The last time the conservative Partido Popular (PP) was governing Spain, the satirical television show Los Guiñoles was still being broadcast, with its latex puppets lampooning the country’s public figures. One of its most memorable targets was Manuel Fraga, even then a decidedly long-in-the-tooth politician, who on at least one occasion was portrayed as a dinosaur, complete with scaly tail and brontosaurus-style limbs. This image was fuelled by the fact that Fraga was still, in his eighties, the premier of Galicia, a position he held between 1990 and 2005. Also, perhaps most famously, he had been a minister under Franco. But it’s clear that there was more to Fraga, who died on Sunday … [Read more...] about Fraga: a unique figure during an extraordinary time
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Spain’s tax hike threatens La Liga’s appeal
One of the first moves by Spain’s new Mariano Rajoy-lead Partido Popular government has been to increase the maximum personal income tax (IRPF) rate by seven percentage points to 52 percent for annual salaries over €300,000. Given the shocking state of the Spanish government finances this should not really have been a difficult decision to take, especially considering the small percentage of Spanish tax-payers affected. For most Spanish citizens the most visible losers (of this particular increase) will be the football teams they follow. Spain’s politicians have traditionally been keen to be seen to support football, and a past PP tax ‘incentive’ aimed at attracting higher earners from … [Read more...] about Spain’s tax hike threatens La Liga’s appeal
Read my lips: Why did Rajoy break one of his few campaign promises?
“My intention is not to raise taxes.” It’s a line that Mariano Rajoy’s critics will repeat back at him for years to come. Much like George H. W. Bush’s infamous “Read my lips: no new taxes”, Rajoy’s pledge, made on December 19, during the debate ahead of his investiture as Spain’s new prime minister, has proved to be empty. Unlike Bush, Rajoy has not resisted or dragged his feet in performing a spectacular U-turn on this issue. Eleven days after saying he wouldn’t raise taxes, his deputy prime minister, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, announced tax increases that will bring in an extra €6 billion this year. As Spaniards digest the implications of the new Popular Party government’s … [Read more...] about Read my lips: Why did Rajoy break one of his few campaign promises?
Spain’s literary giants are lost in English translation
An indisputable criterion of success for any novelist is when Penguin Modern Classics signs up your backlist, especially when it’s for a five-figure sum. Which is what has happened to Javier Marías. The 60-year-old Spanish writer, whose latest title, The Infatuations (Los enamoramientos), will be published in English in early 2013, joins an exclusive group of Spanish writers in Penguin’s catalogue: Cervantes, Quevedo, Jacinto Benavente, and Lorca. Yes, that’s it. Four writers: the first two of whom died in the 17th century, the next in 1954; although he stopped writing long before that. For Penguin, and most US and UK publishers, it seems that, until now, Spanish literature ended with the … [Read more...] about Spain’s literary giants are lost in English translation
La Liga: Barça slip spices up title race
The winners of the El Gordo lottery announced, turrón digested and the winter sales in full swing can only mean one thing: La Liga is back after the Christmas break. The weekend’s action failed to disappoint with a Barcelona slip-up that could prove pivotal in the title race. Following a 5-1 Real Madrid win on Saturday night against Liga new boys Granada, Barcelona travelled to Espanyol’s Cornellá-El Prat stadium for the Catalan derby on Sunday. The visitors started brightly, taking the lead in the 16th minute with a Cesc Fàbregas header, but their title hopes suffered a setback when Álvaro Vázquez scored for the home side four minutes from time with a low header. Pushing for a … [Read more...] about La Liga: Barça slip spices up title race
Catalan cuisine faces the future by returning to its roots
Nearly two years ago, the Epicurious food and dining website declared that Barcelona had, in its words, jumped the shark. Long known as a culinary leader for its regional chefs’ efforts at the forefront of the tapas movement and more widely acclaimed for advances in molecular gastronomy, the city and wider region had lost their creative juice, slowing under over-indulgence and over-exposure. However, as the New Year arrives and the region struggles to figure out a path forward without the aid of its flagship of culinary innovation, Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli, the local menu is showing new signs of life with a return to traditional staples – delicious simplicity. Though, this being Catalonia, … [Read more...] about Catalan cuisine faces the future by returning to its roots
Political incorrectness at the school play
It was when a dozen or so small children charged into the room with their faces blacked up, Afro wigs on their heads and wielding spears, that I started to feel a little uncomfortable. It was the Christmas theatre performance at my son’s school in Madrid, not usually an occasion that leaves me pondering issues of race, politics and political correctness. My four-year-old and his class had already performed a carefully choreographed dance to some Andean music, dressed in traditional Peruvian clothing and the theme of the evening was “cultures of the world”. “How open-minded,” I mused as the troop of mini-Andeans left the stage and I anticipated an hour of multiculturalism. But when … [Read more...] about Political incorrectness at the school play
An unlikely solution to Spain’s striking conundrum
“We’ll win it for David Villa” was the message from Barcelona as they prepared for the final of the World Club Championship in Yokohama. The vast outpouring of support from his fellow players, especially his teammates from the Spanish national team, is testament to the popularity ‘El Guaje’ enjoys within the game. The fractured tibia, suffered during Barcelona’s semi-final win over Al Sadd, means Villa could be out for nearly six months and though he insists otherwise, he may not make it back in time for the European Championships in the summer. Though his form in recent games has been patchy, over the past four years Villa has arguably been the most influential member of the Spanish … [Read more...] about An unlikely solution to Spain’s striking conundrum
La Liga: Atlético’s away form comes home to roost
While admitting to disastrous away form, Atlético Madrid coach Gregorio Manzano defended himself this week by reasoning “at home we are playing well”, just days before a 2-0 defeat at the Vicente Calderón to a struggling Real Betis side. The result has surely sealed the fate of yet another Atlético coach. Given the board’s dreaded vote of confidence earlier in the week, the remainder of his tenure was dependent on three home games in a week before the winter break. The first was a resounding success as Los Rojiblancos beat Rennes 2-0 in the Europa League. The second saw Atléti fail to take their chances in front of goal with two dreadful misses by summer signing Falcao early on in the … [Read more...] about La Liga: Atlético’s away form comes home to roost
Spanish energy sector seeks clarity under Rajoy
Facing pressing issues of funding and stability, Spain’s energy sector has looked for some clarity about what the industry will look like under a Mariano Rajoy-led government, but it has found little. Like his plans for most areas, Rajoy has remained vague about what he has in store for the country’s energy actors, pledging to unveil details and appointments only after he takes office on December 21. Still, despite the prime minister-elect’s silence on the issue during the election campaign, a long political path and party positions reveal some hints about how the new conservative government will tackle both traditional and alternative energy issues. Eager to hear the new government’s … [Read more...] about Spanish energy sector seeks clarity under Rajoy