Regretfully at the last minute, I did not fly over to Madrid to attend an SME event hosted at the end of the Spanish Presidency. The mess Spain is in has not come from lack of entrepreneurship but rather from bungling politicians through policies disruptive of the social fabric, population control through facilitating abortion and family disruption.

Spain under the Falangists and the Christian Democrats has seen a large influx of drink guzzling Britons and cashed in not just through a property boom but also through native firms going for distilling spirits such as whiskey and so many other varieties, less well known internationally but which get served in hotels and give discount holidays on an all inclusive basis.

At least one local family owned micro-distiller is turning out good quality spirits. What amazes me is that our largest brewer has not yet got onto this bandwagon in its diversification drive. Bringing over tourists and getting less value added from the sterling and euros they spend locally by promoting more foreign spirit bands than local ones, beggars the question.

J. Bonett Balzan

Balluta