Abdalá makes it look easy

One of the most cogent definitions of populism I’ve ever heard is that it seeks to make the business of being a politician look easy. If that is indeed the case, Abdalá Bucaram, erstwhile president of Ecuador, fits the bill. He certainly makes handling a crowd...

The wrong gong

On July 4th, a wave capsized a boat carrying 52 Sub-Saharan migrants from the Moroccan coast north across the Mediterranean. Three men were rescued by the Spanish coastguard and the other 49 of those who were on board are believed to have drowned. Many things tend to...

The Corner

In recent weeks I have had the honour of having my thoughts on Spanish politics and other news published on the excellent English-language website The Corner. My articles for the site can be found here and I will be posting links to them on this, my personal webpage....

Revisiting corruption: Why so damn much?

In April 2010, I wrote an article headlined “The rebirth of corruption”. At that time, there seemed to be an endless flow of corruption scandals in Spain, tainting the names of a long list of politicians and I wanted to understand why this problem had the country in...

Can Pedro Sánchez stick it to the man?

Hillary Clinton attended Donald Trump’s wedding; Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba once ran the 100 metres in under 11 seconds; most Muppets are left-handed; the northern leopard frog swallows its prey using its eyes. And Pedro Sánchez could win the upcoming primary of the...