Fair Weather Advisors

The discredited U.S. President Richard Nixon is often quoted as saying that he had ‘one hundred economic advisors’. He was convinced that in any given situation one of those advisors were right. The problem was that he did not know which one!
In Spain we have exactly the same situation; the important difference is that Mr. Zapatero knows that none of his economic advisors are right as all of them lack the knowledge and the impartiality necessary to give advice that would benefit the country as a whole. They are usually appointed on the grounds of family ties, favouritism and friendship. So in the present economic climate they are about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike.

Judgement Day

The incessant rain of the last few weeks which has been afflicting Andalusia like never before has prompted me to start a new project. I am going to build a boat. It will be a big one; it has to be in order to accommodate at least one pair of each animal species on earth. Once all the animals have been accommodated I hope there will be room for me and my wife and of course all our immediate family. If there is room I will also take on board a few friends, those who play golf will be given priority. Looking into the future when the rain subsides and things get back to normal I would like to bring with me a few people who I feel could contribute to a better society in the future. The first name that springs to mind is Tom Waite. Bansky whoever he is would be included, Ferran Adriá (El Bulli) also. If he is not dead already I would like Jonathon Miller on board as well as Nelson Mandela. They could act as the wise old men.

Procreation will be an important factor for the future especially as there won’t be any television so Penelope Cruz, Angelina Jolie, Beyonce, Scarlett Johansson and a few well chosen others will be a welcome addition to the crew. The boat will be leaving Malaga sometime in the near future so anyone who is not a priest, politician or pedophile is welcome to apply for passage to I do not know where. Interviews will be strict but fair. Basically you have to prove that you are a good person. The rest who screw up this world can go to hell.

Tax Cuts..to be or not to be?

In order to aid the recuperation of the immensely depressed housing market the Spanish government has announced a number of economic measures which will come into effect from the 1st of March 2010.1-Property transfer tax will be reduced from 7% to 2.5%.2-Vat on new built property sold by promoters will drop to 6% instead of the present 16%3-Capital Gains Tax on the sale of first residences which at present is a 18% will be scrapped whilst second residences will be increased to 25%.4-First time buyers will be able to repay capital only for the first three years of their mortgage as the government will make good the interest to the banks via a national agreement on corporation tax incentives. All the above measures are part of an actual dream I had last night. The rest of the dream consisted of reopening more offices, employing more people, living an active productive life in a beautiful country with a fantastic climate. When I told my wife about this dream she said that if I believe it can happen strongly enough it will happen.

What do you think?