Two of the children in my twice-weekly lunchtime English class return at 6pm on the same days for their French lessons. As well as additional language tuition, most of the pupils who attend the academy engage in an array of extra-curricular activities that include music theory, football, handball and even catechism. All on top of a school day that is essentially 9-5. Amid the recession, English academies are mushrooming all over Spain, many of them doing booming business. I know of at least two cases of friends opening academies only to have to turn people away for lack of space and/or staff. There are several reasons why Spanish parents may think their children need extra schooling. … [Read more...] about Spanish education reforms…in the wrong direction
spain news
Spain’s gay marriage ruling through the eyes of a seasoned campaigner
Several conclusions could be drawn from the recent ruling by Spain’s Constitutional Court to reject a seven-year-old appeal against the country’s same-sex marriage law of 2005. Perhaps the most obvious is that the Spanish justice system is slow. For many Spaniards, especially the more than 20,000 gay couples who have got married under the legislation, this was an eagerly awaited ruling. Some even feared they would be “de-married” if the appeal, lodged by the Partido Popular (PP), was upheld. Given the importance of this case, a seven-year delay was both baffling and inexcusable. But also, this ruling reflected how Spain has changed over the last decade. For most Spaniards, rolling back … [Read more...] about Spain’s gay marriage ruling through the eyes of a seasoned campaigner
To be or not to be: Catalonia as an independent state
There’s nothing especially new about the present dispute between Catalonia and Spain’s national political leadership. Arguably most of the key arguments date back at least to the 1970s and the end of the Franco era, while the seeds of the present dispute are to be found in the country’s written constitution which was finally put together in 1978, when the threat of military interference in political life was still a real and present danger. Indeed the one thing that both sides of the argument seem to agree on is that the regional system of comunidades autónomas which was established back then doesn’t really work. Equally, after so many years of constant wrangling, most citizens on both … [Read more...] about To be or not to be: Catalonia as an independent state
La Liga: Falcao firepower lets Atlético dream
He struck again at the weekend, scoring the winner, his 10th league goal of the season on match day nine and sending fans into raptures in the Spanish capital. He has done it time and time again this season, carrying his teammates on his back if needs be, turning a game with his individual brilliance and a seemingly insatiable appetite for goals. He has carried his side all the way to the top of the league in joint place with Barcelona on 25 points from a possible 27 and his name is being touted as a possible FIFA Ballon d’Or winner. But what is most astonishing about the man in question, is that he does not play decked in white, he plies his trade for the other team in the city, Atlético … [Read more...] about La Liga: Falcao firepower lets Atlético dream
A necessary crisis for Spain’s Socialists
As the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) digests its disastrous performance in recent Galician and Basque elections, struggles to find a coherent and convincing response to the upsurge in Catalan nationalist sentiment, and its powerful Andalusian faction mulls overthrowing national leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, it’s hard not to look back to February of this year. The Socialists had confirmed Rubalcaba’s appointment as party leader in the wake of the 2011 general election disaster. His only serious challenger, Carme Chacón, watched as he made his acceptance speech and she wept. According to many, they were tears of anger and disappointment at how the party old guard had blocked … [Read more...] about A necessary crisis for Spain’s Socialists
Jesús Eguiguren: the last negotiator
One film conspicuous by its absence at this year's San Sebastián festival was Ángel Amigo's 80-minute documentary, Memorias de un conspirador (or ‘Memoirs of a Conspirator’), about incumbent Basque Socialist Party President Jesús Eguiguren. In the film, due for release this autumn, the leader of the Basque Socialist Party (PSE) offers a personal perspective on his more than 30-year career in politics, in particular his dealings with ETA. It was talks instigated “off the record” by Eguiguren and former Batasuna spokesman, Arnaldo Otegi in 2002 that eventually paved the way for the 2006 negotiations between ETA and Zapatero's government. Memorias director Amigo was nonchalant about the … [Read more...] about Jesús Eguiguren: the last negotiator
Gibraltar: Fish, football and frontiers
On September 25, Mariano Rajoy took the podium at the UN General Assembly in New York, where Spain was hoping to win a rotating seat on the Security Council. The Spanish prime minister chose the moment to press for joint talks with the UK about the sovereignty of Gibraltar. He called on London to “reinitiate bilateral dialogue on the decolonisation of Gibraltar… We have now lost too many years.” Unsurprisingly, Spain failed to secure a seat on the Security Council, and London issued a waspish response, denying that decolonisation was even an appropriate concept: “The 2006 Gibraltar Constitution provides for a modern and mature relationship between Gibraltar and the UK. This description … [Read more...] about Gibraltar: Fish, football and frontiers
La Liga: Barça still in the driving seat after thrilling ‘Clásico’
“When Madrid play Barcelona, the world stops” said José Mourinho, who this week took part in his 14th Clásico in two years. The game had the potential to effectively kill off his side’s aspirations of retaining their league title given that a defeat would have put Barcelona 11 points clear, a surely unassailable lead. A poor start to the campaign – Mourinho’s worst ever as a manager – meant this game was almost already a title decider. Win this and Hay Liga, lose and it would be all over at this early stage of the season. As if that was not enough tension, with growing calls for Catalan independence, matchday seven at the Camp Nou was set to be a chance for 100,000 culés to express … [Read more...] about La Liga: Barça still in the driving seat after thrilling ‘Clásico’
Artur Mas: independence hero, or cynical politico clinging to power?
Does Artur Mas, the man who likes to be called the president of Catalonia, really think that this northeastern region of Spain is going to become an independent nation any time soon? Does anybody? Surely not. In which case, why is he pushing the self-rule agenda? In recent weeks, Mas has gone from being Mariano Rajoy’s partner in crime in supporting unprecedented austerity measures to rabble-rousing independence leader, suddenly pulling the rug from under a bemused and increasingly befuddled-looking prime minister. Mas met with Rajoy in September, pushing for a deal that would give Catalonia a bigger share of the tax revenue it generates for the central government. When Rajoy turned … [Read more...] about Artur Mas: independence hero, or cynical politico clinging to power?
A “posh hippie” and a bunker mentality in Spain
Those who organised the September 25 protest outside Congress, which saw bloody scenes and dozens of arrests, say they never intended to storm the parliament building and undermine Spain’s democracy. On Thursday, a High Court judge, Santiago Pedraz, accepted the word of the eight people he was investigating on these charges and shelved the case against them. But even though the eight “25-S” figureheads may not have been trying to rattle Spain’s sometimes creaky democratic edifice, unwittingly, that is exactly what they have done. Respect for the institutions of state and the boundary separating them are often flimsy and they looked almost non-existent when the governing Partido … [Read more...] about A “posh hippie” and a bunker mentality in Spain