Spain goes from bad to worse

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Rwy in Sight
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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#61 Post by Rwy in Sight » Tue May 07, 2019 7:48 pm

OFSO wrote:
Tue May 07, 2019 2:05 pm
Would you believe it ! The Supreme Court found in favour of Puigemont and his two associates. He now has the right to stand as an MEP (and be arrested when he returns to Spain to be sworn in, legal immunity not withstanding.)
For the legal immunity to work they need to be sworn in. And this can't happen in a neutral area.

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#62 Post by OFSO » Tue May 07, 2019 8:26 pm

They can be sworn in, in the country which elects them OR at the European Parliament. Of course Brussels will put every obstacle in the way in order to gain support of its trusted ally down south.

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#63 Post by BenThere » Tue May 07, 2019 11:39 pm

I would think that if he were sworn in, then arrested, it would only pour gasoline on the fire.

I've only observed Catalan culture from a vantage point in France, around Arles. It was clearly distinct, with abundant traditions and traits, unique from the French culture around it. I see it as not too unlike the Basque culture, which is also distinct from general Spain. I still love Gipsy Kings music, native to Arles, which I discovered there, and clearly Catalan. I've also spent significant time around Seville and Costa del Sol. There I never sensed any regional difference or resentment of the general Spanish culture.

In a federalist government the ideal is to incorporate different regional cultures to create a greater whole while allowing those cultures Freedom to prosper in their own way. I don't think trying to stifle them ever succeeds in the long run. You could magnify that concept to apply to the EU as well.

Similarly, In the US the cultures of Alabama and California, for example, are 180 degrees apart, but the Constitution keeps them in place so long as the central government interference isn't too great and their voting power remains intact.

The US electoral college structure is under scrutiny these days. My take is that the electoral college is the glue that holds the whole shebang together.

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Back in Spain, reading the newspaper...

#64 Post by OFSO » Thu May 09, 2019 8:38 am

Two more coastal towns hiring private vigilantes as cops can't cope, and Girona dustbin men going on strike yet again. No idea if that's the city or the province...another woman abducted in this area, police looking for body.

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#65 Post by OFSO » Tue May 14, 2019 2:24 pm

Mrs OFSO had a cup of coffee out today while I was enthroned repeatedly and painfully on the porcelain chariot (nothing to do with this post but adds a touch of verisimilitude) At her table was a person who lives from renting out to summer tourists here in N.Spain. Said advance bookings have never been so bad. Northern Europeans took one look at fuel prices and new increases to tolls on French autoroutes plus 80kph speed limit off the autoroutes, plus (probably exaggerated) problems with gillet jeunes driving through French cities on Saturdays, first day of hols - and decided not to come by car. Ryanair has cancelled most of the destinations flying into Girona, and people don't want to make the long haul down from/to Barcelona , big demos there also (metro and RENFE are on strike) and thought that Germany, Holland, even Belgium not so bad after all for stacations.

Sat outside yesterday evening until it got cold and had to rush in and put the heating on. Never known thus community so quiet in May.

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#66 Post by Capetonian » Tue May 14, 2019 2:30 pm

So many places suffer from overtourism and whilst it may be negative in some ways when there is a drop, for example income to people who depend on tourism for a living, there are many benefits, particularly for the environment and infrastructure.

Some of Europe's more popular cities have just become sumps for the great unwashed, and I'd rather see places like Prague, Tallinn, Barcelona, Krakow etc without them being adorned by tattooed lumps of lard lying in pools of their own bodily excretions in the gutter.

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#67 Post by BenThere » Tue May 14, 2019 4:48 pm

My spot is Tulum, Mexico, which is experiencing a surge in tourist interest. The area is a magnet for yoga/zen types and everyone else seeking white sand beaches, margaritas, benign climate, and exposure to the exquisite Mayan culture. I'm there right now. In winter it's perfect, in summer the easterly sea breeze keeps it tolerably cool.

Less than a month ago, the wife and I decided to put our place in Tulum on HomeExchange where you can take points to pay for a stay at homes all over the world, or do a mutual exchange to stay at someone else's place while they stay at yours. As we go to Australia every Christmas for a month, that leaves the Tulum home available, and that is prime time around here for rentals. Win-win. And I think it's better to have a home occupied than empty. So I listed our place on HomeExchange. Within a week I had five takers, mostly Dec-Jan but also one in June for 10 days. Now I have enough points to stay at really nice homes, mostly equipped and maintained as deluxe rentals, for about 50 nights wherever I want to go, Paris, Santa Fe, Honolulu, Sidney, Provence - anywhere really. And I can still fly free as an airline retiree. We decided to let our current bookings flow through to see how it works out before we do any more, but so far it seems like an excellent program.

We're doing a Viking Rhine cruise in July, but I'm thinking that will be my last trip to Europe. My wife booked it. I would rather have done the Danube.

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#68 Post by OFSO » Tue May 14, 2019 7:53 pm

Cape, your views would not go down well with the 80% of businesses living from tourism on the Costas. A reduction in income, new taxes, new regulations meaning fewer lower income people will get jobs, and now a huge reduction in the number of tourists.

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#69 Post by Capetonian » Tue May 14, 2019 9:12 pm

My views don't go down well with 80% of people.

I can live with that and they can lump it!

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#70 Post by llondel » Tue May 21, 2019 6:55 pm

Capetonian wrote:
Tue May 14, 2019 9:12 pm
My views don't go down well with 80% of people.

I can live with that and they can lump it!
I hope you're diligently working on the other 20%.

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#71 Post by OFSO » Tue May 21, 2019 7:18 pm

Mrs OFSO is doing a lot of portrait work, some humans, lots of requests for canine work (anyone want to see examples, PM me) but today went to photo a dog to be painted, in owner's shop. Shop owner, lovely lady, said not had customers for days. Sits there all day, dog for company, nobody else.

After Spanish elections it was thought Sanchez would be able to form a new government. Shot down by Catalans in 48hrs. Only recourse Spanish constitution offers is new elections ! On Brexit thread somebody wrote the definition of insanity was doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Welcome to Insanity.

We back to London soon. Can't be soon enough for me..

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#72 Post by OFSO » Wed May 22, 2019 4:27 pm

Four Catalan politicians were allowed out of jail yesterday to be sworn in as members of the new Spanish Parliament, while members of the far right Vox party jeered and cat-called. Afterwards they were returned to jail to await official disbarring as members of the Government, despite having been legally elected by the public. A triumph of democracy.

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#73 Post by Woody » Sun Jun 30, 2019 7:04 am

Well somebody must have voted him in :-o

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48814970
When all else fails, read the instructions.

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#74 Post by FD2 » Fri Jul 05, 2019 12:22 am

I see the Spanish are wasting no time putting the boot in over the Gibraltar seizure of the Iranian tanker, for flouting the EU sanctions on Syria. They immediately claimed it was the UK bowing to US pressure over Iranian sanctions. I wonder what the EU 'Foreign MInister' will have to say about it? :o) When will they get over the Gibraltar issue? X(

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#75 Post by barkingmad » Fri Jul 05, 2019 7:49 am

FD2, as Cape mentioned much earlier, the Gib issue needs to be countered with an equally loud reminder by both UK and our EU "allies" of the Spanish colonies maintained on another continent:
+Ceuta, Melilla profile http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14114627

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#76 Post by FD2 » Fri Jul 05, 2019 10:45 am

The Spaniards claim that the enclaves in north Africa have been incorporated as Spanish territories, thus invalidating that argument. ;))) It really sticks in their throats that the Gibraltarians can't stand the thought of being Spanish, just as the Falkland Islanders likewise can't stand the thought of being Argentinian. These territorial obsessions are always ramped up when there is trouble at home and the politicians require something to distract their over-excitable subjects from home truths. Maybe the hatred stems from the time of the Reformation and the subsequent failure of the Armada. :))

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#77 Post by OFSO » Fri Jul 05, 2019 6:19 pm

The big problem with Spain is the iron hand of Fanco-ism in Madrid. Annoys a lot of the autonomous regions. And that infuriates the politicians in Madrid, who can't understand why the regions don't understand that Madrid is Always Right and Always Will Be.

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#78 Post by FD2 » Fri Jul 05, 2019 7:35 pm

Like a sort of latter day (political) Inquisition?

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#79 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Fri Jul 05, 2019 7:44 pm

I don't think anyone was expecting that....

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Re: Spain goes from bad to worse

#80 Post by FD2 » Fri Jul 05, 2019 7:51 pm

One of their better ones!

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