Person of the week
... was Juan Carlos. His role in the transition from dictatorship to democracy was crucial. For much of his reign he was greatly admired and loved. He was the nation's symbol of post-Franco progress. But then it started to go wrong. His fall has been long and painful. It is correct to stress that he is not charged with anything of a corrupt nature, but there has been no escaping the barrage of evidence presented by the media. Moreover, the implications have provided anti-monarchists with a golden opportunity to further attack the institution of the monarchy. He left Spain, an action that intensified the pain - for him, for his son and for the country.
Three cheers ...
For former president of the Balearics, José Ramón Bauzá. Cheers for Bauzá have been in limited supply since his fall from grace and the election drubbing for the Partido Popular in 2015. Now a Ciudadanos MEP, he has continued his campaign of self-promotion that began almost immediately after he was despatched to the Senate following the 2015 defeat. Often mocked (and rightly so), he has nevertheless been taking a strong role in defending tourism in the Balearics and in Spain. His video documentary on the effects of the virus in the Balearics was forwarded to influential figures in Brussels. He should at least be credited with trying.
A big boo ...
For the eight Aberdeen footballers who went to a bar in the city last weekend. Two of them later tested positive for Covid-19. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was "pretty furious" at the situation, with Aberdeen's Covid cluster having risen above one hundred cases. The players were in clear breach of the rules agreed between the football authorities and the Scottish government. "To put it mildly, it was completely unacceptable," the first minister added. Football in general has done a great deal of good during the crisis, Marcus Rashford being a prime example. The Aberdeen players haven't undone all that good work, but they were foolish. And they now know it.