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BREAKING NEWS IN SPAIN in English What a great idea! Have you ever known somebody for years but never called them on the telephone? What happens if you do suddenly need to contact them? If you are anything like me, you won't be able to find their number in the telephone book because you have forgotten what their real name is. You can only remember their nick-name - and that isn't listed. Until now. In what has turned out to be wildly successful enterprise, Gregorio Enamorado has created the first telephone book that lists, not only the usual information, but also nick-names and mobile telephone numbers. The residents of Villanueva del Trabuco can now find telephone numbers for their friends using the names that they are most familiar with, the nick-name. If they need to locate 'fatty' or 'hairy', for example - no problem - they are listed. With less than 2,000 people to list in the village, this still represented a huge achievement by one man. It is possible that if more editions can be created quickly, many nick-names based upon old trades and prejudices could be popularised, all over again, and create an anthropologists dream source of basic information. Let's hope the value of this is recognised and someone picks up the ball and runs with it. Certainly the experience with this first such directory shows an instant demand by people prepared to pay for it. Watch what you put in the post! Many of us have taken advantage of the 'blind eye' that has been turned on to postal packets of dutiable goods sent as gifts to the UK. Be Aware! The eye has now been opened! Thanks, once again, to a ruling by the European Court of Justice (sic) we are no longer able to send dutiable goods, tax free, by post. They must be declared and the recipient must pay the duty. It seems that if you transport the goods yourself and they are for personal use, the concession will continue but, if you use a third party carrier (Correos, for example), forget it. Over 50? Need help? Use Infoline The British Consul, Bruce McIntyre, has thrown the full weight of the British Consulate behind an initiative by the non governmental organisation, Age Concern. Age Concern is launching a help line (to be known as Infoline) to assist all those British expatriates and holiday makers who find themselves at a loss when it comes to seeking help from social services and doctors in Spain, finding out how to get their UK benefits paid to them in Spain and how to collect their UK pensions in Spain. Anybody over the age of 50 is entitled to use the service and will probably have a call centre in their own area. The main centre in Estepona, which will be staffed by specially trained volunteers from Age Concern, will collate information as it comes in so that there can be a much better understanding of the sort of problems many of us face. Bruce McIntyre is quoted as saying that there are over a million British expatriates living in Spain and that over two million more visit for their holidays, to Málaga alone. He sees Infoline as an exciting improvement in the support being offered to the expanding British population and he hopes that advantage will be taken of the services on offer. Age Concern have introduced a long over-due and very welcome addition to the resources available to the more vulnerable in our society and are more than due our thanks. The telephone number for this new service is 902 03 38 38 New Land Law Hopefully a new land law that came into force on 1st July will help to rescue the Spanish construction industry and clean up its' reputation. Three areas that have definitely been needing attention for some years are covered - the Legal System as it relates to land, how property is valued and the rights and responsibilities of property owners. Special attention is paid to the prevention of the proliferation of concrete jungles and the introduction of planned growth that will enable the important construction industry to prosper while ensuring maximum protection for the countryside and general environment. Something that has been given scant regard up to now. Some transparency will be introduced into planning matters by making it a legal requirement to disclose who will stand to gain in the event of a tract of land being reclassified. This aspect of the law, had it been in force, could have prevented much of the unnecessary destruction of some of Spain's beauty spots by disclosing which local authority figure would be gaining from it. Certainly, we should be able to anticipate a significant reduction in the numbers of cases of corruption in local town halls. Because this new law also rules on property owners responsibilities and rights while supporting the right to have a decent home, it must be seen as a very positive move forward. Word of the Day
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Publish and be sued? A long case between the owners of a web site covering the concerns and opinions of young mothers and the author of several successful books on the subject of baby and childcare in the UK High Court has tried to establish the responsibility for posts that could be made into a forum or blog. (Gina Ford - v - Mumsnet) The successful author and child care expert became the subject of what almost amounted to a major attack upon her on a very personal level. The basic defence of the owners of the website against the charge was that they only provided a place for people to get together and share ideas and opinions. The ascertion was that, as facilitators, they could not be held accountable for what others had done. The case was in the High Court for well over a year before the web site owners decided that a settlement out of court might be the safest way forward because it had become more clear that the owners of a website were just as responsible for the statements and comments of contributors to the website as the publishers of more traditional media. Although the settlement out of court could indicate that no final ruling had been reached, it is fairly clear that the website owners had seen that their case was not as strong as first thought and that discretion would be the greater form of valour. Although, probably, not the major victory that the expert might have hoped for, this lengthy case will have attracted the attention of the law makers and the likelihood is that what appears to be a grey area at the moment will be brought into sharp focus before too long. It seems that statements of opinion,when clearly identifiable as such, will be defensible but any statement of fact or any statement having the appearance of a factual nature will almost certainly be brought into the laws of libel and defamy - and this could cost website, forum owners and bloggers dear. If you have anything on your web pages, no matter who put it there, that might become actionable, you might consider removing it. If the law is tightened up it will be retroactive. If the offending statements are still there when the legislation is fixed, you will have no defence. Meanwhile, why take the risk? Arthur Webster Editor My Local Gazette Costa del Sol |
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