To have one Portuguese egomaniac in your football club, as Oscar Wilde might have said, is unfortunate. To have two, is careless. In which case, Real Madrid are guilty of the latter. But the club’s argument for having José Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo on its payroll is that they are the best in the world and their results speak for themselves. Mourinho’s weird tantrums and coded outbursts have become an accepted part of the Spanish football season – like the regular threat of a players’ strike, or unsubstantiated media claims that referees are being paid by Barça. Normally, Mourinho has some kind of objective when he performs them: pressuring for a new striker, for example, or agitating … [Read more...] about The ego has landed
Iberoblog
Malcolm Tucker meets Mariano Rajoy
Far be it for me to tell Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy whom he should hire as his press secretary. But recently, as two members of his cabinet once again clashed in public (this time Energy Minister José Manuel Soria and Finance Minister Cristóbal Montoro contradicting each other over energy policy) I wondered, after watching an episode of The Thick of It, if the answer wasn’t staring me in the face. Malcolm Tucker, the rabid, Scottish, über-swearing PM’s press secretary in the TV series, could be the answer to Rajoy’s prayers. Witness his "handling" of wayward minister Hugh Abbot: Admittedly, Tucker would either have to learn Spanish, or Rajoy would need an extraordinarily clever … [Read more...] about Malcolm Tucker meets Mariano Rajoy
Spain and Sod’s Law
One of the great enigmas of this summer in Spain, apart from the future of the economy, has been the country’s performance at the Olympics, belying the received wisdom that it is a world power in sport. As I write this, Spain sits 21st in the medal table, having finally won a gold, in the women’s windsurfing, 11 days into the Games, followed by a second in taekwondo. The medal haul so far of two gold, six silver and one bronze is puzzlingly poor. Spain is the reigning football world and European champion, the current Davis Cup champion (its fifth title in the last decade), its cyclists have won the Tour de France three times in the last five years, and its basketball players, many of … [Read more...] about Spain and Sod’s Law
Lost
Who knew that a new season of 'Lost' would feature members of the Rajoy Cabinet? I particularly like Luis de Guindos as the enigmatic, sinister John Locke. … [Read more...] about Lost
Assange and Garzón: what took them so long?
The news that Julian Assange has requested the services of Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón to represent him as he seeks political asylum in Ecuador was unexpected, but the teaming up of these two men does, in a way, make perfect sense. Wikileaks founder Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since June. He hopes to be given refuge by the South American country and avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces sexual assault charges and, he claims, the possibility of being handed over to the United States to face accusations of espionage. Assange is a globetrotting maverick who has uncovered corruption and abuse and claims to have been framed by trumped-up legal … [Read more...] about Assange and Garzón: what took them so long?
The regions’ role in the seemingly unstoppable slide towards Spain’s bailout
Spain’s economy minister, Luis de Guindos, has insisted again that Spain will not require a full sovereign bailout. But does anyone believe him? Almost certainly not. During its seven months in power, the government of Mariano Rajoy has been repeatedly forced to backtrack on pledges and resolutions. The promise not to raise taxes has been followed by increases in income tax and VAT. The assertion that social spending would be ring-fenced has been followed by cuts to health and education. And the claim that Spain would not require a bailout for its banks…well, you guessed it. So when Guindos says there won’t be a full-blown bailout, because the Spanish economy is strong enough to withstand … [Read more...] about The regions’ role in the seemingly unstoppable slide towards Spain’s bailout
Euro plunges as Spain cuts deeper
Changes over one week: GBPEUR: 1.254 to 1.267 (+1.037%) - Highest point since October 23, 2008 USDEUR: 0.807 to 0.82 (+1.161) - Highest point since June 18, 2010 Oh, Spain! As you can see above, the euro sits at multi-year lows against both the pound and US dollar this week, giving you a good opportunity if you intend to emigrate to the continent, or snap up some Eurozone goods. Yet the reasons for the euro’s decline could be better. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has announced another €65 billion in spending cuts for the Iberian nation, already widely discredited as the best way to keep Spain in recession. (For instance, Jeremy Warner of telegraph.co.uk notes, “The … [Read more...] about Euro plunges as Spain cuts deeper
Why I no longer love Spain’s tiki-taka
“Since the Brazil team of 1970, I can’t remember a side that thrashed and thrilled in virtually all its games – the closest thing to that I have seen is this Spanish team.” (José Sámano, El País) When world and European champions Spain play Portugal for a place in the 2012 European Championship final on Wednesday night, part of me will be rooting for Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese. And if I don’t punch the air when Andrés Iniesta (or one of the other seemingly countless pixie-like midfielders) scores Spain’s first goal, it’s because I’m bored of tiki-taka. First of all, I should explain that I deeply admire what Spain have achieved over the last four years. Having struggled for … [Read more...] about Why I no longer love Spain’s tiki-taka
“Our forgotten Spanish reality…”
It’s not often that I’d applaud the broad array of opinions published in El Mundo newspaper. During the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, its op-eds ranged, utterly predictably, from anti-Zapatero to rabidly anti-Zapatero. But with a Partido Popular government, things seem to be getting more interesting, especially given that while El Mundo has supported the cause of Spain’s conservatives, it has not been a consistent cheerleader for Mariano Rajoy himself. So it was fascinating to see just a couple of the opinions published by the paper in the wake of the announcement of Spain’s financial bailout. The general consensus in Spain is that Rajoy committed a major error by not … [Read more...] about “Our forgotten Spanish reality…”
Bailout? What bailout?
“It’s not a bailout…it’s a credit line with very favourable conditions.” (Luis de Guindos.) “It’s a victory for the euro…If we hadn’t done what we have done in the past five months, the result would have been a bailout of the kingdom of Spain.” (Mariano Rajoy.) You’d hardly imagine, from listening to Spain’s prime minister and his economy minister, that the country has joined the list of nations that are receiving rescue packages from the European Union. Offering up to €100 billion for a banking sector crippled by toxic assets is clearly a major step for the EU, although whether it’s the “victory” Mariano Rajoy talks about is still uncertain. One thing the EU’s fourth bailout has … [Read more...] about Bailout? What bailout?