Real life economics!

The whole PIG has now gone and we in Spain are waiting in trepidation for that porker to become plural! 

Portugal, as the latest nation to go (what was the phrase that was used so dismissively about Britain when we had to go to the IMF, ah yes, cap-in-hand) grovelling to the moneyed nations of the EU asking for unbelievable amounts of cash – behaving indeed as if they were a nation of bankers!

So Portugal, Ireland and Greece – the whole PIG – not noted for its adherence to strict financial rules but certainly noted for a more than flexible approach to tax gathering, have shown the financial depths that a whole chunk of Europe is plumbing at present.

And we in Spain are next.  But, say the experts, we are too large to go under, there is simply not enough money to bail us out if we go bottom up.  But will we need this money?

I listened in amazement to a piece on Radio 4 this morning which had a correspondent say that the reports on the banks (by the banks) and the austerity measures (by the government of Spain) are making a difference and that things seem to be better there than in the rest of the PIG.

The key word, of course, is “seem”.  There is 20% unemployed in this country, whatever that actually means.  What is more significant is there is something like 40% unemployment in the youth section of the working population.  40%!  This is a total disaster.  Half a generation is being raised without work; without contributions - without the hope of a pension!

The so-called economy of Spain with its fatal link with the chaos which is the construction industry is something which is not healthy to contemplate.

Sooner or later I assume that something approaching reality will be partially accepted by this country and then god knows what will happen!

I wonder if the euro will survive.  What will that do to the value of the pound?  I will probably have to work forever!

And as if to emphasise the full horror of working in Spain, I was greeted at just before 8 am this morning with the information that during my five period teaching day with a duty as well, I would be adding to a full day the supervision of an extra lesson for a colleague.

To say I was not pleased would be like saying that the burning of the library at Alexandria was a minor inconvenience to the development of western civilization.

I had formulated plans to use whatever spare time (in our eight period day) I had to complete the marking of the next examination paper I had to mark.

I loathe marking with a deeply held and personally sincere hatred, but that drives me to get it out of the way as soon as possible.  I was like a thing driven to get the papers out of the way and I did manage to finish them all today: something of an achievement!

The mere mention of Indian food this evening drove me (literally) to our localish restaurant for a take away.  Delicious!  From time to time a decent Indian meal is the only thing to hit the mark!

I shall repent tomorrow!