling of Washington. Mike Gonzalez in The Guardian saw “broader forces” at work, namely the United States, but also neighbours Colombia and Peru. “Their declarations of support for Correa … [Read more...] about Improvisation, not plotting, behind Ecuador’s “coup”
Is a steak really why Contador’s reputation is at stake?
Alberto Contador has faced some pretty stiff challenges over the last couple of months. More than one of those have been posed by Andy Schleck, the rider from Luxembourg who was right on his rear wheel for so much of the Tour de France, before the Spaniard secured his third Paris victory. And yet, the latest test for Contador cannot be solved by his incredible ability to accelerate up steep hills, dancing on the pedals as he does so. A positive drugs result during this year’s Tour for a banned substance, clenbuterol, means he could possibly be stripped of that latest title and banned from the sport. The test was carried out on July 21, three days before the end of the race and the UCI … [Read more...] about Is a steak really why Contador’s reputation is at stake?
Spain’s general strike: too much, too late
The statisticians may argue for some time to come about the success or otherwise of Spain’s general strike. To nobody’s surprise, the UGT and CCOO unions, which organised the country’s first nationwide strike in eight years, described the protest as an overwhelming success, while the government said participation was “uneven”. Judging by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s insouciant demeanour as he entered Congress on the morning of the strike, his government had little to worry about. And yet, the mass closure of businesses for the day, the crippling of the country’s bus services and thousands (or 70 percent, according to the organisers) of workers marching through Spain’s … [Read more...] about Spain’s general strike: too much, too late
Sarkozy’s Gypsy policy a boon for Spain’s xenophobes
France has done Spain a couple of big favours over recent years. For one, it has kept up police pressure on Basque separatist group ETA, which has for decades used southwest France as a haven for its terrorists. Cooperation between Spanish and French authorities has led to dozens of arrests, leaving the organisation on its knees. Also, President Nicolas Sarkozy boosted his neighbour’s international profile by ensuring Spain had a seat at G20 summits, even though the country was not part of the G8. With that in mind, perhaps it is not so surprising that Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero backed Sarkozy during the recent controversy over France’s deportation of Romanian … [Read more...] about Sarkozy’s Gypsy policy a boon for Spain’s xenophobes
Farewell to the restless soul of Madredeus
During the now-legendary beginnings of Madredeus in the late eighties, the group rehearsed in the wing of an old Lisbon convent. For anyone who has heard them, this was a perfect venue for their fado-influenced folk music. After those modest beginnings, Madredeus would go on to sell millions of records and become a success not just in their native Portugal, but worldwide. Yet founding member Francisco Ribeiro, who died on September 14 at the age of 45 from liver cancer, gave the impression that he would rather play his cello back in that old convent by the River Tagus, than tour the world as part of such a wildly successful group. “(Ribeiro was a) fragile person, in the most hardworking … [Read more...] about Farewell to the restless soul of Madredeus