Blog #Franco

The presidente del gobierno (the Spanish prime minister) has been under fire recently from all sides and he is "riding low" in the opinion polls. Pedro Sánchez has been accused of corruption, of nepotism and of other dodgy practices. So, he decided to submit himself to a live interview by TVE, the national TV broadcaster. That was 10 days ago.

Generalisimo Francisco Franco Bahamonde, the fascist dictator who led Spain for 39 years, from 1936 until his death in 1975, "celebrates" the 50th anniversary of his death later this week, on Thursday November 20th. ​He will not be mourned by many. He has been thoroughly discredited for his murderous "reign". What follows is a brief summary of the rise and fall of the only fascist leader of the mid-20th century to die a natural death. Hitler committed suicide and Mussolini was executed by hanging.

I first visited Spain in 1970, when Spain was a dictatorship under the tight control of General Franco and the Roman Catholic Church. I was 20. Viewed back then as a fascist country and a strictly religious society, pretty much everything was banned, including all forms of contraception. What's that got to do with suppositories? Read on to find out!

I am basically a law-abiding citizen, a democrat, who fully understands that society needs rules in order for life to function. And that therefore a police force is required. However, it’s odd that Spain needs three. Although when it comes to which force is responsible for what, the lines are somewhat blurred.