“Democracy is shit!” a former Spanish diplomat in his 70s told me at a Madrid bar. “Democracy does not work. The socialists have destroyed Spain!” A small lapse of silence as he gathers some wind for is arguments: “Our foreign policy is in tatters (because Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero defied George W. Bush…
Author: Migrant Tales
Easter folklore and something else in Madrid
For a Catholic nation as Spain, Easter is a pretty serious period. The symbols of the church and the state are an irreplaceable icons of the folklore of the night. Madrileños expressing awe and waiting for the human-carried floats. And this was one of the prizes for their eyes. A huge flag and a full…
Torture is for countries ruled by desperate fools
This was posted in March 2008. One of the best pieces of news to come out of President-elect Barak Obama is that he will close down the Guantanamo detention center. …As President George W. Bush’s administration attempts without luck to brush aside the colossal blunder in Iraq and how it poisoned and weakened the United…
Final result: Spain’s Socialists win general elections
Not varying much from what polls showed before the March 9 general elections, the Socialists (PSOE) led by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero have got the nod from voters to rule for another four years. With 99.99% of the votes counted, the PSOE won 169 deputies (164 in 2004) versus 153 deputies (148) by the opposition…
Everything appears quiet on the Spanish electoral front
Some 35 million Spaniards are eligible to vote today with the shadow of terrorism looming after suspected ETA separatists murdered a Socialist councilor Isaías Carrasco, 42, of Mondragón in the Basque Country. That follows a horrific attack four years ago on March 11 of the Madrid train bombings that dramatically changed the election result against…
Round 2: Zapatero beats Rajoy in election debate
After losing last Monday’s debate against Spain’s Socialist Party (PSOE) leader José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, opposition Popular Party (PP) head Mariano Rajoy did a poor job in convincing Spaniards Monday in the last of two debates to vote for his party. Spain will hold generation elections on March 9. Two polls right after the debate…
Spain, immigrants and Rajoy
For some, Popular Party (PP) leader Mariano Rajoy, who is aiming to lead his party to victory against the Socialists (PSOE) on March 9, is playing with fire by using the immigrant issue to sway voters on his side. While some Spaniards see Rajoy’s tactics as a desperate attempt to get more votes, the PP…
Fairy tales by Argentinian politicians
Wouldn’t we live in a wonderful world if all that the politicians said is true? I’d be especially happy living in a paradise called Argentina, where the president and government do not only make false promises, but directly cook the numbers of the national statistics agency INDEC to suit them. Nope, it’s not true what…
March 9 election debate in Spain: Zapatero versus Rajoy
Today concluded the first of two televised debates between Spain’s Socialist (PSOE) José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and opposition Popular Party (PP) head Mariano Rajoy. The first polls that were taken right after the debate show Rodríguez Zapatero beating by an ample margin his PP opponent. Television station Cuatro gave Rordíguez 45.4% versus 33.4% for Rajoy,…
First night under a Spain sky
Here’s one of the first picture I took from my hotel room of the Gran Vía in Madrid. Believe it or not, it’s about 2am. A travel guide of Madrid by the National Geographic asked where in Europe can you find a city where there are traffic jams at 5am Sunday? Gran Vía is one…