I am willing to bet serious money that none of the members of the elites (royal family, prominent politicians) involved in the scandals will spend a single day in prison.
Villarejo: The rise and fall of the Spanish state’s secret fixer
51–60 of 95 posts
Re: Villarejo: The rise and fall of the Spanish state’s secret fixer
#52I am willing to bet serious money that none of the members of the elites (royal family, prominent politicians) involved in the scandals will spend a single day in prison.
Well, the son in law of the former king did spend time in jail and is now in some kind of probation.
Re: Villarejo: The rise and fall of the Spanish state’s secret fixer
#53Re: Villarejo: The rise and fall of the Spanish state’s secret fixer
#54Re: Villarejo: The rise and fall of the Spanish state’s secret fixer
#55I am willing to bet serious money that none of the members of the elites (royal family, prominent politicians) involved in the scandals will spend a single day in prison.
Yes, absolutetly. Today in court Villarejo said: "CNI(spy agency) was warned of the risk of an attack in Barcelona". In other country this will trigger a serious investigation.
Re: Villarejo: The rise and fall of the Spanish state’s secret fixer
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not, really, I've been living through most of Europe and Spain's quality of life is way above average, there's literally no homeless (except for people with mental health issues or foreigners) low/middle class people buy properties, there's development in every industry, etc. Edit: Downvoter care to explain? Please check this [1] NUTS 2 official data, half of Spain is above half of Germany [1] https://upload.wik…
Maybe because those things don't directly have anything to do with country being corrupt, which was the question? There could be some indirect connection, but corruption and quality of life are not exactly the same things.
A corrupt enough country would not be able to protect people as Spain does.
Public services are paid with public money, if there is no money there are no services and as far as I know there is still public health and education and equal opportunitieas for (almost) everybody.
A lot of corruption there anyway.
Re: Villarejo: The rise and fall of the Spanish state’s secret fixer
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's not how the old BBC works. PG's submarine applies to the BBC as well, no doubt, as well as foreign lobby groups.
Is "PG's Submarine" what we're now calling the fascist subtexts of his writings?
They probably refer to http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html
Re: Villarejo: The rise and fall of the Spanish state’s secret fixer
#58I am willing to bet serious money that none of the members of the elites (royal family, prominent politicians) involved in the scandals will spend a single day in prison.
Well, the son in law of the former king did spend time in jail and is now in some kind of probation.
He went to a women prison, and he was the only male in that prison, in a separate area.
According to the press, EUR 2M were spent before his arrival in the "male area" to properly prepare the accommodations.
His wife's share in the inheritance of the former King, in the range of tens to hundreds of millions, bumped up considerably by a 50% when the current King said he would not accept any inheritance from his father, so probably if he cannot find a job due to his ex-convict status, he'll be well off.
I'm sure it's been a pretty bad experience for him compared to living in Switzerland, but not in the same league of the rest of people convicted in Spain.
Re: Villarejo: The rise and fall of the Spanish state’s secret fixer
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
Perhaps it isn't failed, but it is pretty corrupt, and it is not in good condition. I wouldn't call it "such a ridiculous claim", just good, old exaggeration.
Pretty corrupt compaired to what? Are Japan or France failed states? Both slightly lower in this aggregated ranking: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index#2... I am spaniard and am painfully aware of Spain's problems. And maybe spaniards being so critical of Spain could be something positive (instead of complacency or nationalism). But honestly? The negativity is pointless and exhausting. Pointle…
> Loss of control of its territory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_on_the_Referendum_on_Self-...
Re: Villarejo: The rise and fall of the Spanish state’s secret fixer
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
Did you forget about https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII ? That’s not that long ago (he was an uncle of Elizabeth II, wasn’t he?)
It was convenient that he could be forced to abdicate over the fact that Wallis Simpson was a divorcee, which prevented the need to ask far more awkward questions about how both of them were Fascist sympathisers. (It was a common view among the English upper class until it became unacceptable once the war started) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marburg_Files
Edward’s fascist sympathies were a problem only after he abdicated and determined how he was treated as ex-king. Wallis Simpson was so abhorred by high-class British society that she served as a more than sufficient reason to make him abdicate, the Nazi thing didn’t really play into it in 1935–36.