http://news.uk.msn.com/world/king-ju...-to-abdicate-1

What effect if any will this have in Spain?

None.

We have a friend in the new Podemos movement who she is thrilled. The abdication has also given some new energy for left wing groups to push for a referendum to abolish the monarchy.

But in terms of being a tourist-none.

Probably none...I´m getting dozens of funny jokes on my whatsapp...and that´ll probably be it. In any case, I do think we should vote on Monarchy Yes/No. I´m personally against.

About as much effect as last years abdications had on the Netherlands and Belgium probably.
Expect the Red Tops to be full of the glamorous new Queen.

For a tourist - none at all.

For what type of government Spaniards want - that's up to them.

I kind of like the european pattern of a hereditary head of state (with an elected head of government) - as long as they don;t cost a fortune - think they and their palaces are a good draw for tourism.

I suppose it is good for tourism in some places --mainly England, I don't think anyone goes to a lot of those countries because of royalty (like Netherlands or Norway). And in some sense, having a royal head like that makes the politicians more serious, I think. I know people are always somewhat interested in the spouses and families of presidents or prime ministers, but not as much as in countries without royalty, it seems to me.

I dislike the whole concept of royalty myself, and the idea that these countries still have kings and queens in this era. Maybe it made sense in the Middle Ages. And I know the British royal family still makes a lot of money from those estates (duchies)which are exempt from tax. I think that is outrageous, even if Prince Charles has voluntarily paid some tax for some time now, but they didn't used to, and legally, he doesn't have to. The British Royal family is quite expensive, more than any other European monarchy, I believe.

The Dutch Royal family is more expensive than the British, and they don't pay tax.
Many of the monarchies are actually very young in historical terms. Spain especially so.

Seen together with the Spanish EU parliament elections a week ago, where the two main parties PP (center-right) and PSOE (center-left) for the first time in democracy got less than 50 % of the vote, this can be seen as part of a more general trend of heavy and increasing criticism of the past 35 years Spanish democratic political establishment. Guardian's Madrid correspondent for many years Giles Tremlett is always well informed and use to offer interesting perspectives: http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...ain-abdication

El País, "Spain’s two-party system dealt major blow in EU elections": http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/05/26/...98_896523.html

I didn't really think that there would be any difference from a tourism point of view, too many euros involved.

My question was more from a Spanish life point of view. I was interested to know if politically and culturally it would make much difference.

Let's take a break for this monarchy joke.

Prince Charles and Lady Camilla are involved in a passionate moment in bed when Camilla screams, "Oh, Charles! You're the king! The king!"

Charles abruptly stops the proceedings and says, "Finally, my mother is dead."

What I know now is that in most major cities people are demonstrating asking for the return of the Republic. Thousands. In Bilbao, where I live, around 5000. Many more in Madrid and Barcelona. Probably irrelevant, but it may be the beginning of something.

I just took a look at El Pais....it seems 20.000 in Madrid asking for a referendum.

"Varios miles de ciudadanos se manifiestan a esta hora en decenas de ciudades españolas a favor de la república y para reclamar un referéndum en el que el pueblo decida si quiere que continúe o no la monarquía tras la abdicación del Rey. La protesta, difundida a través de las redes sociales, es especialmente numerosa en Madrid: en la Puerta del Sol hay concentradas al menos 20.000 personas según fuentes policiales, informa Jesús "

I don't know why, but I am surprised.

<I was interested to know if politically and culturally it would make much difference.>

I think it's more of a symptom of a growing protest towards the Spanish political elites in general that has been going on for some three years now. King Juan Carlos, who played an important role in the transition to democracy after Franco, is intimately connected to the past 35 years Spanish democratic political establishment. But now more and more Spanish see the king and the traditional political elites as two sides of the same corrupt coin. The huge demonstrations all over Spain tonight calling for the return of the republic that mikelg talks about is an expression of this growing protest.

Danon,


"I just took a look at El Pais....it seems 20.000 in Madrid asking for a referendum....I don't know why, but I am surprised."


So am I. Probably because it brings back shadows of the bloody Spanish Civil War between the Royalist and Republicans which still casts an ugly shadow on the country.

Lateday

I think that is a bit of overstatement. There not a hint of a civil war. This is more a symbolic issue since there is 25% unemployment with over 50% among the young. With that type of unemployment is easy to have large demonstrations. Just last week there were violent protests in Barcelona about squatters losing a building.

There have been larger demonstrations over the past few years regarding the economic consitions. In Madrid in this March, for example, 100 protestors were hurt during anti-austerity marches where people came from other regions.

Please can we get back to the more interesting subject of tourism?

Ribe

Someone asked a question. And to me traveling is much more than seeing sights, hotels, and restaurants, it is learning about a country past and present.

Hi IMDonehere,

I did not mean to suggest that there would be a civil war again, just that some of those past wounds have not healed from what I have read.

For example that Valley of the Fallen monument (a testament to Franco's meglomania) which I visited in 2000 is restricted as a tourist site now I believe.

Vincenzo

Let me know when you get to the punch line.