Sometimes a news article makes you sit up and realise life is not all about Wayne Rooney, Liam Fox resigning and that idiot minister dumping government papers in a public park.

I could have written this one, I'm living it right here in Spain:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog...orst-next-year

I see people avoiding taxes by working black every day, every single day, I see several just by walking my dog in the early morning. They will never stop this destructive practice in any of the southern European countries, it's too ingrained in the national fabric.

You are probably right and in the present economic climate there are very few companies going to commit themselves to new full time employees with all the extra expense and red tape involved.
Little doubt it will get worse before it gets better and the big question is how the younger generation will handle it after just beginning to get the impression that they'd been born into a land of milk and honey.
The old timers will most likely take it in their stride best they can, having already seen plenty of hard times.

I have lived in Spain so long that I became used to paying for nearly everything in cash. This week I had some work done in the house which came to £389. I got the cash out of bank and when I offered it he said sorry, but could I have a cheque, my accountant doesn't like it when I get paid in cash! Took me nearly a half hour to find the cheque book. He said the UK Gov. are clamping down hard on builders etc. Definately a North/South divide

I agree it has a long way to go yet, and will get a whole lot worse for a lot of people. The "old timers" are like us, houses paid for, no mortgage, money in the bank etc, we can ride it out without any problems, but it's the youngsters that are going to bear the brunt of this crisis. I fear it will be a long time before the job situation improves, so the youngsters with no jobs, no money, they'll be in deep ****. I agree with the bit in the article about vanity projects, Spain has invested huge amounts on new roads, new airports everywhere that nobody is using, they're like ghost towns. Even the excellent AVE is horrendously expensive, it's never likely to make money, it's a money pit, but there are still plans for it to connect many more of the remoter parts of Spain, (and even less profitable) building carries on unabated. Still, I suppose that provides some jobs.

A few white elephants here including the AVE if you scroll down the page.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...?newsfeed=true

I think it's a north/south divide (Europe wide) with a secondary old/young divide here in Spain. Spain is producing highly educated people with no job prospects within their own country. It must be heartbreaking for a degree holder to work on a short term contract for pitiful wages and no security.

But the overall problem, the cause for such injustices, remains; the country itself is not able to collect the tax receipts it is due because of the historic, tax evasion practised by a large section of the population.

It begs the question, why does it not happen in Scandinavian countries. while it is rife around the Mediterranean?

There´s a huge article here about the huge waste in Spain on vanity type projects, from motorways, AVE, airports, trams etc. Best you just scroll down and look at the photos, you´ll get the picture. All with wildly overoptimistic forecasts of passenger numbers, all running at huge losses. In a lot of cases the actual figures are up to 80% less than forecast, with some of the airports doing nothing. The problem is that these schemes guaranteed certain revenue, and when it falls woefully short, the ayuntamientos have to make up the shortfall in the contracted amount, many are already millions in debt.

http://dfc-economiahistoria.blogspot...-tranvias.html

Totally different mindset, especially in Sweden.
I've spent a lot of time there over the past twenty years or so and still have a place up there.
Forget the land of the Vikings.
Swedes are the most subservient ppl. on the planet having lived under and accepted an extremely regulated system for so many years, in many ways akin to the old soviet bloc countries, though with a much better standard of living.
Every last kroner is accounted for and the Govt is aware of every tiny movement they make, even when going to the bog more than like.
The authorities always know what's best for them from a very early age and near enough dictate their whole lives.
There is no way the Spanish would accept such a system or even the majority of Brits come to that.
Like many who have experienced both, I would still prefer living in poverty in Spain than the totally boring existance,(can't really call it living), of Swedens brainwashed nanny state.

I know what you're saying but I want an admission from you that you miss it like hell?

Fancy spending all that money on Malaga Airport when no one uses it. :rofl
GRFFS.

For many years Brussels has been throwing money at Spain like confetti and they'd have been fools not to grab it with both hands.
No doubt some of it has been misused especially in agriculture, but I think the time will eventually come when they do get the full benefit of such projects as the new road systems and the AVE.

I've experienced a similar mindset in north Germany and Denmark, a grating 'self-righteousness' that makes a country prosperous but got on my nerves. I prefer the 'decadence' of Spain which is why I've lived and worked here for 21 years.

Unfortunately that freedom under a southern sun seems to encourage an anti-establishment mindset which leads to large scale tax evasion by the natives, and corruption to make your head spin.

I suppose it's a choice between freedom and nursery to the grave security.

I hope you are right, however I can´t see where all the new people are going to come from to give the increased numbers. As I said, some services are 80% under the predicted break even point, there´s no way they´ll ever pay their way. The Americans looked at the AVE, thought it was great, but said there was no way they could afford it! And as you say, Spain has had huge amounts of EU money thrown at it in the past, but that´s changing, and changing for the worse.

Only thirteen million people used Malaga airport this last year and that was while all the building work was going on.
When they built the M1 they said it would never be used to it`s capacity.

I miss the "old" Spain It was fine before about 10 years ago then it all went to pot. I miss balconies and bouganvilla and 2 hours of extra daylight in winter.