The locals are going bonkers.
News from the carreteras about the lorry drivers strike, combined with a collapse in the property market and freakish weather (storms and regular downpours in June) that has affected agriculture resulting in poor crop forecasts, has led to panic buying of food and petrol (gas).
Yesterday we had some scenes of car drivers queuing round the block to fill up their tanks and frenetic action in some of the larger supermarkets, as old ladies with long memories stocked up in preparation for anarchy / civil war / revolution / not having enough jamon for the weekend (take your pick). This is the first time in my 2+ years in the city that I have seen the population generally worried, with long faces and hunched shoulders.
Even the bulls at the San Isidro bullfighting festival haven’t been performing well.
Hopefully, the national football team (‘la seleccion’) will perform well tonight in the European Cup. If not, I fully expect half the city to commit suicide, judging by the office chat and depressing pervasive atmosphere.
Madrid, and the whole country indeed, have been on a ten year roll, with nearly full employment and impressive GNP growth, so it’s all come as something of a shock to the system. And since the EU development grant taps have been turned off they don’t have the Germans to support them either. What will they do. Stay tuned for further updates. Oh, and Dad, can you send a food parcel please? The old ladies have even bought out all the Heinz Baked Beans that were stocked at my local Caprabo supermarket.
