Author: Ben

Now this is a sensible move. While the UK falls into another collective psychosis over the next epidemic that is(n’t) going to wipe out tens of thoudands, millions even, the Spanish government puts up a simple informative website, http://www.gripeaviar.es/, helping everyone over here to calm down. Good common sense.

‘With a birth rate estimated at 1.28 per woman – far below the replacement rate of 2.1 and one of the lowest in Europe – Spain’s population will fall (and age) dramatically over the coming years. According to Expatica: “By 2050, Spain will have only 30 million people – three quarters of its current population – as well as one of the oldest population profiles in the world”.

No matter how the current crisis around Ceuta and Melilla turns out, a people like the Spaniards, with so little commitment to their own future, will never have the strength to resist being overwhelmed by the burgeoning and desperate masses of the third world at their doorstep.’

An extract from FaceRight.com

Interesting facts in the first paragraph, but is this really about Spaniards having no commitment to their own future? I would say that it has more to do with new professional opportunities for women that disappear as soon as they try to integrate a large family into their working lives, and the fact that rising prices and mortgages make it very difficult to be able to afford to have more than one child these days. I’ll have to find out what the Spanish think about this…

The biggest news in Spain this week is the onslaught (El Mundo graphic) on the North African Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla by thousands of African immigrants desperate to start a new life in Europe. Six were shot in the early hours of Thursday by Moroccan police who claim they fired in self-defence.

Spiegel reports that “Ceuta and Melilla are particularly attractive to migrants because Spanish law requires refugees to be released from detention after 40 days if they are unable to return to their country of origin. Since most African countries refuse to take them back, they are released into Spanish society”, and continues, “To keep the Africans from reaching Spain, Madrid now wants to build a third and even higher fence at Melilla.”

Evidently more fences are not going to make any difference and this is a situation that is only going to escalate. The problem is clearly related to appalling economic and political conditions in Africa, and what on earth can be done about that? More to the point, when are the powers that be going to start seriously trying to do something about that? Yes, happy G8 guys, that means you!