¿HABLA ANDALUZ?

“Los comentarios de la diputada del PP en el Parlamento catalán, Montserrat Nebrera sobre el acento “de chiste” de la ministra de Formento, Magdalena Álvarez, le han traído consecuencias, ya que la dirección del PPC le ha abierto expediente.”

Yes, now there is a huge row as the Catalán deputy finds herself at odds with her own Partido Popular in Andalucía with the party’s president, Javier Arenas, blasting that jokes at the expense of the region are simply not acceptable.

This of course opens up all the ancient wounds between the ‘superior, hard working’ Cataláns who have always looked down on the ‘lazy, ignorant’ people from Andalucía. Nebrera, like all politicians caught out, is busy back tracking rather than having the strength of her convictions – but then since when has the modern day politician had any convictions?

Nebrera referred to the accent of the minister Magdalena Álvarez as being “a joke”. Not only is Álvarez of Andalucía but she represents Málaga province in Congress in Madrid and was born in San Fernando – so the insult against her was also an insult against all Gaditanos.

For her part Álvarez says that she does not take the ill-considered remarks personally as she considers it an insult against all the people of Andalucía. Not only that but she pointed out that Nebrera’s own grandparents came from Andalucía so she was not only insulting the region but her own family.

Many years ago I knew a lad who spoke in a broad cockney accent, had married a Málaga lass and learnt his Spanish on the local building sites of that same city. Hence he either spoke in the tongue of my native East End or rough Andaluz. I did congratulate him on being totally incomprehensible in two different languages. As he was rather heftily built it was just as well he didn’t understand a word I said.