A stunned nation is still reeling from the news revealed yesterday that King Juan Carlos of Spain thinks that having a monarchy is a good idea! I had no idea at all he felt so strongly on the issue. I'm sure that he has soberly considered all of the alternatives, weighed up the arguments for all points of view, and reached a conclusion based on the need to support an ever larger family and sheer force of income...sorry, I think I meant to write "logic".
Meanwhile, the spiralling and senseless judicial farce provoked by the unnecessary decision to prosecute people for burning photographs of the monarch continues. Today it has been announced that prosecutors are now seeking prison sentences of up to 18 months for those accused of this heinous crime. Now whether people think it is a good idea for people to burn photographs of the monarch is virtually irrelevant - to me the issue is whether we should pay salaries to judges who waste their time trying to punish those who do so. We need to hear a bit less about "the law is the law and must be applied". This is a common bit of nonsense, which if it were to be taken truly seriously would mean that virtually all police time would be entirely occupied on traffic offences, tax evasion and litter duty. The reality is that many crimes are not pursued at all, some are given higher priority than others, and that the discretion that exists to do this also allows a right wing judge (and most judges seem to be right wing) to pursue his private political prejudices against those whose views he dislikes. This was the point I made the other day in a different way, when I remarked on the impunity that allows people to build thousands of apartments that are entirely illegal, and then to calmly sip mojitos by the Mediterranean whilst the legal system chases photograph burners. You can call it what you want, but it ain't the rule of law.
So there we have it, the King is the symbol of stability and democracy and therefore we must fill the prisons with all of those who disagree. This is not just about nationalists protesting against the Spanish state, we now have a case in Madrid where prosecutors are also seeking a year’s imprisonment for someone who attempted to replace a flag on an official building with the emblem of the Second Republic. Nothing else, just that. I'm thinking of moving before the pogrom of republicans gets into full swing, and fortunately I think I've found the perfect place. In the village of Humilladero in Malaga the local council has pronounced itself in favour of a constitutional process leading to the Third Republic. It's symptomatic of the fear that reigns in the PSOE these days that their councillors in the village have been threatened with disciplinary action for supporting the move. Anyway, I provide the map just so that those of us who are not impressed by the arguments of Juan Carlos know that we have a refuge when we need it. The way things are going that might not be too long. Looking at the map it evidently has a lake nearby, the sea is not far away either and close inspection of the satellite image reveals lots of olive trees – I think I might be able to put up with exile in the Democratic Republic of Humilladero!
Meanwhile, the spiralling and senseless judicial farce provoked by the unnecessary decision to prosecute people for burning photographs of the monarch continues. Today it has been announced that prosecutors are now seeking prison sentences of up to 18 months for those accused of this heinous crime. Now whether people think it is a good idea for people to burn photographs of the monarch is virtually irrelevant - to me the issue is whether we should pay salaries to judges who waste their time trying to punish those who do so. We need to hear a bit less about "the law is the law and must be applied". This is a common bit of nonsense, which if it were to be taken truly seriously would mean that virtually all police time would be entirely occupied on traffic offences, tax evasion and litter duty. The reality is that many crimes are not pursued at all, some are given higher priority than others, and that the discretion that exists to do this also allows a right wing judge (and most judges seem to be right wing) to pursue his private political prejudices against those whose views he dislikes. This was the point I made the other day in a different way, when I remarked on the impunity that allows people to build thousands of apartments that are entirely illegal, and then to calmly sip mojitos by the Mediterranean whilst the legal system chases photograph burners. You can call it what you want, but it ain't the rule of law.
So there we have it, the King is the symbol of stability and democracy and therefore we must fill the prisons with all of those who disagree. This is not just about nationalists protesting against the Spanish state, we now have a case in Madrid where prosecutors are also seeking a year’s imprisonment for someone who attempted to replace a flag on an official building with the emblem of the Second Republic. Nothing else, just that. I'm thinking of moving before the pogrom of republicans gets into full swing, and fortunately I think I've found the perfect place. In the village of Humilladero in Malaga the local council has pronounced itself in favour of a constitutional process leading to the Third Republic. It's symptomatic of the fear that reigns in the PSOE these days that their councillors in the village have been threatened with disciplinary action for supporting the move. Anyway, I provide the map just so that those of us who are not impressed by the arguments of Juan Carlos know that we have a refuge when we need it. The way things are going that might not be too long. Looking at the map it evidently has a lake nearby, the sea is not far away either and close inspection of the satellite image reveals lots of olive trees – I think I might be able to put up with exile in the Democratic Republic of Humilladero!
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2 comments:
Graeme - first things first: do they produce any decent wines?
With regards to the king, in other news, the Pope has apparently declared himself 'a big fan' of the Roman Catholic Church :-)
Tom, I've been trying to do some research on the wine but the village's web page doesn't seem to work - I like to think its collapsed under the weight of all the visits they are getting from prospective exiles. I'm not very optimistic about the wine issue, Malaga wine tends to be sweet and sticky, but we might be able to smuggle some in from the other side?
Interesting revelation about the Pope, I always wondered why he spends so much time hanging out with priests.
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