“I know about economics. I’m not an economist but I know about economics and I have aides whom I consult.” This comment, made during a recent television interview, is not very reassuring coming from a man who aspires to become Spain’s prime minister in the near future. But then Mariano Rajoy is rarely unequivocal in his handling of the conservative Popular Party (PP) he leads. According to many, his reluctance to be clear-cut and firm is typical of the ambiguous Galician character. One obvious example is Rajoy’s management of the ongoing corruption scandal rocking his party. The lack of a clear policy on this has meant that some PP politicians facing investigation for the Gürtel … [Read more...] about The mystery of Rajoy and the Spanish economy
Hércules’ Italian job on Barça restores Liga intrigue
While staff at the Spanish Economy Ministry have been telling anyone who will listen for the last few months that “Spain isn’t Greece”, over at the football federation, they’ve had a rather more tricky time of it trying to convince us that “Spain isn’t Scotland”. Scotland in this context means a country with only two teams that ever look remotely like winning the domestic league. And over the last few years, while Real Madrid and Barcelona may not resemble Celtic and Glasgow Rangers in any way on the pitch, each pair of teams seems to enjoy a similarly vice-like duopoly on the silverware. So it was refreshing to see league champion and European powerhouse Barcelona humbled 2-0 by newly … [Read more...] about Hércules’ Italian job on Barça restores Liga intrigue
Political turmoil threatens to rock Spain’s recovery
Only a few weeks ago, the big argument raging about Spain was whether or not it was “the next Greece”. The size of its deficit, difficulties in getting the economy growing again and its harsh treatment at the hands of international markets all made it look like the prize candidate for the EU’s next massive bailout. Many observers suspected a visit by IMF head Dominique Strauss-Khan to Madrid in June was the prelude to just such a move as José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s handling of the economy came under immense scrutiny. Now, however, the situation is slightly different. The bailout has not transpired and while the country has certainly not emerged blinking in the sunlight of market … [Read more...] about Political turmoil threatens to rock Spain’s recovery
Optimism at ETA truce is tempered by bitter experience
ETA’s announcement that it has “stopped carrying out offensive armed attacks” is, on the face of it, heartening news; and yet the overall mood following the ceasefire declaration was one of caution, scepticism and even suspicion. It was widely anticipated that a truce announcement was imminent, due to the well-documented efforts of the izquierda abertzale, the political radicals closely associated with ETA, to pressure the organization into giving up its violent campaign. The declaration, the recording of which was given to the BBC, was classic ETA public relations: a masked woman, flanked by two masked colleagues, read it out in Euskera against the backdrop of the group’s emblem, the … [Read more...] about Optimism at ETA truce is tempered by bitter experience
It’s Real Mourinho vs. Spain FC as La Liga begins
Nobody can accuse Spain’s top teams of lacking stars. Real Madrid has Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Iker Casillas and now Mesut Özil and Sami Khedira. Barcelona, meanwhile, has eight players from Spain’s World Cup-winning squad, including Xavi Hernández, David Villa and Pedro Rodríguez. And yet, as the Spanish league season gets underway, the eye is drawn not to midfielder Andrés Iniesta, a football genius in an accountant’s body, or the stepovers and hair gel of Ronaldo, but rather the two sharply dressed men overseeing these players at the side of the pitch. This season, perhaps more than any other, is a battle between two managerial auteurs: Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola and Madrid’s José … [Read more...] about It’s Real Mourinho vs. Spain FC as La Liga begins
Melilla spat with Morocco reveals uncomfortable truths
Blockades stopping fresh food from entering Melilla by a Moroccan group in mid-August were highly inconvenient for the inhabitants of this North African enclave belonging to Spain. However, the protest itself –against allegedly abusive and racist behaviour by Spanish police on the border between the city and Morocco– paled in comparison to the political repercussions of the episode and hinted at the complex and sensitive nature of the relationship between these two countries. The two short blockades, which stopped trucks carrying perishable foodstuffs from entering the city, each lasted little more than a day and the issue appears to have been closed following a meeting between Spanish … [Read more...] about Melilla spat with Morocco reveals uncomfortable truths
Silly season divides Spanish and English-speaking media
It’s August: the silly season. The month when newspapers and the media in general have little real news to cover, so they pay even more attention to B-list celebrity love triangles, local politicians’ sex-changes and garbage collectors’ concerns about being suspected of being paedophiles. That’s in Britain, at least (all those stories featured in The Sun on August 11). For the summer months illustrate better than any other the gulf dividing the Spanish media and its English-speaking counterparts. The summer holiday period is observed by Spain perhaps more assiduously than any other European country. Many bars, shops and other businesses shut down for most of August as ordinary … [Read more...] about Silly season divides Spanish and English-speaking media
A nation united by World Cup glory?
When the Spanish football team touched down at Barajas airport with the World Cup trophy on July 12, there was a curious sight amid the jubilant reception. As the players descended the steps onto the runway, Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernández, two of the team’s key members, did so carrying their belongings wrapped in a Catalan flag. While Iker Casillas held the trophy aloft as he led his team past cheering airport staff and the press and onto a waiting bus, Puyol and Xavi looked ever so slightly timid as they together lugged their gear –and the senyera flag– across the tarmac. It could not detract from what was a highly moving scene for any Spanish fan, but it was a reminder that while the … [Read more...] about A nation united by World Cup glory?
Freed Cuban dissidents adjust to life in Spain
When the Cuban dissident Ricardo González was released from jail and put on a flight to Spain, what struck him first about his newfound freedom was the airline food. “The thing that impressed me on the flight to Madrid was the fact the food was hot,” González, 60, said. “I hadn’t eaten hot food for seven years and four months.” This is just one of the many changes González and a group of other freed Cuban prisoners have experienced since the government’s announcement July 7 that over the next few months it will release the 52 dissidents still behind bars following a 2003 clampdown that put 75 people in jail. The decision is the result of diplomatic efforts by the Spanish government … [Read more...] about Freed Cuban dissidents adjust to life in Spain
Catalan statute furore makes nearly everyone a loser
While sport lovers have admired the Spanish football team’s advance towards the World Cup final in South Africa, political and social observers have just as much reason to be impressed. This football team has managed to unite representatives of every corner of the country more effectively than any politician has ever done. Andalusians, Asturians, Madrileños, Basques, and -most notably- Catalans, all contribute to a squad that plays like a seamless whole. All of which makes it all the more ironic, therefore, that while the Catalan-led Roja has worked together to such devastating effect, back in Spain, political relations between Catalonia and Madrid have hit a low. On June 28, while the … [Read more...] about Catalan statute furore makes nearly everyone a loser