It’s easy to see parallels between the governments of Spain and Portugal of recent years. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and José Sócrates were both fresh-faced Socialists when they took power in 2004 and 2005 respectively, promising social reforms as well as economic stability. Both were voted in for second terms before running aground on the challenges that arose following the world economic crisis. Like their Socialist counterpart in Greece, Georgios Papandreou, both men have been forced by circumstances to repress their political instincts and introduce heavy spending cuts and painful reforms. In Portugal, where the economic outlook is worse, the opposition’s withdrawal of support for a … [Read more...] about Spain and Portugal’s right shun austerity and Brussels – for now
Iberoblog
With Sortu banned, what now for radical Basque nationalists?
The Basque nationalists who once went under the name of Batasuna have been thwarted in their attempt to be registered as a legal party ahead of the May 22 municipal elections. Their new party, Sortu, was their latest attempt to get back into the political mainstream and give radical nationalists a voice at the ballot box. After a 10-hour deliberation, the Supreme Court on Wednesday backed the government’s argument that this is simply a continuation of Batasuna, and therefore by association ETA. Sortu can appeal to the Constitutional Court, but by the time that ruling is issued, the elections will almost certainly have come and gone. The government insists it has handled this by the … [Read more...] about With Sortu banned, what now for radical Basque nationalists?
What, another reason to hate Cristiano Ronaldo?
For the neutral football fan, it seems it’s increasingly hard not to dislike Cristiano Ronaldo. Just witness the abuse he receives at virtually every stadium in Spain apart from Real Madrid’s Bernabéu. There are indeed some compelling motives to feel this way. How about his huffy indignation when a teammate fails to pass him the ball when he is in space, or those carefully rehearsed poses he strikes after scoring (or even after missing). Or the reckless use of hair gel. Or, rather more damningly, an insistence on putting his own glory ahead of that of his team (such as when he refused to celebrate a Karim Benzema goal last season, after the Frenchman followed up to sweep in Ronaldo’s own … [Read more...] about What, another reason to hate Cristiano Ronaldo?
Recycling woes
Germany ranked first by recycling treating half of its waste for that year. But the two countries both generated nearly the same amount of municipal waste per person -- between 500 kg and 600 kg per person. Fifty-two percent of Spain´s garbage is dumped in landfills while that figure for Germany is zero. After recycling, incinerating and compost are the two other methods Germans use to dispose of their waste. In Spain, incineration accounted for nine percent and compost 24 percent. Yes, it may be a chore to put those plastic bottles in the yellow bin and walk down the street to deposit the glass bottles and paper inside those dark green square hubs. But it is time to catch up with the rest … [Read more...] about Recycling woes
Sex and the Spanish single lady
Madrid is full of women who are beautiful, intelligent, financially independent, over 30 and…single. It seems particularly hard for these single ladies to find their partner for life. With a ratio of 1.07 men to women and a deeply entrenched Catholic culture that promotes traditional family values, what’s behind this trend, if it’s not the numbers? Society and culture tell us we should all dream of finding a soul mate to spend our lives with and create a family, but the rules of the game have changed. Women no longer have to put up with things they don’t want. They don’t have to depend financially on a man. Their place in society does not depend any more on being someone’s wife. Yet many … [Read more...] about Sex and the Spanish single lady
March 11’s divisive legacy (revisited)
In the middle of February, the Spanish government announced that it was going to “repair” the memory of the poet Miguel Hernández, a Republican former goatherd who was jailed by the dictator Francisco Franco and died in prison in 1942, at the age of 31. The Socialist government pledged to offer Hernández, whose centenary is being celebrated this year, “the tribute, the memory and the admiration that his work merits,” said Deputy Prime Minister María Teresa Fernández de la Vega. “We all share that same rejection of any form of oppression, that same rebellion in the face of injustice and that determination to dream and create a decent country and a better world.” The news of this homage … [Read more...] about March 11’s divisive legacy (revisited)
The sun still shines in Europe’s money-laundering hub
Among the flaws the US State Department finds is that Spanish lawmakers have taken their time to incorporate new provisions in an anti-money laundering law that went into effect last year. Washington suggests that the government should focus more on confiscating properties and assets in criminal cases through civil forfeitures after defendants are convicted, and maintain and disseminate statistics on the number of drug and money laundering prosecutions. Despite the downturn in real estate, drug proceeds are still being used to purchase properties across the country. US authorities say that many air passengers smuggle bulks of cash to Latin America and, with the money they make in Spain … [Read more...] about The sun still shines in Europe’s money-laundering hub
A half-baked theory on the great croissant controversy
I have to admit, when it comes to the recent debate about the state of Spanish croissants, I’ve come to the table rather late. The furore itself was sparked by a blog post by food writer Mikel López Iturriaga in early February, in which he attacked his country’s version of the croissant on several fronts: from its outrageous size and criminally stale dough, to that utterly redundant glaze that so many bakers apply. By the end of his article, the croissant was, so to speak, toast. “All these examples of baked, varnished paste which thousands of Spaniards consume for breakfast each day do not deserve to be called croissants,” he thundered. It’s a harmless enough issue to tackle, you … [Read more...] about A half-baked theory on the great croissant controversy
Governing for unruly Spaniards
The other night I was listening to a journalist speak during a television panel debate about the government’s proposal that goes into effect on Monday to reduce the speed limit on highways from 120 kph to 110 kph. She complained that she had grown tired with Prime Minister Zapatero’s paternalistic government telling her what she can or cannot do. It reminded me of former Prime Minister José María Aznar’s similar gripe a few years back when the Health Ministry decided to order a popular US fast food chain to pull a calorie-filled, multi-layer burger for nutritional reasons. Aznar said that if he wanted to eat a burger high in fat and carbohydrates he should be able to do so without anyone … [Read more...] about Governing for unruly Spaniards
Smoking ban: where’s the sense?
But on January 2, the government finally pushed through the EU’s most stringent anti-smoking legislation, ignoring a common sense solution. Aside from the economic impact on bars, and treating us like children, there will be other negative effects. People living in the centre of cities, and particularly those living above bars, will find that when the warm weather comes there will be a lot more noise in the street below them as people gather for a smoke outside bars, and allow their deadly cancerous smoke to drift up to their balconies. Imagine yourself, a non-smoker, sitting next to a terrace table on a hot afternoon or evening, with not so much as a breeze in the air, and four people … [Read more...] about Smoking ban: where’s the sense?