It´s a big week for the workers in Spain as the national holiday of Labour Day is celebrated in the middle of the week, Wednesday, making various variations to the working week of 2 in, 1 off, 2 in, and some people taking a long weekend either side, and others taking the whole week off. As a result, the traffic situation will also be complicated on the roads.
Airplane buffs have also got the San Javier Air Show to look forward to this weekend.
In the UK, the Conservatives are going to have a great week and Labour will not do very well, or at least that is what we will no doubt be told, despite the evidence before our eyes, as local elections take place.
Also in the UK, the Rwanda Bill will… Checks notes… Wait, what? It was passed? Well, that’s the end of that story then, in a week where Ryanair has suggested they would be prepared to fly the refugees to Rwanda, in their aircraft which are not physically capable of reaching the destination city… You can insert your own joke about Ryanair flying to airports some considerable distance from the cities they advertise.
Let us look at The Week Ahead in Spain, the UK, Europe and beyond…
Monday 29 April 2024
The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, is expected to make a public statement today on his political future after he withdrew from public engagements last week following the announcement of the reopening of an investigation into his wife’s affairs.
A few places around the country celebrate local holidays today, amongst them are Matorell in Barcelona, Tomelloso in Ciudad Real, and a few towns around Alava.
The week starts in Spain with the publication of the spring Financial Stability report by the Bank of Spain.
In addition, in the eurozone, industrial production for February and total reserve assets for March will be known.
The European Commission presidential candidates’ debate takes place.
On the other side of the Atlantic, in the US, the main references will be retail sales for March and the manufacturing Empire for April.
No doubt the figures will be glossed over by some, but the Office of National Statistics (ONS) will publish their latest report on persistent poverty in the UK and EU.
We will also have the Q1 GDP for Republic of Ireland.
Tuesday 30 April 2024
A special traffic operation takes place from today and through the weekend in Castilla la Mancha, Madrid and Valencia in preparation for the Labour Day holiday on Wednesday.
My optimism that the story would be over was inevitably short lived, as the FDA, the union representing civil servants, are expected to launch legal challenge today against the Rwanda Bill which their members would be forced to apply.
Also in the UK, today’s the day scheduled for the new post-Brexit border controls implemented by the UK government.
As protests continue to prevent the creation of clean air zones, Tuesday will see the latest Air Quality in the UK report released.
We will also find out the latest figures on the latest situation the government want to make illegal, never even realising the irony that those with no means of income will also have no means of paying a fine, as statutory homelessness figures are released.
Wednesday 1 May 2024
Wednesday is a national holiday in Spain, a red day, celebrating the workers.
It is not a day exclusive to Spain however, as the origin of Worker’s Day dates back to 1886, when thousands of workers in Chicago, United States, began a general strike on May 1 to demand the reduction of the working day to 8 hours. The protest, unfortunately, was violently repressed by the police and caused several deaths and injuries among protesters. Four union leaders were sentenced to hanging in what is known as the Chicago Martyrs case.
Three years later, in 1889, the organisation of socialist parties and unions known as the Second International proclaimed May 1 as International Workers’ Day in tribute to the Chicago Martyrs and in support of workers’ demands.
Since then, May 1 has become an emblematic date for the global labour movement, which uses the occasion to celebrate its achievements and to demand new rights and social improvements.
In the UK, where the rights of workers are not respected quite as much as other countries these days, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer will return to the name-calling in the playground of Parliament at PMQs, the day before the local elections.
On the subject of the rights of workers, today, the BBC faces an employment tribunal over age and sex discrimination.
In the crime world, two high profile cases will be in the spotlight, the resumption of the Constance Marten and Mark Gordon trial, and the sentencing of a Met police officer found guilty of multiple rapes.
The special traffic operation continues through the weekend in Castilla la Mancha, Madrid and Valencia in connection with the Labour Day holiday on Wednesday.
Thursday 2 May 2024
The special traffic operation continues through the weekend in Castilla la Mancha, Madrid and Valencia in connection with the Labour Day holiday on Wednesday.
Caravaca de la Cruz in Murcia celebrates their local holiday, as does Dos Hermanas in Seville.
May 2, 2 de Mayo, is a special date for the Community of Madrid. That day commemorates the 1808 uprising in which the people of Madrid rose up against the French occupation (immortalized in Goya ‘s paintings). The Community of Madrid organises many activities to celebrate it, and an eternal flame can be seen at the monument marking the event.
It’s a big day for finances today as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) publishes their Economic Outlook, and they also partake in the Ministerial Council Meeting.
Princess Charlotte of Wales turns nine today.
Friday 3 May 2024
The special traffic operation continues through the weekend in Castilla la Mancha, Madrid and Valencia in connection with the Labour Day holiday on Wednesday.
Caravaca de la Cruz in Murcia celebrates their second local holiday, and today there are lots of similar holidays around the country, far too many to list, but one of note, particularly for tourists, is on the island of Tenerife.
As the fallout of yesterday’s local elections comes to light, today also marks 45 years to the day that Margaret Thatcher secured an election victory, thus making her own mark on history. The 1979 general election was held on Thursday 3 May, where the Conservative Party, led by Thatcher, ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan, gaining a parliamentary majority of 44 seats.
In one of the biggest crime stories that rocked the UK in recent years, we will see the sentencing of a Just Stop Oil protestor who scaled a gantry on the M25.
As things are not going well in the USA for the company behind one of the biggest social communities on the planet, TikTok, the parent company faces the deadline to provide information in EU proceedings.
Reporters Without Borders will publish the Press Freedom Index.
Weekend
I wouldn’t normally step into the weekend with The Week Ahead bulleting, unless there was something really significant to mention, and this week there is not only one significant event, but three, although two are perhaps more important than the other, to which you can decide which I am referring to!
One for the weekend to watch, Heathrow refuelling staff have planned strike action.
Saturday is 4 May, known internationally now as Star Wars Day, on which the traditional greeting is, “May the fourth be with you”. There is a special event taking place in Torrevieja to mark the day.
Saturday is also World Naked Gardening Day, which, frankly, does what it says on the tin, although if the source of that catchphrase is to form part of your weekend routine, caution should be exercised when using Cuprinol if you do so whilst participating in this particularly liberating day.
This week’s picture is loosely related to the event, as it is naked people (statues) in a garden. Do you know where? It’s not Spain. I will reveal the answer later in the week.
Business Updates
This week we will see how the cost of living, the oil crises, the environmental situation, all come together to impact one of the most vulnerable global companies, as Shell publish their results.
We will also see results from the likes of Adidas, Amazon.com, Apple, Audi, The Co-operative Bank, eBay, GlaxoSmithKline, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Hugo Boss, ING, Mastercard, McDonald’s, Mercedes-Benz, Mondelez, NEXT, Paramount, PayPal, Pfizer, Qualcomm, Reach (Trinity Mirror), Samsung, Santander, Starbucks, Stellantis, and VW.
Next Week
Finally, there will be no The Week Ahead next week, as I will be joining the Spanish tradition and celebrating my very own local holiday, but I shall return for Monday 13 May. In the meantime, you can still get daily Spanish news updates at spaintoday.news, local news and events at theleader.info, traffic and driving news at n332.es, and of course much more on spanishvida.com.
