Rupert Cocke
@rupertcocke
Barcelona-based journalist for Mergermarket. Views my own. You can see my free weekly blog on thinking critically about the news at If you want to start a debate with me, please ask first!
There was a lot of difference between communities, ranging from 1% to 13%. If you dig into the research, you will see multiple interacting factors, with only some under regional control. The big issues in Madrid were that it was the epicentre of the first wave; and its care homes tend to be large.
Did you know that the Buddha is revered as a Christian saint? This week's free-to-read esssay on my personal blog looks at how stories and ideas can easily escape the context where they were first developed and nurtured. Please check it out after the jump! sharpenyouraxe.substack.com/p/a-christia...
I always have massive respect for musicians who can have a run of three perfect albums in a row. D'Angelo is on that list! May he rest in peace.
If anyone in Barcelona wants a plan for the rest of the bank holiday, the Sean Scully exhibition in la Pedrera is excellent
It's like the "two buttons" meme... If you think "Catalan is for locals only," then you lose the right to get upset if newcomers keep speaking Spanish. If you think everyone should speak Catalan, then you need to help the people who want to learn!
This is the prompt for ChatGPT: "Create a 3D toy action figure of a man/woman named xxxx, depicted as a xxxx. He/She should be holding xxxx and a xxxxx. Style it like a collectible vinyl toy, inside a detailed toy package with his/her name on the front. Professional but playful design."
If anyone in Barcelona wants a fun idea for the long weekend, the MiróMatisse exhibition in the Miró museum is rather excellent. It is great seeing the works of two loveable artists, who appreciated and inspired each other, side by side.
Google News brings up zero recent stories in English about Victor de Aldama, a Spanish fixer. His testimony in court yesterday, packed with allegations of widespread corruption throughout the Socialist administration, was so explosive that it could bring down the government.
One of the strangest things about living in Spain is walking past the tobacco shops just before Halloween. Why do they think it's a good idea to fill the window with skeletons and skulls?
Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. He is responsible for making the word "weird" have a viral moment as a way of describing Donald Trump and his own VC pick JD Vance.
I dressed up as the Spanish stereotype of a tourist ("un guiri") last year. A friend of mine just sent me this rather spectacular Photoshop...
Could a corruption scandal involving Spain's Socialists ("el caso Koldo") bring down the government? PM Pedro Sánchez's coalition lacks a working majority and his regular partners might be unwilling to support him in a no-confidence vote. Meanwhile, the PP is ahead in the polls.
Why is it that "un tinto de verano con torreznos" sounds cool but "a red wine spritzer with pork scratchings" doesn't?
When Junts and the Socialists cut a deal in November, it clearly flagged an independence referendum. When I mentioned this on BSKY, an Irish lefty called me "a demented Brit."
I managed to get four new Barcelona transport cards for the whole family this morning. It took more than three hours and was my third attempt. Those of you who live outside Catalonia might not realise quite how impressive it is to get to the end of this ordeal!
Vox received 12% of the vote in Spain's elections in July. Many voters see the party's leaders as neo-fascists pretending to be hardline conservatives. In this context, yesterday's threatening comments from party leader Santiago Abascal were a tactical mistake, as well as wrong.
The highlight of the debate in Spain was PM Pedro Sánchez telling everyone to read more Machiavelli. We all suspected him of being Machiavellian (self-interested, manipulative and uninterested in principles), right?
A Catalan nationalist just started heckling me for sharing a news story about Puigdemont before immediately blocking me. As the French say... plus ça change, plus c'est la même.
Here's a picture of me dressed up as the Spanish stereotype of a clueless tourist ("un guiri")...