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The latest unemployment figures for Almería are, frankly, staggering: A further 1,700 people joined the dole queue last month, bringing the total number of people claiming the dole to 74,000 in the province. However, bearing in mind the number of people not eligible for dole (ie it’s ended and they can’t find work), the latest EPA (Encuesta de la Populación Activa, Study of the Active Population) claims that 111,000 people are hunting for work in Almería.

This is bearing in mind that we’re in the middle of the summer season, with the bars open and lots of work going in the local tourist trade. Ah hem.

Of course, the cynic in me suggests that a number of these people are working, but the bar owners / hotels / [insert business here] aren’t keen on paying the high taxes the government insists upon for hiring people legally – currently, about 45% of the base salary for temporary workers, 42% for full timers. Plus holidays, trainings, health and safety and a nice cash sum at the end of their contract. But maybe that’s just me.

The IU party, always there with a handy soundbite, snidely said that the most anticipated opening of the El Corte Inglés does not seem to have had the promised effect [..] of turning around our province’s economy. It’s wisecracks like this that make me consider voting for them. Then I look at their solution for the recession, and spot their plan is to prevent job losses by make it harder for companies to fire people. Right.

It’s bleeding obvious that in an economy where the only jobs going are short term jobs based around the tourism trade, it needs to be easier and cheaper to hire and fire people. Whereas both the IU and the PSOE both seem incapable of separating job creation from job retention (or even admitting that Spain’s black economy is around 20% of GDP and growing fast).

Still, good news for autonomos who don’t mind paying even more (see autonomos get the dole)

The Spanish Senate’s Committee on Tourism, Commerce and big floppy eared bunnies has agreed to a PSOE backed iniciative to commence a viability study to see if Almería warrants a new Parador hotel.

The motion, which has been around for years, was shot down last year when Parador Hotels published their five year expansion plan, ruling out Almería.

This has not slowed down Senator Asensio (Almería province; he’s also sec gen of the provincial PSOE party) from jumping on what was a PP bandwagon, and forcing the issue back onto the table.

Of course, it’s a table that’s a long way away from the main table, in restaurant terms this table is not just by the toilet doors, it’s actually equivalent to sitting on the restaurant loo eating off a tray; but hey, maybe when the next five year plan is published Almería might be a possible candidate?

The townhall wants to put a Parador in the Alcazaba fortress, arguing that this would be perfect, and it probably would be.

This made me laugh. Martin had a point tho’. Marching kids out of school and telling them to “smile and wave” when the President came by?

Don’t steal kids for political photos – or when Franco mark 2 came to Turre.

Only consolation is that old Grimy didn’t look too happy in the photo. Did he want to be surrounded by sticky kids?

Oh, it’s a form letter. Thought he’d finally seen sense and called upon me to help him through the next economic crisis.

Something about an election. Is there an election soon?

It’s in English, which is nice, and on about ole “strong chin” himself, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, the PSOE socialist candidate to the European Parliament, a man whose chin puts Arnie himself in the shade. As spotted by the PSOE website designer who did this little image:

His expression, which I think is intended to be serious but actually looks as if he’s constipated, rarely varies. “A serious man for difficult times”.

Even when he’s “having fun” he’s worrying about Issues. Calm down man, you’ll develop an ulcer.

juan fernando lopez aguilar has fun while worrying about Things

Ah! No wonder! It turns out that Mr López, the only serious man ever to emerge from the Canary Islands (he’s from Tenerife, I think), is also a gay pinup! Very liberal. What does Mrs López think?

He stated that his lifetime ambition was to play the guitar with his childhood hero, Spanish guitar legend Miguel Rios. Miguel Rios, being a kindly soul, granted him his wish:

Not to be rude, but I think Miguel should stick to the guitar and Juan to the lyrics (he’s supposed to speak perfect English). I think that’s “Johnny go go go” they’re mangling.

Back to the letter.

I notice that they’ve obviously used a native English speaker (or is it Juan again?) to write the letter, which is a nice change from the normal PSOE policy of “we teach English in schools, don’t we? Let’s use a native to write difficult English” – which occasionally backfires, as we all know.

For some reason they twitter on about America and how her citizens have decided for change and progress, so vote for us. Didn’t realise Obama was a member of the PSOE.

Something about a 65 day working week…blames the conservatives for weak financial markets (no word about who allowed mass building and public corruption to fester..) and about how wonderful the EU is. No mention of the Priors or Algarrobico.

Can’t be bothered to read on. Into the recycling it goes.

Mind you, I’ve just looked at some of the names on the list. Doña Bárbara Duhrkop Duhrkop? Don Mohammed Azahaf Moumen? Are these people Spanish? Here’s a nice aristocratic name: Don Alejandro Colledoforns Bergnes Las Casas. Almost as good as one of my lawyer’s, a chap with the imposing name of Don Joaquín de Borja Fau de Casa Juana Alarcón, a name which sounds as if it should have a couple of commas or at least a teabreak in the middle.

Zapatero was giving a speech to around 5,000 party faithful when a camara fell over and lightly injured around 8 people. So that’s 8 PSOE voters less.

Just driven through Turre and saw a lot of elderly people putting up PSOE signs on all the streetlights.

Two hours early, but hey. The local police didn’t seem to mind, so why should I?

While surfing los40.com -website of Los 40 Principales, Spain’s version of MTV- I noticed that they’re proudly telling people that they’ve been rebuilt using money from EU FEDER funds and a grant from the Ministry of Tourism.

Any reason why a commercial pop radio & tv channel gets large grants like this to relaunch their website? Was it an attempt to improve Spain’s ranking in Eurovision?

Oh, wait – of course! Los40.com belongs to Grupo Prisa. (El Pais newspaper amongst others – the main media group that supports PSOE?).

I say nothing more.

Marvellous idea. Our own Unicaja (formed several years ago out of a merger between several provincial cajas), also known as El Monte de Piedad y Caja de Ahorros de Ronda, Cádiz, Almería, Málaga y Antequera (or UNICAJA – Caja del Sol) is Andalucias biggest financial entity and is based out of Malaga. It has a huge portfolio, sound financial rating and little exposure of dodgy debt.

Caja Castilla la Mancha is a second rate Caja working out of Cuenca, which has just been downgraded to BB+ rating, large exposure to toxic debt and a slight political concern (it is rumoured) about possibly being the first Spanish caja to go under due to the credit crunch.

So… let’s merge them! It won’t (much) affect Unicajas’ debt, as Unicaja has a large surplus and can squirrel away the toxic assets without anyone being the wiser. It’s a blow to the prestige of the (P.P.) president of Castilla La Mancha, and gives old Prezzie for life Chaves (PSOE) some national coverage.

More politics than anything else, but it’s nice to see that it’s not just Madrid (province) that’s taking political control of the Cajas.

The newspaper ABC has released a video showing the mayor of Ohanes, a small village in Almería, accepting cash from a builder in exchange for building licenses in May 2005.

The Mayor is seen counting out notes to the amount of €29,000; whereupon he asks why €1000 is missing and the promotor agrees to pass the money to him the next day. They discuss the handover of the paperwork, and a verbal promise to pay a further €30,000 upon receipt of signed paperwork is audible.

Mayor Juan Francisco Sevilla (who resigned when allegations of this case came to light) is awaiting trial on other charges of corruption and fiscal coercion. He belong(ed) to the PSOE party – it appears that he was allowed to resign with honour intact- and the P.P. are demanding action.

Here’s the video (Thanks to Kalebeul for pointing me in the direction of it):

Cayo Lara has been voted into the position of the new leader of the United Left party (Izquierda Unida).

The I.U. is the slightly ineffectual left wing coalition party that encompasses such parties as The Green Party, The Spanish Communist Party and other bearded nutters. It doesn’t have a huge amount of support from the unions, as they prefer the moderate progressive backhanders of the PSOE and view reformers with some suspicion. Far too radical and earnest to be big players.

The trouble with the I.U. has always been the communists. They are -or were- bright enough to realise that the best policy was to keep their heads below the parapets, but with the recent election problems -the head of I.U., Gaspar Llamanzes resigned after the last elections, but it’s taken until now to vote in a new one- seem to be carrying out a coup d’etat in the coalition. Which is probably going to annoy Los Verdes and the rest of them. The fact that Gaspar publically said a few days before the last election that “PSOE is the only natural ally for the IU” was considered by many to be a nail in the coffin, as this translated to “may as well vote for PSOE, then”.

Spain needs a decent left wing party to take over from PSOE, especially in Andalucia. I.U. ain’t it, but its succesor may be, if they suceed in kicking out the Communists.