A bi-monthly update of goings-on in the Spanish Capital from your resident Madrileño

An Astonishing Tale of Human Suffering with (Hopefully) A Happy Ending

Shades of the Paul Newman film, "The Verdict" in this milestone reopening of an alarming case of medical negligence.

In 1989, Antonio Meño, then aged 21, was admitted to a private clinic for a routine nose operation which went disastrously wrong. Deprived of oxygen Meño went into an irreversible coma, his parents sued, the High Court found in their favour but after an appeal by the hospital to the Supreme Court the anaesthestist's contention that Meño had choked on his own vomit was upheld, resulting in a hefty 400,000 Euro bill for the family.

The Meños took to the streets after selling all they had, including their home, and set up an improvised camp in Plaza Benavente, a popular square just off the central Puerta del Sol, in 2008.

Plaza Benavente is a busy, well-transited paved area adjacent to cinemas, bars and the famous Rastro flea market. Fortunately for the Meños, their highly visible campaign caught the attention of a passerby who happened to be present during their son's fateful operation. A junior doctor at the time, this man has since gone on to testify that the anaesthetist failed to ensure oygen was being supplied through the respirator at the time of the operation.A nurse has also since come forward to corroborate the doctor's evidence.

The case has been referred back to the Supreme Court and a ruling is due in a week, probably resulting in a retrial for negligence with the State acting as prosecutor. A sinister side to this story is that during their almost two-year ordeal in Plaza Benavente Meño and his wife Juana have been threatened on different occasions by unknown assailants. 

As of writing, the Meños are still on the street with their handicapped son. 

Cocaine Consumption Goes Down

Local freesheet "20 Minutos" reports a significant decline in the consumption of cocaine. One wonders hows how such statistics are gathered.. Comments and suggestions are welcome....

Shoot First and Ask Questions Later: Pope Visits Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona

Ok, this doesn't really concern Madrid but the Press and TV coverage has long since passed saturation-point which makes me realise that only those Madrileños living in caves can have been unaware of Ratzinger's 72-hour whirlwind trip. Once again the Pope put his soft-shoed foot in it, likening secularism in Spain to the anticlericalism of the Spanish Republic (1931-36) before appealing for dialogue, not confrontation.

With less than 14% of Spaniards attending Mass regularly, crozier-wielding would not appear to be an advisable course of action. Indeed, comments like these sometimes make me wonder what the Catholic Hierarchy puts in its cornflakes!   

10 year-old Gives Birth

A 13 year-old Roma boy fathers a child with 10 year old living in a gypsy encampment in the south of the Capital. Sensationalist freesheet "Que" claims the girl says she came to Spain so her baby could have Spanish nationality.     

The British Council Celebrates 70 Years of Promoting Culture in Madrid and Closes Library

The British Council has gone to some effort and expense to distribute colourful brochures throughout language schools and other academies in Madrid, celebrating its 70 years in the Capital.

In 1940, around the same time as he was visiting Adolf Hitler at Hendaye on the Spanish-French border, General Franco handed over a prime piece of real estate in the Alonso Martinez area to the newly established British Institute. The fact that its director, Walter Starkie, had declared for Franco at the outbreak of the Spànish Civil War in 1936 no doubt influenced the Caudillo's generosity, although by the winter of 1940 it may be reasonably argued that Franco was also hedgeing his bets after the success of the RAF in the Battle of Britain, rather than any discernible hint of anglophilia.

Starkie, to his credit, ensured the Council maintained a strong cultural ethos during the conflict and into the 1950's, a tradition happily continued after his death with the provision of a well stocked library of newspapers, books, films and teaching materials available to the general public. Lectures and seminars on modern British culture were a frequent highlight.

Financial cutbacks in the 1990's led to a downsizing of the Library and its eventual closure in 2007. More surprising was the termination of lectures on British Culture, since these incurred little or no costs and were given almost exclusively by the teaching staff. 

Starkie must be turning in his grave.  

Cold Weather Report

A cold front is approaching from the North, causing temperatures to fall rapidly in the Moncloa area, partcularly around Calle Ferraz, although for Zapatero and his motley crew this will be nothing new; their boat has managed to stay afloat in extreme conditions for some time now. On the other hand, although the visit of Pope Benedict has brought spells of radiant sunshine to Calle Genova forecasters fear Rajoy's grovelling obseqiousness will probably cast a permanent cloud over much of the rest of the country. 

Outlook: More of the same. Wrap up well.

See you at the end of the month! Hasta Luego, Rory. 

An Astonishing Tale of Human Suffering

Juana Meño in Plaza Benavente

British Council celebrates 70 years in Madrid

 The British Council

Picture courtesy of www.educa.madrid.org

Birth Stories: I Think We Should Be Told The Truth About These Two. 

Weather Report

Calm waters in the Retiro Park

While opposition leader Rajoy looks a little seasick at the possibility of the Socialists riding out the storm in international waters