European Union links with the UK post Brexit

Did you know that there is a Committee on the Elimination of Descrimination against women in the United Nations. Misogyny in Northern Ireland is rife. They do not like clever women, but in Spain they are revered as they are in the Arab World.

It is much more beneficial to do business in Spain for many reasons. Firstly, they understand economics.  The Competa town hall really is most helpful, as are many businesses in Spain and look on new projects favourably. 

You just cannot imagine that, in Spain, a case of a neighbour dispute could get to the highest court in the land, but it can in the United Kingdom.  A further demonstration that the Spaniards have more morals and care for their families than they do in the UK.

In Spain, solicitors are called abogados. They will do the conveyancing, but if one speaks Spanish, one can do it oneself.  It only requires a notary to sign it off once all is agreed.  The terminology in Spanish is complicated and added to the complexities of the law, makes it difficult, but not impossible.  If one makes a mistake, it can be costly when the person wants to sell.  In Scotland, it is not necessary to be a solicitor to do the conveyancing, or even to make an offer.  

We looked at the lattice style wind turbines at Tarifa which were installed 1995.   El Cabrito, the oldest wind farm in Cádiz province, was repowered 24 years after its start-up in 1995 with the aim of improving its technical efficiency and reducing the impact on its surroundings. We recall them being really noisy and scared the birds, and some said, the horses, but we saw no evidence of that. Andalucian horses have calm temperaments and most would not be worried by such a thing. We are glad to see that the clean up has been in line with conservation methods, and wonder if the Causewaymire windfarm in Scotland will be.  I wrote my dissertation on it in 2025, so is of special interest.  The developers are Nadara, and we will see. 

At a moment when energy security has never mattered more, Spain is preparing to close one of its most reliable sources of clean power.

The Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant has quietly powered Spain for over four decades. Construction began in the 1970s; Unit I entered commercial service in 1983, Unit II in 1984. Notably, 81% of the plant’s construction was carried out by Spanish companies, making it a point of national industrial pride from the start. Today, Almaraz supplies more than 7% of the electricity consumed in Spain. This is the equivalent of powering 4 million homes, around the clock, every day of the year, regardless of weather.

That outsized contribution isn’t unique to Almaraz. Nationally, nuclear power plants made up just 5.28% of Spain’s installed generation capacity in 2025, yet they produced 19.06% of the electricity generated that year. Few other sources deliver that much output from that small a footprint, a clear indicator of nuclear’s high capacity factor and its value as always-on baseload power.

Despite that record, Spain has scheduled Almaraz for closure in 2027 (Unit 1) and 2028 (Unit 2), part of a full nuclear phaseout across the country by 2035.

Spain and Scotland have completely different systems. The one in Spain is very simple and straight forward. It is assumed that the legislation is based after the Spanish Civil War, but more research would be required for this.  It is an interesting subject, that Spain had so many difficulties and has come out glowing, while Northern Ireland and Scotland, and indeed the whole of the UK lags behind.  Perhaps it is because the Spanish have such a strong sense of family and fairness, in general.

In both Spain and Scotland football is king, yet only in Spain do they uphold Human Rights. Football is a great game loved by all, but is Scotland fit to reenter the European Union if it does not uphold Human Rights. 

The eternal question in the United Kingdom is whether they should have left the European Union at all.  The Scots have their own approach, and have been to see the powers that be in Barcelona to discuss the problem many times.  However, while Scotland is still part of the United Kingdom it is unlikely that they will be able to rejoin the EU on their own terms.

The question of electricity supply raises its ugly head again. With blackouts in Spain due to poor planning on the infrastructure, the UK has a lot to learn from the Spanish.  They are always well ahead in technology as was seen in the Politecnica de Madrid twenty years ago.  They invest in companies in the UK, particularly in banking and the space development companies, and are far advanced in their economy than the UK is, despite many years in the wilderness during the Franco years.

Barcelona is a great city. Las Ramblas offer great eating and cafes, and great accommodation.  The train  from London to Paris, Barcelona and Madrid and Malaga... A fantastic trip, second to none.