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EL PERIDICO GLOBAL EN ESPAOL

TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2010

ENGLISH EDITION WITH THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE

Alicante trash scandal

claims new victims
Judge investigates further 39 in bribes-for-contracts case
EZEQUIEL MOTO, Alicante
A growing corruption case involving alleged bribes for a waste collection contract in southern Alicante just got bigger. A judge has
decided to investigate a further
39 individuals, including practically all of the Popular Partys officials in the city of Orihuela. These
include the mayor of Orihuela,
Mnica Lorente of the Popular
Party (PP), and former PP mayor
Jos Manuel Medina.
The other suspects are entrepreneurs and business managers
whose companies were involved
in some capacity in the bid for a
waste-collection contract in Orihuela worth 190 million over 20
years.
Until now there were 15 suspects in the case, including the
head of the provincial authority,
Jos Joaqun Ripoll, and three PP
councilors for Orihuela, as well
as businessmen Enrique Ortiz
and ngel Fenoll.
The scandal broke in March
2006, when Fenoll produced a re-

cording in which he accused a

company named Urbaser of offering a 3 million bribe to several
Orihuela officials, including thenMayor Jos Manuel Medina. The
scandal forced the mayor to start
afresh, and the contract was
awarded two years later to a different company.
But the recording triggered an
investigation by the Alicante Anticorruption Attorneys Office,

whose first consequence was the

arrest of Fenoll himself and four
others from his business network.
Alleged match-fixing in regional soccer is another recent offshoot of this case, after Caso Brugal wiretaps caught Enrique Ortiz, Hrcules FCs biggest shareholder, boasting about bribes that
aided his teams promotion into
the first division.

Constructors call off

informal crisis talks
L. DONCEL / L. ABELLN, Madrid
Growing unease in the construction sector over infrastructure
spending cuts was behind the
meeting that industry leaders
were due to hold with Prime
Minister Jos Luis Rodrguez Zapatero on Wednesday.
But the government yesterday announced that the meeting
was postponed until an unspecified date, on the request of the
construction companies themselves. The reason, said government sources, was the unexpect-

ed social pressure created by

what was meant to be an informal meeting.
The meeting was due to focus on the 6.4 billion in cuts
announced in state spending on
infrastructure projects, as part
of the austerity measures aimed
at reducing Spains public deficit.
The industry is also upset at
the fact that many city councils
are not paying for the waste collection services that they also
provide, with outstanding debt
now at 3.4 billion.

Car-sales slump
set to worsen
in the fall
EL PAS, Madrid
Automobile sales in the first half
of August fell 29.6 percent from a
year earlier to 20,267 units, according to figures released yesterday by the Institute for Automation Studies on behalf of the national car dealers association
Ganvam.
The second consecutive drop
of the year was attributed principally to the end of the 2000E
plan a government-sponsored
subsidy scheme and the rise in
value added tax from 16 percent
to 18 percent.
The trend is already worrying, and it will be from September onward when clear signals of
the gravity of the situation in the
sector will become apparent,
said Juan Antonio Snchez
Torres, Ganvams president.
Ganvam forecasts a fall in
sales of 100,000 vehicles during
the second half of the year, with
the loss of some 10,000 jobs.

Madrid Socialists
square up for
pitch battle
Politics

Pages 4 & 5

Taking the long view of the new center of Madrid

The Spanish painter and sculptor Antonio
Lpez was to be found in Madrids Puerta del
Sol on Monday afternoon, beginning work on
one of two paintings that will offer opposing

perspectives of the recently refurbished

square. The works, however, might not be finished any time soon given that Lpez pictured in front of the Madrid regional govern-

Al Qaeda hostages still

alive, says NGO head
IGNACIO CEMBRERO, Madrid
The families of two kidnapped Catalan aid workers being held by Al
Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
(AQIM) have received proof that
the hostages are still alive.
Francesc Osn, director of the
NGO Barcelona Acci Solidria
that the two were working with,
said that their families, who are updated weekly by the government,
have unofficially told us they have
been shown something. But, he

stressed, officially we have no confirmation of this proof that they are

alive. Albert Vilalta, 35, and Roque
Pascual, 51, were kidnapped by
AQIM in November last year from
an aid convoy traveling through
Mauritania. A third hostage, Alicia
Gmez, was freed by the terrorist
group in March.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the Algerian head of the cell holding the Spaniards, wants to trade the hostages
for AQIM prisoner Tagui Ould
Youssef and a ransom.

uly martn

ment building is famous for spending as long

as decades on his paintings, famously saying
that a work is never finished, it just reaches
the limits of its own possibilities.

EL PAS, Tuesday, August 17, 2010

OPINION AND EDITORIAL

Controllers
under control

EL ROTO

The Public Works Ministrys resolve

opens the path to a reasonable agreement
IN REACHING a preliminary agreement
with AENA (the public agency that administers Spanish airports), the air traffic controllers have taken the time they
needed (six months) to convince themselves that the Public Works Ministry
would not back down from its decision to
put an end to the situation of abusive
privilege in this sector. If the agreement
is now ratified by the union assembly, it
will put an end to a conflict that has
grown pressing in recent weeks, but in
fact has been going on for months, while
its roots go back at least six years.
It was in 2004 when, in the absence of
an accord to renew the collective bargaining agreement signed in 1999, it was decided to extend the previous status quo.
This was highly favorable to the interests
of the controllers, especially because the
response made to the need of extending
the working day to cover increased air
traffic was that of resorting to overtime,
paid at three times the rate of ordinary
hours. This led to a disproportionate increase in the remuneration of these employees (an average of 350,000 annually, according to AENA, with some receiving twice as much), which resulted in
Spanish air traffic tariffs being the highest in Europe.
At the same time, the enormous destabilizing power wielded by this professional group baulked all attempts to put an
end to these abuses, so that the old collective bargaining agreement was repeatedly extended. But one effect of economic
crises is that certain inertias cease to be
regarded as inevitable. The skepticism
with which, late last year, the Public
Works Ministrys initial statements were

EDICIONES EL PAS, SOCIEDAD LIMITADA

Letters
to the Editor
Letters submitted to this section should not exceed 20
typed lines. It is imperative that
each one is signed and is complete with an address, telephone number and DNI or
passport number of the author. EL PAS reserves the right
to publish such pieces, either
in shortened version or as an
extract when it is considered
opportune. Unless otherwise
stated, original letters will not
be returned, nor will information be made available about
them by mail or by phone.
Email: iht@elpais.es

received, gave way to surprise when in

February it persevered in its plan to modify by decree (in the absence of agreement) the working conditions of the controllers. On the one hand, it set a working day equivalent to the shifts they
worked if overtime hours were included,
so that these hours ceased to be paid at
triple rate. On the other, it practically suppressed the controllers capacity to organize their work on their own account,
while opening the door to farming the
service out to private companies.
The response was a succession of covert strikes disguised as sick leave, followed by a formal assembly vote for a
strike in August. But one novelty was the
publication, from January onward, of detailed data on the salaries and privileged
working conditions of the controllers;
which brought public opinion over to the
side of the Public Works Ministry and
caused the recent strike threat to be received with great irritation. This backing
has certainly been decisive in helping AENA and the ministry to resist the unions
pressure, including an ultimatum that
the union representatives be received by
the minister within 48 hours if a strike
was to be averted.
The stand-off has resulted in the withdrawal of the strike threat and an agreement that retains the essence of the existing offer in the salary area, though the
working day has been made more flexible. The prospect now is for unthreatened negotiation to renew the agreement before years end. A result that is
not the best of all possible outcomes for
both parties, but a lesser evil in view of
other probable outcomes.

PRESIDENT

EDITOR

Ignacio Polanco

Javier Moreno

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

DEPUTY EDITORS

Juan Luis Cebrin

Vicente Jimnez & Llus Bassets

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICERS

EDITOR ENGLISH EDITION

Jess Ceberio & Jos ngel Garca Olea

James Badcock

In search of Bin Laden?

Years ago we saw how
Luis Roldn was captured
when he was hiding out in
Laos. In 2003 they were
able to catch Saddam Hussein, hiding in a hole in the
middle of the Iraqi countryside. War criminal Radovan Karadzic was caught
in 2008, disguised as a holistic healer. Spanish and
French police are constantly nabbing ETA leaders
and the Russian mafia
boss, Kalashov, has been in
custody for some time. Italian mafia bosses Domnico Raccuglia and Guiseppe
Falsone were recently

handed over to justice.

However, in September
nine years will have
passed since the terrorist
attacks on the United
States and the worlds
most wanted man, Osama
bin Laden, remains at
large. How is it possible
that in the so-called global
village all the security forces of the nations under
threat by Al Qaeda are incapable of finding him? Are
they really looking for
him, or is there something
theyre not telling us? Enrique Chicote Serna. Arganda del Rey, Madrid.

The birth of a hero.

Keep an eye on the bull

william lyon
A recent opinion poll tells us that a
majority of Spaniards regard the prohibition of bullfights, recently voted in
the Catalan regional parliament, as an
attack on liberty, charged with political rather than humanitarian reasons. Indeed, every regime in the history of Spain, when it paid any attention at all to bullfighting, has exploited
it for political ends.
In the 13th century Alfonso X the
Learned formally prohibited peasant
matatoros from killing bulls on foot:
the ritual killing of bulls being restricted to aristocrats on horseback. And in
later centuries, when the pedestrian,
plebeian mode prevailed and became
the ordinary style of bullfight, the bills
always announced that the spectacle
was being given in the name of the
King, our Lord. The Spanish monarchy has been a tireless promoter of
bullfighting. Until well into the 20th
century, no royal wedding or other
state occasion was complete without a
round of bullfights.
Many liberals had long considered
bullfighting to be a barbarous invention of reactionaries: these animals
who, on the great bull ranches, lived
better than the peasants did; all that
blood, violence and machismo.
However, progressives did exploit
bullfighting. To celebrate the advent of
the Second Republic, a bullfight, attended by the president, was held in
Madrid, though the Ventas bullring
was still unfinished. The new Republican tricolor flag flew, and the proceeds
went to unemployed workers.
At benefit bullfights during the Civil
War, matadors in the Franco zone gave
the fascist salute while the band
played patriotic tunes; as the war advanced, bullfight bills were dated as
the first, second or third Triumphal
Year, since the beginning of our Glorious National Rising.
In the Republican zone, performers
and public gave the raised-fist salute,
and often sang The International. Many
Republican combatants, however, took
the opportunity to kill off whole herds
of fighting bulls, and not just for food:
the Agriculture Ministry having announced that they were entirely useless to the country.
In the first years after Francos victory, when he sometimes attended bull-

fights, the crowd gave the fascist salute

and chanted Franco, Franco, Franco.
The regime often used bullfighting to
publicize its slogans. The margins of
bullfight bills would carry phrases of a
blustering, expansionistic sort, about
Empire and God, not unlike the rhetoric of fascist Germany and Italy.
Unfortunately, the war had left
Spain with few decent fighting bulls.
The sensible thing would have been to
restrict the number of bullfights until
the ranches could recuperate. But for a
regime anxious to distract the public,
it was unthinkable to deprive the Spaniards of their favorite festival. Fraud
was the outcome, and for some years
underweight bulls were fought.
In the transition to democracy after

Matadors in the Franco

zone gave the fascist
salute at bullfights
during the Civil War
Francos death, many intellectuals
viewed bullfighting as an anachronism
of the right a caricature of the folklore vision of Old Spain. Even so, for
others it remained a colorful, exciting
spectacle. Lorca, Picasso, Ortega y Gasset, Alberti were they not all bullfighting fans? Then the 1980s saw a
revival of interest in bullfighting, and
in other folk traditions such as flamenco. As usual, the politicians made mileage out of it. The first Socialist government enacted a new version of bullfighting regulations (though this was
much criticized by the fans).
And now, what will happen in Catalonia? The Popular Party has announced that it will appeal in the
courts against the prohibition, and will
sponsor legislation to have bullfighting
declared part of Spains cultural heritage. Though their obvious desire is to
embarrass the government, as a fan I
can only applaud this initiative.
And the Socialists? To judge by history, we may expect a bungled fight.
Yet politics, like bullfighting itself, affords effective resources to the valiant
and resolute performer.
William Lyon is a journalist, and an American bullfighting aficionado.

EL PAS, Tuesday, August 17, 2010

NEWS

Wave of underage abortions fails

to appear under new legislation
Just three percent of minors undergoing procedure do so without telling parents
MARA R. SAHUQUILLO, Madrid
Alina, 17, does not feel ready to
be a mother yet, and says she cannot afford it, either. After thinking it over carefully, she has decided to terminate her nineweek pregnancy, although neither one of her parents is coming
to the clinic with her.
Although she is still a minor,
Alina is permitted to do that
now. The new abortion law that
went into effect on July 5 establishes that 16- and 17-year-olds
can decide to have an abortion as
long as they inform one of their
parents and bring him or her to
the clinic unless the teenagers
family has a violent history, seri-

My mother could
not come to Spain
just for this, says a
17-year-old Romanian
One African girl was
forbidden from
having an abortion
by her father
ous internal conflict, or there is
no close family nearby.
This is Alinas case. The young
Romanian girl lives in Madrid
with her boyfriend; her mother
and brother returned to Romania a year ago, and she has no
other family members here. My
mother could not come to Spain
just for this, she says.
Alinas case is not very common. Ever since the new legislation went into effect, only
around three percent of 16- and
17-year-old girls who had an abortion did so by themselves, alleging a dysfunctional family situation, according to figures provided by clinics (which carry out
more than 98 percent of all abortions).
It used to happen before [the
current law was enacted] and it
happens now. The problem is
that, before this, many of these
complicated situations were difficult to resolve, explains Luisa
Torres, a social worker and
spokeswoman for Clnica Dator
in Madrid, where most young
women show up with a relative,
she says.
The new law, which makes
abortion a free choice for the
first 14 weeks of pregnancy, has
not triggered a wave of underage
girls terminating their pregnancies on their own, as the conservatives of the Popular Party (PP)
had predicted (the PP has gone
so far as appealing the law before the Constitutional Court).
Furthermore, clinics say that
the months-long downward
trend in overall abortion figures
is holding steady. Some centers
place this reduction at around
nine percent, in line with Health
Ministry estimates.

In 2008, 15,000 under-19-year-olds had abortions. Of those, 475 were under 15 years of age. / cristbal manuel

There are still no figures on

how many women have terminated their pregnancies under
the new law, but the downward
trend is still there, says Jos
Martnez Olmos, secretary general for health.
Under the 1985 law, women
could only have an abortion in
one of three cases: rape, severe
fetal malformation or psychological damage to the mother, which
had to be certified by a doctor. In
practice, the latter premise was a
loophole that accounted for
around 97 percent of all abortions.
In 2008, nearly 15,000 women under 19 terminated their
pregnancies. Of these, 475 were
under 15 years old, according to
Health Ministry figures.
Francisca Garca, a gynecolo-

A friend had told me

you had to pay 300
for an abortion, says
one girl
A doctor must
determine whether
the patients story is
coherent
gist and spokeswoman for the accredited abortion clinics association Acai, says that so far five
pregnant teens have shown up
alone at her clinic in Andalusia
since early July; three of whom
were Spanish, two from abroad.

The bone of contention

One of the most controversial
aspects of the new abortion
law is the fact that 16- and
17-year-olds no longer need parental consent before they terminate a pregnancy. This involved a fundamental change
to the earlier legislation and
required a modification to the
Patient Autonomy Law, which
set at 16 the age at which individuals can make their own
health-related decisions, with
three exceptions: clinical trials, fertility treatments and
abortions.
Under the new terms, a
teenager is free to make her
own decisions, but she must

inform her parents of her intentions, except in cases of

family conflict. This nuance
was introduced by the government to obtain the necessary
support from the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), given
that in the original wording of
the law, a young woman was
not required to tell anybody
about her decision.
At one point, lawmakers
considered allowing pregnant
teens to show a photocopy of
their parents national ID
cards as proof of parental
knowledge, but that was later
changed in favor of actual parental presence at the clinic.

All of them had very conflictive family situations some involving violence, others involving strong religious beliefs that
would have prevented them
from freely making the decision
to have an abortion, she says.
One girl, a 17-year-old from subSaharan Africa with a three-yearold son, says her father, a very
religious man, did not let her
have an abortion when she was
aged 14.
The law says that if the teenager alleges family problems to justify her showing up alone, a doctor must determine whether the
story is coherent. The doctor in
turn may request a report from a
social worker or psychologist.
Garca did not need either at her
clinic.
The cases were clear-cut,
she says.
Alina did meet with a social
worker. I did not really know
what I could do or how things
worked, she says. She also did
not know that the public health
system pays for the procedure,
even if it is carried out at a private clinic. A friend had told me
you had to pay around 300, she
says, relieved.
Ana did not know, either. But
her mother ngela told her. Seventeen-year-old Ana (not her real
name) informed her family
straight away, and said she did
not want to carry the pregnancy
to term. My mother helped me
make the decision, she explains.
We get along very well together,
and we really trust each other.
ngela, 42, says that family
support is essential. Even if she
had been 18, I wouldnt have
liked it at all if she hadnt told
me.

Cuban
dissidents ask
Spain to admit
more relatives
EL PAS, Madrid
Released Cuban dissidents
who were recently allowed to
come to live in Spain have
asked Madrid for permission
to bring more of their relatives
to the country.
Following
negotiations
with the Cuban Catholic
Church and Spanish officials,
the government of Ral Castro
said that by late October it
would release all 52 members
of a group of political dissidents who were arrested and
jailed in 2003.
So far, 20 of them have
been freed and flown to Spain
as part of the deal, along with
120 of their relatives the outer limit that was imposed by
Castro. Another six political
prisoners are scheduled to fly
to Madrid in the coming days
as part of the ongoing release,
and the Cubans already in
Madrid are asking that another 30 of their relatives be allowed to accompany them.
According to the group already in Spain, the Foreign Affairs Ministry promised to talk
with Cuban authorities on the
subject.
Spanish Foreign Minister
Miguel ngel Moratinos
helped seal the prisoner release deal by offering to take in
the dissidents. He has championed the Cuban cause in Europe, arguing for dialogue as
the most effective way to encourage democratic reform.

Fewer traffic
deaths on
national break
PATRICIA R. BLANCO, Madrid
The deadliest weekend for
road casualties was less tragic
this year than last, according
to preliminary figures released by traffic officials. Ten
people died on Spains roads
during the August 15 national
holiday weekend, 21 fewer
than over the same period last
year. There were also 13 injured motorists, nine of whom
remained in hospital in a serious condition.
The local festivities that
take place across much of
Spain around the Feast of the
Assumption are rife with the
most potentially dangerous
road situations, said Interior
Minister Alfredo Prez Rubalcaba, pointing at short drives
between villages to attend the
fiestas, where people drink.
The government placed the
traffic department on high
alert to prevent a repeat of last
years tragic death toll, with 31
fatalities, of which 18 occurred
on August 15. Around 10,000
traffic agents were deployed
on Spanish roads, where
around 4.9 million journeys
were made.

EL PAS, Tuesday, August 17, 2010

FEATURES

Politics

Prime Minister Zapatero (l) with his preferred candidate for Madrid regional leader, Trinidad Jimnez, and her rival in the upcoming primary, Toms Gmez (r). / claudio lvarez

A Madrileo battle for Socialist supremacy

Infighting has broken out in Zapateros party over regional candidates
JOS MANUEL ROMERO

ll buy you or Ill kill you.

Thats politics.
Stuck in opposition
since 1995, the Socialist
Party of Madrid (PSM) has
gotten itself caught up in an internal battle the umpteenth in its
turbulent history. And its a battle
that is sure to produce a number
of political casualties.
There are two opposing factions: the regional bosses of the
PSM on the one hand, and the
leaders of the national Socialist
Party (PSOE) on the other. They
are both desperately seeking support to win the primary election
that will decide who will be the
Socialist candidate for regional
leader in Madrid. In this battle,
anything goes. The message is:
Ill buy you [with a future role in
exchange for your vote] or Ill kill
you [by taking your role away if
you dont vote for me].
The story begins with a conflict that has recently hogged the
headlines. Toms Gmez, the
mayor of Parla from 1999 to 2008
and secretary of the PSM since
2007, has refused to do the bidding of Prime Minister Jos Luis
Rodrguez Zapatero. On August
7, Zapatero and the secretary general of the Spanish Socialist Party
arranged a meeting with Gmez
to ask him for a favor: to let the
health minister, Trinidad Jimnez, be the party candidate for regional leader. Gmez said no.
Zapatero doesnt know who
hes dealing with, says one of
Gmezs collaborators. If he had
bothered to get to know Toms
Gmez, he wouldnt have dared
humiliate him like that. Hes
been working for three years to

be at the top of the list for the

Madrid region. He cant just be
sent off because some poll that
nobodys shown him says that Trini is better. If they think hell
back out in silence, theyve got
another thing coming. They dont
know him.
Gmez didnt know the prime
minister very well either just a
month ago, when he told EL
PAS: Its unthinkable that Zapatero would choose another candidate. But the move was obvious; it was an open secret among
the Socialist rank and file.
It would have been irresponsible for the prime minister to let
Gmez be the candidate, says a
member of the federal executive.
After three years of work, people
in Madrid hardly know Toms
Gmez, and his electoral hopes
are very poor. It would have been
an act of suicide to have him run.
The party has a responsibility to
try and win in Madrid, and thats
only possible with Trinidad
Jimnez.
This argument angers supporters of the ex-mayor. It turns
out that theyve decided to give a
second chance to Trini, who already lost, by a landslide, when
she ran for mayor of Madrid. But
they wont give a first opportunity to Toms Gmez, who won
control of the PSM with 90 percent of the vote.
In their conversation on August 7, the secretary of the PSM
refused to fulfill the prime ministers wishes, but he did offer a
peaceful alternative: Trini could
be number two on my list. Zapateros people saw that as a declaration of war.
And so, they have challenged
each other to primary elections

that will leave the loser badly

damaged. During Zapateros prodigious 10-year run at the helm of
the Spanish Socialist Party,
Gmez has become the first regional leader to challenge him to
an internal electoral duel.
Primaries are the celebration
of democracy, but theyre also a
minefield, says one veteran Socialist, who has participated in
several internal disputes. If Trinidad Jimenz loses, the defeat
will take its toll on Zapatero, who
from then on would be a much
weaker, more questioned leader
within the party. If Toms Gmez
wins, hell be the candidate who

There are two

opposing factions:
regional bosses and
the national leaders
Zapatero doesnt
know who hes
dealing with, says a
Gmez collaborator
the partys national leader
doesnt want thats a terrible
situation to be in when faced
with such a difficult electoral
campaign, as the one in Madrid is
sure to be. It would give ammunition to [current regional leader]
Esperanza Aguirre, who would
say at rallies that they dont even
want Gmez in his own party.
Trinidad Jimnez wasnt too
keen on getting into an internal
dispute with an uncertain outcome to secure a candidature

that wouldnt even guarantee her

control of the Madrid regional
government. When asked about
the possibility a few months ago,
her answers were evasive. Until
last Monday, she had never made
public or commented on her desire to be the candidate for
Madrid regional leader.
Several months ago, Zapatero
wasnt up for it either. He was
obsessed with surviving the financial crisis and the elections were
the last thing on his mind. In recent weeks, however, his inner
circle has managed to convince
him that Trini should be the candidate.
Last May, when Europe was
in the middle of rescuing Greece
and speculators were pointing
their guns at Spain, the prime
minister considered the possibility of removing Gmez from the
electoral race. At that time, according to one source, he told his
collaborators at the Moncloa
prime ministerial base: Youve
got to show me that theres a real
chance of winning the Madrid region with another candidate. Otherwise, Im not going to stir up an
internal battle.
Supposedly, theyve done just
that, with a poll that predicts devastating results for Gmez. In it,
Jimnez beats him by far in every
category and comes in a close second to Esperanza Aguirre, the
current regional leader and the
likely PP candidate. Three out of
every four Socialist voters prefer
Jimnez. Even among PP voters,
20 percent wouldnt mind voting
for Trini, points out one national
leader, familiar with the poll.
In light of these numbers, the
prime minister has decided to
shake up the hornets nest of the

PSM. This is not the first time

that he has done so, but it is the
first time hes been bitten. Zapatero wasnt expecting Toms
Gmezs reaction, says one national deputy.
In 2002, before he became
prime minister, Zapatero backed
Jimnez as Madrids mayoral candidate. He had been general secretary of the Spanish Socialist Party for two years, but he didnt
have the control over the party
that he has today, after winning
two general elections. The minister of the Madrid Socialist Federation at the time, Pedro Sabando,
publicly expressed his displeasure at Zapateros insolence. Perhaps the federal executive isnt familiar with the extreme sensitivity in this federation when there
is talk of names and candidates
that outsiders want to propose.
The former regional leader,
Joaqun Leguina, who had supposedly retired from Madrid politics, reappeared to announce his
candidature. Zapatero met with
him, something that would be impossible today, and Leguina
agreed to stay out of the race to
avoid an internal rift within the
PSM. Jimnez ran without any internal opposition.
Zapateros move forced Jos
Mara Aznar, the prime minister
at the time, to change his plans:
he retired the man who was mayor of Madrid at the time, Jos
Mara lvarez del Manzano, and
pulled Alberto Ruiz-Gallardn
from the regional government,
where he had a comfortable absolute majority, and put him on the
top of the list for Madrid City
Hall. He won by a wide margin,
of more than 14 percent.
Aznars maneuver, however,

EL PAS, Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Politics
forced by Zapatero, nearly cost
the PP control of the Madrid region in May 2003, when the new
candidate, Esperanza Aguirre,
lost her absolute majority. In fact,
she would have lost altogether if
two Socialists, Eduardo Tamayo
and Mara Teresa Sez, had not
abstained from the vote. After
this scandal, in October 2003 the
election was repeated and Aguirre managed, by a hair, to win
the two seats that she failed to
land in the first election, giving
the Popular Party an absolute majority and control of the regional
government.
The new battle for Madrid
that already has the Socialists divided (they will choose their regional candidate on October 3)
will irremediably have its winners and its losers. This is the
same old story that has afflicted
the party practically since the beginning.
In 1979, when the Socialists
controlled the capitals City Hall
(with Enrique Tierno Galvn as
mayor) and governed in dozens
of municipalities on the outskirts, a major crisis broke out in
the Madrid Socialist Federation,
which ended with the exit of its
secretary general, Alonso Puerta,
after just two years as secretary
general. He was substituted by
Joaqun Leguina. Both were city
councilors.
Two years after that change in
course in Madrid Socialism, Puerta, the mayors second deputy,

If Jimnez loses, the

defeat will take its
toll on Zapatero, who
would be weaker
Internal disputes hit
the Socialists when
Toms Gmez was
just 11 years old
sparked one of the biggest scandals anyone can remember at
City Hall, when he accused colleagues from his own government of corruption in the awarding of cleaning contracts. Leguina was irate and the party gave
Alonso Puerta the boot.
When Gmez was only 11
years old, internal disputes were
already afflicting the Madrid Socialist family. At the age of 31,
Gmez became the Socialist candidate for mayor of Parla after
winning the primary election
with flying colors. He secured a
simple majority in the 1999 elections (with 41 percent of the
votes and 11 of its 25 councilors)
and crushed his opponent in the
following elections, in 2003 (75
percent of the votes and 20 out of
25 councilors). At the age of 39,
after the party lost the regional
elections of 2007, he became secretary-general of the PSM,
thanks to Jos Luis Rodrguez Zapateros inner circle at the Moncloa.
The Socialist defeat forced the
regional candidate, Rafael Simancas, to step down. This marked
the beginning of a new chapter in
the PSMs history. A few days after Simancas resigned, Zapatero
was told that there was a young
man in Parla who had been mayor for eight years, with popular

FEATURES

Toms Gmez (l) pictured with the Socialists preferred candidate for Madrid mayor, Jaime Lissavetzky. / u. m.

support of 75 percent the highest in Spain who might be the

ideal candidate to take the reins
in Madrid. Zapatero, who barely
knew Gmez, didnt think twice.
Even though Jos Blanco, organization secretary for the Socialists at the time, was against
the choice, he did his best to carry out his bosss wishes. He called
up Simancas to get him to use the
pull that he still had in the PSM to
make his people support Gmez.
It was a calm succession in a federation used to going from one
crisis to another. Toms Gmez
won 91 percent of the vote in the
extraordinary congress. Three
years later, some people regret
that boost from Zapatero.
Toms even sent me a text
message thanking me for my support. I still have it, says one of
Simancas collaborators. But
just a few months later, he started going after us. If there hasnt
been a rebellion against Gmez
in the PSM, its because the federal leadership asked us not to
cause a crisis in the party, he
adds.
Gmez has a different version
of what went on. I took over a
depressed organization, broken
up into several families, with voter intent at rock bottom. Now its
united and enthusiastic. I have
95-percent support and there is
peace.
Its the peace of cemeteries,
says one regional parliamentarian. If you criticize any aspect of
Gmezs management or the way
things are going in the PSM,
youre reminded that in a few
months, your position is up for
renewal. Its all very subtle, but
what theyre really saying is: Ill
buy you or Ill kill you.
The national leadership is using a similar tactic. There are
many who think that everyones
future is in Gmezs hands, because he makes the lists. But they
should know that when it comes
to drawing up the list of candidates for the regional government, the city of Madrid and municipalities with populations of
over 50,000, the federal executive can have the final say. In other words, Ill buy you or Ill kill
you.
The PSM has 18,000 cardholders with voting rights. Of these,
just 1,000 either hold some kind
of position in the groups they belong to, regularly attend the

decide who would run for key offices. The national leadership
rarely intervened because the
Madrid Socialists had no trouble
winning elections. Problems
were limited to the share of power that each family demanded on
the different lists come election
time.
It wasnt until 1999 that the
Madrid Socialist branch held its
first primary to determine who
would be its candidate for mayor
in the capital. The experience
ended in accusations of foul play
by both sides. The ex-minister
Fernando Morn was running
against the former regional leader, Joaqun Leguina. Morn won
by a handful of votes, and Leguina insulted the Renovadores por
la Base, a group of cardholders
who changed their allegiances
month by month depending on
what each side was offering. This
would later cause the greatest political tragedy in the history of
the Spanish Socialist Party with
the turncoat scandal of 2003.
In this context, in 1994 Jaime
Lissavetzky became secretarygeneral of the Socialist Federation of Madrid. During his six
years in office, Madrids former
education minister never demanded the chance to run for regional leader.
Now, after accompanying
Spanish athletes around the
world as sports minister, this political veteran has returned to the
scene as the mayoral candidate

I took over a
depressed, broken
organization,
argues Gmez

Gmez with current regional leader and likely rival, Esperanza Aguirre. / c. .

events that are organized or

work in institutions representing
the party. These 1,000 cardholders are important, because they
are capable of reaching the other
17,000, but that is where the key
to these primaries lies, says one
source from Trinidad Jimnezs
team.
In this battle, crucial to the future of Socialism in Madrid,
Toms Gmez flexed his muscles
the same day that the health minister announced her candidature.
While Jimnez has the support of Zapatero and the vast majority of the partys national leaders, 106 out of 146 secretaries of
the Socialist organizations in the
Madrid region have endorsed
Gmez. Thats 70 percent of the
total, says Gmezs team. They
only represent themselves, say
Jimnezs supporters.
The unified party Gmez refers to when he talks about the
PSM is made up of several different families, whose members divvy up the available public posts
with unequal fortune. Its important to take care of the different
families, but they only represent
a tiny percentage of the cardholders who will determine the outcome, says one regional leader.
Gmezs team thinks that the
economic adjustment and laborreform plans passed by the Zap-

atero administration have made

a lot of people mad. Most of our
cardholders are civil servants
and members of [trades unions]
UGT and CCOO, and now they
get to vote in the primaries. They
could use the opportunity to punish Zapatero for his social policies, they say.
The message that Gmez is
selling to his supporters is that if
he wins these primaries, it could
mark the beginning of the postZapatero era, and he intends to
play a key role if the prime minister falls. Its intolerable, says one
member of Jimnezs campaign
team. Gmez has surrounded
himself with or has sought the
support of leaders who are mad
at Zapatero, like Joaqun Leguina
and Gregorio Peces-Barba, as
well as Socialists who participate
in far-right talk shows and comedians who insult Zapatero, the
source adds. Gmez intends to
campaign with this anti-Zapatero
family.
Several families in bed together is almost always a problem:
there is constant friction and it
can end in a feud. In fact, these
families soured Leguinas 11-year
mandate at the head of the Socialist Federation of Madrid, from
1979 to 1990. During those years,
however, there werent any primaries or apparent problems to

Gmez has
surrounded himself
with leaders who are
mad at Zapatero
backed by Zapatero, who has
called Lissavetzky one of the
best.
The idea for Lissavetzky to
run for mayor didnt come from
his direct boss, Zapatero. It came
from Lissavetzky himself. Even
so, the partys national leadership
liked the idea of him running
alongside Trinidad Jimnez. And
with this team, they intend to regain control of a region that has
been a bastion of the Popular Party for years.
But Gmez isnt going to make
it easy for him. He has already
asked Gregorio Peces-Barba to go
against the national leadership
and put himself forward as a candidate for mayor, although he
wasnt successful.
There are still two weeks left
to decide the lists of candidates
and a month left to campaign. Gomzs team is powerful and is not
sitting on its laurels. It has the
support of the vast majority of
the partys local leaders in the
Madrid region, whose future in
the institutions might depend, to
some degree, on a Gmez victory
in the primaries. He promises everyone a spot among the first 15,
and hes already talked to over 30
people, according to one of
Gmezs detractors.
Ill buy your or Ill kill you.
Thats politics.

EL PAS, Tuesday, August 17, 2010

SPORTS
Sastre signs
for Italian
team Geox
from 2011
EL PAS, Madrid
Carlos Sastre, the 2008 Tour
de France winner, yesterday
signed for the fledgling Geox
team of Mauro Gianetti, the
Spanish Cycling Federation announced. Sastre will race for
Geox from the beginning of
the 2011 season, ending his association with Cervlo Test
Team. Right now I am enjoying the bicycle more than ever
because I have rediscovered
the fighting cyclist within me.
This new challenge is exciting
and it will provide me with
what Ive been fighting for all
my life, said Sastre.
The trust that theyve
placed in me since the first
conversations we had together was the most important factor that pushed me towards
this new project, the 35-yearold Spaniard said. But the
background and experience of
its leaders was also a great influence as theyve been in cycling for years and years. Gianetti said that the deal was
struck in just two days. As
soon as I explained the outline
of the Geox project to him, I
instantly got a really good feeling, he said.
Rule changes allow racers
to announce plans for next season from August 1, instead of
September 1 as before. Sastre,
therefore, will compete at the
Vuelta a Espaa with his current team. This decision will
not alter anything regarding
my participation in the Vuelta
a Espaa, Sastre said. Whats
more, it is spurring me on
even more to fight it out in a
race that I really like and
which I feel a lot of respect
and fondness for. Now I just
hope that the team will give
me the chance to race with
teammates who, like me, want
to fight for this race.

Rafa Muoz celebrates after winning the 50m butterfly at the European Championships in Budapest. / reuters

RAFA MUOZ European 50m butterfly champion

Everybody has bad times in life

The swimmer who wore that suit looks back on a tumultuous year
Answer. Im very satisfied.
Considering how little I was able
to train, the results were very
good.
Q. But you didnt reach the final of the 100m butterfly.
A. Its true that I hoped to perform better in the 100m, but I
didnt feel that good. Im a very
explosive swimmer. I have to
open up a good advantage in the
first 50 meters and in the second
50 I struggled. But the [gold] medal made it worthwhile.
Q. How did having to appear
before the International Swimming Federation (FINA) affect
you? You had to travel to Budapest before the rest of the team.
A. It didnt affect my concentration or training but, at first, I
had doubts because when I gave
evidence I didnt know what was

AMAYA IRBAR, Madrid

Rafa Muoz is back. It has been
an eventful year. He went from
breaking the world record to suffering a bout of uncertainty about
his profession, from a double
bronze medal performance in the
Rome World Championships to
traveling around Europe in a caravan and failing to make himself
available for anti-doping tests.
Muoz won European gold in
Budapest in his signature event,
the 50m butterfly, but he failed to
reach the final of the 100m butterfly the Olympic event and he
has the shadow of a World AntiDoping Agency decision on his
case hanging over him.
Question. How would you assess the European Championships after such a strange year?

going to happen, whether theyd

let me compete or not. I thought,
Maybe Im training for nothing.
Q. Did you get counselling?
A. I dont really want to go

In the water,
everyone is my
enemy. Its my job
and I want to win
into that. Everybody has bad
times in their lives. Athletes are
no exception. There are times
when you reassess things. For
me, the most important thing is
that Ive recovered. Now I have to
think about the present.
Q. Many people associate

your wins with the magic suits.

A. The suits are a technological base that help to make you
better in competition. We dont
train in them. I dont understand
why other sports allow technology and ours doesnt.
Q. When you dive into the water, do you think nobody can
beat you?
A. Im very competitive and
cold. Its rare that I get nervous.
In the water, everyone is my enemy. Its my job and I want to
win. When I get out again I get
along well with everyone.
Q. WADA has asked for your
file. Are you worried that it may
take your gold medal away?
A. Im totally calm. I feel
great support from my people,
the federation and FINA. Im
sure everything will be fine.

Useful information
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TODAY
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Palencia Burgos
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Barcelona

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Segovia

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Fog

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Rain
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Snow

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Slight swell
Huelva

Jan

Murcia

Sevilla
Granada

Almera

Cdiz
Mlaga
S. C. Tenerife Las Palmas
de Gran Canaria

Ceuta

Melilla

Storms in the south

The southeast can expect a wet and windy
day, with storms in Andalusia, Melilla and
the Strait. This belt of rain may spread into
the south, central areas and Catalonia while
the northeast may also see some cloud
developing during the afternoon, with light
showers possible in Galicia. The rest of the
peninsula will be largely dry and bright, with
light cloud and rain in the Balearics and
Canaries. Highs: Madrid 29C, Lisbon 33C.

All emergencies ...........................112

Ambulance..............................061
Fire Brigade ...........................080
Municipal police ....................092
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Traffic ......................900 123 505
Consumer
information ................900 775 757
Forest fires .............900 850 500
Domestic
abuse ............................900 100 009
Coast Guard ...........900 202 202
Immigration
information .............900 150 000
Power
supplies ...................900 248 248
Directory ..........................11818
International
directory inq ...........................11825

Barcelona ...................93 298 38 38

Madrid ........................902 35 35 70
Valencia.......................96 159 85 00
Mlaga .........................95 204 88 04
Palma ...........................97 178 90 99

TRAINS
RENFE .........................902 240 202
International...............902 243 402
EMBASSIES
Australia ......................91 353 66 00
Canada.........................91 423 32 50
Ireland..........................91 436 40 93
New Zealand.............91 523 02 26
UK. .................................91 700 82 00
US .................................91 587 22 00

CITY WEBSITES
www.munimadrid.es
www.bcn.es
www.sevilla.org

TOURIST POLICE
Madrid .........................91 548 85 37
Barcelona ..................93 290 33 27
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PORTUGAL

AIRPORTS

MOROCCO

AENA (flights, customer services) ...................................902 404 704

Police ................................................190
Fire Brigade ...................................150

All emergencies ..........................112

Breakdowns ...................219425095

EL PAS, Tuesday, August 17, 2010

BUSINESS
Euro zone sees
inflation rise,
Spain exceeds
average rate
EL PAS, Madrid
Annual inflation in the euro
zone reached 1.7 percent in July, compared with 1.4 percent
a month earlier and a 0.6-percent contraction this time last
year, according to figures released by Eurostat on Monday.
Spain surpassed the European average in July, showing
a year-on-year inflation rate of
1.9 percent, four-tenths of a
point higher than in June, according to the harmonized European index HICP. Last
month, prices eased an average of 0.3 percent in the eurozone countries compared with
June, while in Spain that figure was 0.4 percent.
Across the 27-nation European Union, annual inflation
stood at 2.1 percent in July, up
from 1.9 percent in June.

Bus strike
disrupts
weekend travel
EL PAS, Madrid
The Auto Res coach strike entered its fourth day on Monday, when employees offered
only a minimal 30-percent service. Some 12,000 passengers
were affected over the weekend by the stoppages that aim
to protest the working situation of its employees, according to trades unions. Auto Res,
a long- and mid-distance bus
company, employs 400 people.
The strike was due to end on
Monday at 12pm, but more industrial action is set for the
remaining August weekends.

Local governments protest

against ban on further borrowing
Madrid City Hall says it will sue ministry for failing to provide credit lines
LUIS DONCEL, Madrid
Teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, city halls across Spain
regardless of their political stripe
have joined together to protest
against an Economy Ministry decision forbidding them from getting further into debt over the
coming year.
The Spanish Federation of Municipalities
and
Provinces
(FEMP), a cross-party organization that represents the countrys
local governments, has written
to the Economy Ministry saying
that cutbacks in funding from
the central government mean
that they will not be able to provide even minimum services unless they resort to borrowing.
The central government is
passing more and more responsibilities on to us, but without providing the money to pay for
them, says FEMP president
Pedro Castro, the Socialist Party
mayor of Madrid dormitory
town Getafe. If need be, I will
chain myself up outside Congress and go on hunger strike,
he says.
The Economy Ministry says
that the request for town halls to
avoid further borrowing was
agreed with the main parties in
May. We have approved spending adjustments for all the regions. We are simply asking
town halls not to get further into
debt, says a ministry source.
But Juan Bravo, Madrid City
Halls finance officer, says that it
is only local government that is
being prevented from borrowing. We would understand making the effort if the regions werent allowed to borrow. Our contribution to the debt is minimal
compared to central and region-

Bad start
EL PAS, Madrid
A poor performance by banking
stocks coupled with bad economic news out of Japan conspired to
make the Ibex 35 contract 0.17
percent on Monday. The bluechip index lost 17.50 points to
close at 10,258.30 points, for accumulated annual losses of 14.08
percent so far this year.
After four days of straight losses, the Spanish market opened
with small gains Monday that
took it beyond the 10,300-point
mark. But just an hour later,
news about lower than expected
second-quarter growth in Japan
(0.4 percent) pulled stocks back
down.
Although Wall Street registered losses, they were not as bad
as might have been expected
thanks to a good performance by
the technology sector, which in
turn helped reduce losses in
Spain.
All the biggest listed companies went down in value, with
BBVA shedding 0.87 percent,

Local governments say that cutbacks mean they will soon be unable to provide even basic services. / tejederas

If need be, I will

chain myself up
outside Congress and
go on hunger strike
al government, he says.
Instead of being able to look
for financing as we have done traditionally, what will happen instead is that the companies that
provide services such as trash
collection will not be paid. But

these companies cannot afford

this, he adds.
Madrid City Hall, whose
7.3-billion debt is a quarter of
the total arrears that the countrys local governments owe, is
demanding that the government
provide alternative financing
sources. It has called on the government to set up credit lines
with the National Credit Institute.
It points out that the government agreed to provide local administrations with preferential
credit lines to pay debts prior to

IBEX35
Equity

Santander giving up 0.58 percent,

Repsol losing 0.53 percent,
Telefnica sliding back 0.46 percent and Iberdrola going down
0.04 percent.
However, the biggest loser of
the day was constructor Sacyr,
which fell 0.89 percent after it
was announced that the sectors
meeting with Prime Minister
Jos Luis Rodrguez Zapatero
would be postponed.
On the upside, health services
provider Grifols added 4.63 percent, followed by Ferrovial,
which gained 3.88 percent.
Turnover on the continuous
market came in at 1.26 billion.
The Ibex Small Cap gave up 0.14
percent, while the Ibex Medium
Cap gained 0.52 percent.
Elsewhere in European marketplaces, most stocks fared even
worse overall than in Spain, with
the Paris CAC 40 shedding 0.37
percent and Milan retreating 0.31
percent. Frankfurt remained stationary at 6,110 points and only
London managed to go up, albeit
a paltry 0.01 percent.

Abengoa
Abertis
Acciona
Acerinox
ACS
Arcelor Mittal
Banco Popular
Banco Sabadell
Banco Santander
Banesto
Bankinter
BBVA
BME
Criteria
Ebro Puleva
Enags
Endesa
FCC
Ferrovial
Gamesa
Gas Natural
Grifols
Iberdrola
Iberdrola Renov.
Iberia
Inditex
Indra
Mapfre
OHL
Red Elctrica
Repsol
Sacyr
Tcnicas Reunidas
Telecinco
Telefnica

April 30, 2010. Two weeks have

passed since the deadline the government set itself to do so.
Were working on it, but it is
very complicated, said a source
at the Economy Ministry.
Madrid City Hall, which is
controlled by the opposition Popular Party, has said that it will
confront the government over
the issue.
After the summer, Madrid
City Hall will be taking legal action against the ministry for not
obeying its own legislation, said
a source.

CONTINUOUS MARKET
Latest
price

18,820
12,965
64,250
12,655
33,190
23,790
4,738
4,032
9,445
7,151
5,460
9,800
20,260
3,753
13,510
13,905
18,780
19,250
6,394
5,753
12,440
9,320
5,437
2,612
2,623
51,050
12,825
2,388
19,185
33,130
17,975
3,880
39,695
8,252
17,470

Daily variation
Euros

0,305
0,120
-0,430
0,035
0,085
0,050
-0,024
-0,036
-0,055
-0,049
-0,033
-0,086
0,455
0,033
0,115
0,015
-0,015
0,070
0,239
0,070
0,060
0,412
-0,002
0,002
0,012
0,590
0,120
0,011
0,185
-0,080
-0,095
-0,035
-0,180
-0,023
-0,080

1,65
0,93
-0,66
0,28
0,26
0,21
-0,50
-0,88
-0,58
-0,68
-0,60
-0,87
2,30
0,89
0,86
0,11
-0,08
0,36
3,88
1,23
0,48
4,63
-0,04
0,08
0,46
1,17
0,94
0,46
0,97
-0,24
-0,53
-0,89
-0,45
-0,28
-0,46

Yesterday
Min.

18,395
12,715
63,790
12,430
32,845
23,400
4,642
3,990
9,312
7,061
5,325
9,665
19,625
3,672
13,290
13,840
18,615
19,100
6,155
5,515
12,275
8,910
5,380
2,584
2,580
50,330
12,610
2,332
18,805
32,700
17,830
3,820
39,300
8,070
17,310

Mx.

18,965
13,000
65,150
12,705
33,400
24,055
4,801
4,088
9,564
7,297
5,534
9,935
20,260
3,760
13,530
14,035
19,070
19,530
6,438
5,785
12,480
9,350
5,486
2,624
2,639
51,350
12,875
2,399
19,270
33,410
18,155
3,950
40,250
8,422
17,625

Annual Variation %
Previous

63,0
21,3
-22,0
18,9
14,8
41,9
-14,5
-10,0
59,1
-2,5
-1,6
22,4
32,7
47,2
53,5
-1,2
-2,9
-6,8
31,6
-53,4
-17,1
-20,7
-10,4
-13,0
32,5
70,0
-13,5
11,6
116,5
0,2
33,6
-39,1
134,8
25,0
21,6

BIGGEST HIGHS

Current

-15,8
-11,3
-27,2
-10,4
1,5
-25,9
-6,5
6,0
-14,1
-12,7
-21,3
-21,2
-5,6
18,3
-5,7
-6,4
-17,4
-30,5
-16,6
-50,4
-12,4
-22,5
-18,5
-20,6
38,1
19,2
-18,1
-15,3
3,7
-10,6
-1,6
-51,5
2,2
-17,3
-7,0

Nyesa (Inbess)
Reno de Mdici
Gral. de Inversiones
GAM
Jazztel
Grifols
Ferrovial
Funespaa
Avnzit
Tavex Algodonera

8,00
7,00
5,26
5,14
4,89
4,63
3,88
3,69
3,59
3,54

Euros

0,080
0,014
0,080
0,090
0,130
0,412
0,239
0,230
0,017
0,017

BIGGEST LOWS
%

Urbas
Service Point
Tubacex
Montebalito
Natraceutical
Puleva Biotech
Clnica Baviera
Iberpapel
Renta Corporacin
Tubos Reunidos

-4,82
-4,50
-3,86
-3,63
-3,31
-3,03
-2,94
-2,65
-2,62
-2,55

Euros

-0,004
-0,025
-0,100
-0,115
-0,013
-0,025
-0,250
-0,300
-0,050
-0,050

FOREIGN CURRENCIES
Buy

US dollar
Japanese yen
Sterling pound
Australian dollar
Hong Kong dollar
Swiss franc
Norwegian kroner

1,2846
109,6300
0,8188
1,4288
9,9841
1,3337
7,8923

Sell

1,2844
109,6100
0,8186
1,4282
9,9811
1,3334
7,8883

Units per euro at 18:00

TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2010

MADRID: Miguel Yuste, 40. 28037 Madrid. 91 337 82 00.
Fax: 91 327 08 18. Legal deposit: M-14951-1976.
Ediciones EL PAS, SL. Madrid, 2009. All rights reserved.

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intellectual Property Law, it is expressly prohibited to
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making available, the entirety or segments of this publication for

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Ediciones EL PAS, SL.

ENGLISH EDITION WITH THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE

Visitors at the Sorolla museum enjoy an evening stroll in the exterior gardens. / santi burgos

Would you like a

Rembrandt with
that pia colada?
Madrid museums offer art, dinner
and drinks on summer evenings
PABLO DE LLANO
Madrid
For anyone who is spending August in Madrid, protecting themselves against the heat and the
torpor inside their homes and offices like ostriches sticking their
heads in a hole, the citys museums offer a good chance to end
the day on a refreshing note by
extending their opening hours
until after sundown.
Some do it for free, like the
Sorolla and Reina Sofa museums; others show less largesse
and keep charging admission,
like the Prado and ThyssenBornemisza. Having said that
no minor detail to whomever appreciates their euros as much as
or more than their esthetic education each museum offers a
unique combination of art and
leisure to enjoy the evening.
Given many Madrileos overwhelming desire to spend the
summer frying on the Mediterranean coast, the Sorolla museum
could be a good substitute for
whoever is missing out on their
share of sun and sand. Joaqun
Sorollas paintings create the
right mood: turn-of-the-century
scenes of children playing on the
shore, pretty coves, bathers, a
horse coming out of the sea
But above all, Sorolla captured
the dazzling Mediterranean

light in oil paintings that still

shine inside his Madrid home,
which now serves as a museum.
Although the inside of the
house feels a little warm (We
cant open the windows because
leaves and pigeons would fly in,
explains an employee), this is
made up for by the lovely garden
designed in an Andalusian-Italian style, and filled with orange
trees, acacias, mulberry trees
and box hedges. But no bringing your picnic along, eh?
warns a museum warden.
As usual, the permanent collection at the Prado Museum is
closed to the public by 8pm, but
the temporary exhibition Turner
y los maestros remains open until 10pm. Joseph Mallord William Turner, the son of a barber
and a lady who ended up in an
asylum, was a great English landscape artist. The key to his work
was his use of light, just like Sorolla, although in his case, it is
mostly a shady, ominous kind of
gleam. The claustrophobic aesthetics of Turners work are a
good match for the silence inside the Prados halls, which becomes only greater at night,
when there are just a few discreet adults around who behave
much like churchgoers.
The exhibition compares
Turners stormy seas and sinister avalanches with work by ear-

The panoramic view from the Thyssens open-air restaurant. / s. b.

Each museum
offers a unique
combination of
art and leisure
lier artists that he found inspirational, such as Rembrandt and
Rubens.
It is a big show, so it is worth
going early to avoid finding oneself halfway through when the
inevitable phrase rings out:
Good evening. The museum
will close in eight minutes.
Over at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, an 18-year-old
warden watches over the artistic jewels of the Quattrocento

from a chair, listening to music

on his headphones. Ghirlandaio
y el Renacimiento en Florencia focuses on portraits in 15th-century Florence, with the work of Domenico Ghirlandaio making up
the bulk of the show, although
there are also a few pieces by
Sandro Botticelli and Piero del
Pollaiuolo. The hieratical profiles and profuse adornments of
the Italian Renaissance can be
complemented with dinner at
the museums restaurant, which
is open until one in the morning
and affords views of the outside.
Dinner will set each diner back
around 60, with the more affordable alternative being the
bar in the lobby.
Some Spanish tourists make
the grievous mistake of visiting

New York in August, when the

citys streets are every bit as boiling hot as Madrids. Perhaps it
would be better to make the trip
in a milder season, and instead
go over to the Reina Sofa contemporary art museum to see
Manhattan, uso mixto, which is
open until 11pm on Saturdays
(the permanent collection is
open until 9pm).
Two hours will suffice to take
in this great display of photographs by artists who lived in
the Big Apple in the 1970s and
captured the decay of its industrial riverside and the downtown area. Later, it is possible to
have a drink at the bar in the
garden, or have dinner at the restaurant inside the Jean Nouvel
building.