Spain
Franco’s exhumation could help decide the Spanish election
I was no sooner in Madrid than General Franco was exhumed from his mausoleum not far from El Escorial. An…
The delights of Spanish wine – and art
First, an apology. In my last column, I appeared to be saying that good champagne does not age. This must…
Spain was wrong to jail the Catalan separatists
Some things just don’t pass the gut test. Your head tells you they’re right, all the facts point in their…
Enjoy a blast of Spanish sun from Joaquin Sorolla
Artists can be trained, but they are formed by their earliest impressions: a child of five may not be able…
The day I had enough of experts
‘Don’t even try,’ said the man on the car deck as Brittany Ferries’ Finistère tied up on the dock in…
Gibraltar, the rock of ages past
How lazy, snobbish and wrong it is to mock Gibraltar for the lager and fish and chips clichés. Yes, you…
The Spanish artist who is more gruesome even than Caravaggio
Last year my wife and I were wandering around the backstreets of Salamanca when we were confronted by a minor…
Trains in Spain
The first railway line in Spain, from Barcelona to Mataro a few miles up the coast towards the French border,…
Spanish practices
In October 1936, on the anniversary of Columbus’s discovery of the New World, a ceremony was held at Salamanca University,…
Low life
Valencia was a furnace. During the short ride from the airport, the taxi driver supplemented his chat about the weather…
How not to handle an independence referendum
If David Cameron seeks any testament to his handling of Britain’s difficulties with Scottish separatism, the mess that Spain is…
Is bullfighting on its last gasp?
Looking at the programme for the feria of San Isidro in Madrid this month (bullfights are being held on 31…
Why the Spanish may be better off without a government
On 26 October last year, the Spanish government shut up shop in preparation for a general election. This duly took…
The waves that wrecked Britannia
Military history is more popular than respected. It is not hard to see why. It is masculine history, a trifecta…
Gloriana and the Sultan — England’s unlikely alliance
The idea for a mechanical cock was never going to work. In 1595 the English ambassador to Constantinople, Edward Barton,…
The young entrepreneurs making the best of Spain’s crisis
There was much talk about the anti-austerity party Podemos when we visited Andalucía in June. It was hot and sunny,…
Why did Goya’s sitters put up with his brutal honesty?
Sometimes, contrary to a widespread suspicion, critics do get it right. On 17 August, 1798 an anonymous contributor to the…
Will Spain learn from Scotland in the battle for Catalan separatism?
One of the unforeseen consequences of the reunification of Europe after the Cold War has been a resurgence of independence…
The missing ingredient for a perfect gazpacho
We were eating tapas and talking about Spain. Leaving caviar on one side, when jamón ibérico is at its best,…
In my opinion, Death Corner was a very safe place to stand
Watching the daily running of the bulls through Pamplona’s narrow streets online this week has given me a wistful pang…
The Spanish village that thought it was called ‘Kill Jews’
A village has changed its name because it seemed offensive. But I think the villagers were under a misapprehension. The…
BBC2's Armada has something for everybody - including three yummy female historians
It has been a while since the BBC really pushed the boat out on the epic history documentary front. Perhaps…
An education to know: remembering Raymond Carr
I first heard of Raymond Carr, who wrote for this magazine for more than 40 years, when I was in…
Left-wing populism is on the rise - and may take Ed Miliband to No10
A spectre is haunting Europe — and knocking on the door of Downing Street. It has installed a president in…
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Andrew Marr’s diary: The summer of Corbyn — and other things we didn’t see coming
Andrew Marr 22 August 2015 9:00 am
This is the Corbyn summer. From the perspective of a short holiday, my overwhelming feeling is one of despair at…