Spanish views from a small town

This week, the Congreso petitioned the lame duck government that it abolish the tax on the sun, and create a renewable energy policy similar to that of other European countries. Of course, since a new government still hasn't been formed since the elections in December, and new elections will probably be held in June, I think the government is going to bide its time and do nothing, hoping to get re-elected in June. We're dumb enough to re-elect them, too. Back in the years of President Zapatero, and his efforts to avoid a full economic crash in Spain, renewable energies were subsidied, and all new construction was required to install solar panels. Many home owners also installed solar panels, taking advantage of the subsidies and the savings in the electricity bill. When the conservative PP came into power things changed. The traditional energy companies complained and got a sympathetic ear in the government. The Minster of Industry, Mr. Soria (who has stepped down today afte...

If any one person embodies the spirit of get-rich-quick Spain that was the essence of this country in the 1980's, that person is Mario Conde. He is the son of a Customs officer who has become a lawyer, economist, and one-time politician. He went from having a brilliant record at the Universidad de Deusto, to becoming the youngest president of the disappeared bank, Banesto, to being arrested and condemned for fraud and misappropriation. This week he has just been arrested for money laundering. His problems began while he was the president of Banesto. The bank began failing, and government inspectors wanted to know why. When they found out money was missing, they discovered that Mr. Conde had helped it to disappear. In various trials, between 1994 and 2002, he was condemned to different prison terms that amounted in all to twenty-six years, of which he spent in prison only five and a half. The money that had disappeared (a hefty amount of various millions of euros) remained missing...

Every new government has tweaked the education system in some way, mostly to reflect their ideological convictions. Because, none of the tweaks have actually done much to improve education in this country. Today, in Galicia, university students and secondary school students have been called to strike, protesting against the law and against the cutbacks which are condemning a generation of young people to a mediocre education. This coming month one of the aspects of the new law will come into effect. Sixth and third graders will have to take a nation-wide exam. It's not meant to affect their grades or promotion to the next grade. The promotors of the law intend those exams to show how well the students are doing for their age and grade, and which schools do the best jobs. The better schools will get more funding, and the slower schools will be admonished.  I always thought a primary school teacher was the best-placed professional to know how a child is doing in school. Are they ...

Once upon a time in rural Spain, the donkey was the king of the road. It would carry or pull anything, from a person, to a cart with a towering cargo of grass. Every household owned a donkey. Almost every household would treat it better than it treated the dog. It was another friend, and one of the most important members of the farm. Those days have disappeared, and now the donkey is in danger of extinction. I still remember coming on vacat ion as a child, and my uncle sitting me atop their donk ey. I remember holding on for dear l ife as the donkey began to move, hopin g not t o fall off. I also thought I weighed too much for the animal. Until I saw how much grass my uncle would load onto the arrieiros . This was a type of metal saddle that went on the don key's ba ck, and had two w ings that un fo lded on the sides, to be ab le to hold cargo. Some donkeys that I've seen in my childhood made me understand the saying, " traballar como un burro " (work like a donkey...

Driving into town this morning, I saw again the main street in cut off because of works - again. So I had to drive up and around to come back down and into the main square. The street that was cut off used to be a two-way street, then it was changed to a one-way street. Now it's a sometimes street. If not one week, it's another, but there is always some type of work going on in that street. Is there a problem with drainage pipes? Heaven knows. Heaven also knows why the company in charge of the sewer system doesn't correct the problem, once and for all. It sometimes reminds me of a Spanish comedy series on television, in which in a small city street a trench has been opened and no one knows why, or when it will be closed. Not even the worker.  It's absolutely normal in a Spanish city or town to have a street dug up for maintenance. Maybe pipes need to be replaced. So the street is cut off or traffic is narrowed to one lane, and every driver and resident sighs and res...