Spain
David Cameron makes the case for reform in Europe
Germany has elections on the way, Spain is just about holding a lid on its economic crisis while keeping a wary eye on the uphill struggle that its neighbour Portugal… Continue reading
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Cheat sheet: the new Spanish corruption scandal
An unemployment rate of 26 per cent (and 56 per cent for young people); an economy that contracted by 0.7 per cent last quarter; tumbling approval ratings. Spanish Prime Minister… Continue reading
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Free Catalonia!
OMG to Catalonia! (Geddit?; I’m quite proud of that. Pathetic, I know). A congenial centre-right and far left alliance in Catalonia should see Spain cease to exist as an entity… Continue reading
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Spain draws closer to a bailout
The results of stress tests on Spanish banks will be revealed at 5pm, and the rumour on the trading floor is that the country may also announce that it is… Continue reading
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An introduction to Javier Marías
The fundamental purpose of the literary critic is to incentivise his audience to read books of which he approves. He has two means at his disposal. The first of those… Continue reading
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General Franco’s British foes
David Lomon was one of the lucky ones. While fighting in Aragon in south-west Spain in the spring of 1938, the former salesman from Hackney was captured by one of… Continue reading
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Fears grow over Spanish bailout
The market data on Spain this afternoon suggests that the bailout sticking plaster agreed earlier by eurozone finance ministers wasn’t big enough to cover the wound even for a few… Continue reading
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An afternoon in Madrid
The most obvious — but far from the only — author to read when in Madrid must be Ernest Hemingway. For a man so fond of the laconic line, his… Continue reading
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The pain in Spain
Something’s amiss when a nice glass of Rioja in the middle of Madrid costs just €1.90. As Spain’s credit rating approached ‘junk’ status yesterday the country recorded a dramatic decline… Continue reading
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Who wins as Spain stutters?
The news that matters today isn’t what was said at Leveson, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the government won’t act on the inquiry’s report if it suggests anything big, but… Continue reading
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A poor man’s compromise
The expectation in both Brussels and Whitehall is that this weekend will see a bailout for Spain agreed. It appears that a compromise which would not impose harsh external conditions,… Continue reading
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Cameron defies increasingly isolated Merkel
‘No’ used to be the French prerogative in matters of European integration. Charles de Gaulle made a late career out of it. But perhaps the title is passing to Britain.… Continue reading
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Storms over the continent
Whitehall sits and waits. Normal politics is continuing, squalls over whether the apprentice stewards at the Jubilee were taken advantage of and the next stage in the Warsi saga have… Continue reading
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Hunting season distracts from Euro-calamity
As James observed yesterday evening, the Westminster media has its eyes on one story today: Jeremy Hunt’s career-defining appearance at the Leveson inquiry. A deafening cacophony has broken out from… Continue reading
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The US has taken a stance against Argentina’s brinkmanship — it’s time we joined them
The 30th anniversary of the Falklands War – and the bellicose rhetoric (and videos) currently emerging from Buenos Aires — has once more shone a spotlight on the UK’s relationship… Continue reading
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Can Merkel and Hollande meet in the middle?
This afternoon, it’s even clearer that the French and Greek elections are a significant moment in the life of the Eurozone. It’s not just the nervous market reaction to yesterday’s… Continue reading
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May Day, May Day
There was a sense of urgency, even emergency, in many countries on May 1 this year. The goings-on in the UK were muted in comparison: France Presidential incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy… Continue reading
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Fears heighten as the Eurocrisis rumbles on
For all the coverage of hacking, pasty tax and the like, the continuing crisis in the eurozone remains the most significant political story. Until it is resolved, it is hard… Continue reading
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Would Spain stop Scotland from joining the EU?
Alex Salmond’s case for independence relies on Scotland joining the European Union. If an independent Scotland was a member of the EU, then Scotland would be part of the single… Continue reading
74 CommentsThe latest act in Europe’s comic opera
If it was not all so serious, the efforts to save the single currency would be worthy of a comic opera: the Germans could compose the score, the Italians could… Continue reading
32 Comments