Category Archives: Blog

Susana Díaz on the way out?

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Rumours are starting about whether Susana Diaz, the leader of the PSOE in Andalusia, is going to be forced out this year. Several of the large beasts of the party in the region are opening talking about the need for “regeneration” and a “new generation”. The money seems to be on Juan Espadas (mayor of Seville) as new leader. Diaz was the regional President until she lost office in the last elections. She has since Continue reading Susana Díaz on the way out?→

Serón to get more wind turbines

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Another 10 electricity generating wind turbines, producing 36 megawatts, are to be installed around the village of Serón. Almería currently produces some 736 MW of renewable energy a year, about 10% of the regional total. There are 19 wind parks setup in the province, mainly on the high mountains. Serón is the municipality with the most amount of wind turbines. https://www.lavozdealmeria.com/noticia/3/provincia/206833/asi-sera-el-nuevo-parque-eolico-de-almeria-que-ya-cuenta-con-el-ok-de-la-junta

Politician comes a cropper

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The Director General for Citizen Participation and Human Rights for the regional government of La Rioja, who is a senior Podemos politician, (allegedly) went to an illegal rave for NYE, drove home hammered after curfew started, smashed his expensive BMW into a tree and legged it into the bushes when the cops arrived to avoid taking a breath test. An alternative story is offered by the protaganist of this story online: “I had some bad Continue reading Politician comes a cropper→

Covid lockdown has killed almost as many as Covid in Spain

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A distressing report emerges today from government statistics in Spain, showing that the lockdown has killed many more than the disease. From the start of the pandemic until the third week in September, there were 54.811 excess deaths (more people dying that the average over the last few years). 30.633 of these have been officially attributed to Covid. 24.148 (that’s 80% of the Covid deaths!) died from other causes. That’s excess deaths, above the average, Continue reading Covid lockdown has killed almost as many as Covid in Spain→

Tax hike slipped in on property sales

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Selling a house is about to become more expensive after the government slipped in a codicile to the new antifraud law. (The law hasn’t yet been passed but is likely to pass). The regional governments have for the last few years been trying to tax house sales on the greatest of three: declared house sale price, cadastral or other taxation value OR assumed market value (VRM). The Courts have constantly rejected this assumed cadastral valuation Continue reading Tax hike slipped in on property sales→

When the mob came for the priest

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It was the cat that awoke me. I started from my wicker seat, the one that my parents had bought me when I left the seminary. I was startled awake from my siesta, and my prayer book fell from my lap, and my glasses with it. I blinked at the broken spectacles. I scrabbled at the frames in fury, and only managed to cut my hand on the thick, broken glass. The welling blood on Continue reading When the mob came for the priest→

Madrid caught out lying over report into epidemiological report

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In the middle of a fuss about whether or not Spain should allow an independent report into its handling of the pandemic and lockdown (the government says now is not the time, several large independent Spanish scientific organisations say it is), Madrid region has been caught in a blatant lie over the number of asymptomatic carriers of Covid it has detected A report dated August 4th published on the official Madrid Health website has been Continue reading Madrid caught out lying over report into epidemiological report→

The bloke who killed a moonfish in Roquetas by pulling it out of the water and sitting on it will not face any worse than a small fine.

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Although fish rights organisation Equinac has filed a criminal complaint, the Guardia Civil said that it’s not illegal to kill fish by sitting on them, any more than it is illegal to kill fish by smacking them against a rock when you catch them (he gets done under a procedimiento administrativo sancionador, if you understand Spanish law). The moonfish is not endangered, and as such is not protected by law. Nor is it a domestic Continue reading The bloke who killed a moonfish in Roquetas by pulling it out of the water and sitting on it will not face any worse than a small fine.→

So just who was advising the government about the lockdown?

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There’s a rather bizarre fight going on in Spanish politics at the moment, after Salvador Illa, the health minister, admitted in a moment of absent mindlessness that a supposed committee of independent experts who were supposed to be advising the government on the lockdown – didn’t exist. Continue reading So just who was advising the government about the lockdown?→