Thoughts from Galicia, Spain: Ponters Pensées 12.8.16

Spain and the EU: Although Madrid has escaped - yet again - a fine for its perennial failure to achieve a 3% annual deficit, it's been told to meet this target by 2018 at the latest. Before that, Spain is instructed to cut the deficit from last year’s 5.1% of GDP, to 4.6% in 2016, 3.1% in 2017 and 2.2% in 2018. No chance, of course. Cognitive dissonance.

Spanish (non) Government: The small 'centrist' Ciudadanos party has set out 6 conditions for its support of a minority PP government under the intransigent Marion Rajoy. So, some progress, at least/last. Some see Rajoy as a strategic genius. Others see him as a stubborn bastard, only interested in his own position and future career. So, just like every other Spanish politician, then.

The EU and Brexit: I recently recommended that every Remainer listen to a podcast from Roger Scruton. Now, I encourage them to read this Prospect article of his. As before, I agree with every word, though I have no confidence in the EU technocrats ever accepting his common-sense proposal that the existing EU model be scrapped and replaced by one which accords far more with modern realities. As I've said for 20-30 years, it will eventually collapse under the weight of its internal incongruities, assisted by the universally-reviled euro. That said, it's possibly still loved in Germany.

Mid August: So, fiesta time! Here's a map of what's happening next week here in Galicia, under the headings of Ethnographic, Gastonomic, Musical and Other. Can there be village here which doesn't have something on this month? If so, I'm reminded of H M Bateman's The Man Who . . . cartoons. See here for a topical one in the right-hand column . . .

Pontevedra Planning: Flush with international acclaim for the pedestrianisation of the city, our mayor has announced that he's going to 'humanise' the non-city end of Burgo bridge, crossed daily by an ever-increasing number of camino 'pilgrims' en route to Santiago. There's to be a new park and a large pedestrian-only area. God knows what this will mean for the traffic which passes along that bank of our river but one thing's for sure - it will massively hit the (free) parking available there. Both the 2 lots in front of the sports hall and my 'secret' place behind a muncipal engineering facility on the left of this panoramic view of the location. I'm pretty sure the houses at the end of the bridge - currently derelict - will be demolished. Plus, of course, the only petrol/gas station in the city - the white building.

By the way, this is the bridge from this end of which I can bounce my zapper signal across the river to open the windows on my car parked in front of the building on the far left.

GALLERY

Here are yesterday's 4 lovely buildings from the front. I think the tree in front of Pazo Mendoza died and was later oddly decorated:-