Labour reform backlash sparks fears of civil unrest in Spain

DO they know something we don’t? The Spanish government has ordered 50,000 cans of tear gas, according to a Spanish Press report.

The order coincided with labour reform being imposed.

These cans of crowd deterrents are now available to the Guardia Civil for readiness in the event of social disorder similar to riots taking place in Greece.

The police and civil guard complained bitterly about their lack of readiness.

The government has acted on their advice. The warning shots were given further emphasis by 15-M demonstrations in Madrid and other major Spanish metropolis.

The gases are effective up to 10 metres but wafted by breezes the effects are felt further away. Smoke cans are effective in 15 metre diameter circles.

A tightening of measures that will inevitably create further hardship and inflame passions is thought to have prompted the government purchase orders.

What a drag!

OPPORTUNIST club owners in Spain are charging club-going cigarette smokers €1 each time they pop outside for a quick drag.

They are not actually charging for their right to exit; it is for the administration; the rubber stamp impression to prove clients have already paid their entrance fee.

Meanwhile, there is a fuss at a Barcelona theatre where the musical Hair is being performed.

It isn’t cricket for the show’s performers to refrain from smoking wacky-baccie; a major component of the musical’s topic. The audience are denied the chance to smoke.

Show producer Roger Peña says; ‘If we carry on like this we will be banning films in which cigarettes are smoked.

We will even take the cigarette away from Humphrey Bogart.’ As long as they don’t censor those immortal words, ‘play it again, Sam.’

Finer points

A READER raises the valid point of restaurants neglecting to state on advertisements if they are wheelchair friendly.

In business attention to detail separates the professional from the amateur. An advertised email address is also important, more than a credit card facility.

A weakness in commerce is that real businessmen and women are not attracted to the profession so amateurs fill the vacuum.

I will change my opinion when I see the likes of Alan Sugar running a restaurant.