Racism: CEO report suggests 25 % of Catalans could be racist

A recent Government CEO survey showed that one in four Catalans could be termed racist depending on which newspaper you buy for your news. Different papers looked at the stats in a half-empty- glass way but others in a half-full way.  Immigration is emotive in Catalunya since many residents believe that much of the street crime is the work of  immigrants - and not much is done about it.

According to the results of  the survey, people felt positive about immigrants in some respects: they felt that if they had been laid off work they should get unemployment benefit, they should be allowed to keep their customs and traditions (as long as they didn't wear the burka!); they also felt they should be allowed to vote. However certain issues were red-rag status to residents - particularly health and education; many felt immigrants overused the public health service and filled the schools; that the authorities bent over backwards to help them, even depriving native parents' preferences in some areas, in terms of work, people strongly felt that immigrants kept wages low as they were prepared to work for peanuts - some even went as far as saying that immigrants were taking Catalans' jobs.

Sometimes public opinion surveys do more harm than good, especially when newspapers get hold of them and distort the findings for political ends. Clearly however, all is not well on the immigrant front (in a previous blog I mentioned one flagrantly racist politician from Vic who was putting up for election in the government) and there is a lot of rancour out there, clearly expressed in the high percentage of respondents who felt that the city has too many immigrants. It might be interesting to compare Barcelona's with other cities' attitudes though. And to look at things from the immigrants' side too. Will they get the chance to express their feelings publically about living here in surveys like this? Can we also come up with a definition of 'immigrant' too. To some Catalans I've spoken to if you come from Marbella or Cadiz you're  classed as one!

Tobacco Road: the smoking ban

Ten days to go and the puff-smoke-in-yer-face game will be over. Spain is set to bring in the La Ley del Tabaco, making it one of the last countries to be a bastion for smokers in 'old' Europe to do so. January the second will be 'T Day'. Like all changes it has been fiercely resisted to the bitter end by bars and restaurants who deny surveys that show they won't lose clients and revenue. For God's sake if the Italians can do it, anyone can!

The immediate effect of the law - apart from a less-polluted atmosphere all round - will be that barmen and waiters for example will be able to breathe more easily and live longer - 1,000

of them a year die through tobacco-related illnesses. No longer will they confront a crowd of dragon-like patrons puffing obnoxious fumes in their faces. More importantly future generations may also survive longer - smoking will seem less the norm if totally banned in public places, including children's playgrounds.

Over the last five years the Spanish government has dragged its feet over implementing Brussel´s recommendations. It's almost taken pride in being the last to make changes, citing possible loss of earnings for interested parties: tobacco sellers, kiosks, bars, pubs, eating places and inveterate smokers all protested and you could count on one hand the places displaying No Fumar stickers on their doors when the smoking ban was 'voluntary'. Really though it was all about votes. Offend one section of the population too much by tampering with their freedom of choice and come election time you're burnt toast - appropriately so in this case!

And true to form even with the new law in place it will still allow certain sections to smuggle in fags through the back door as it were, although there could be some method in this madness. Prisons and psychiatric institutions will be able to designate 'smoking rooms' since so many of their clients are addicted - (and if deprived of tobacco could be violent?). Smoking Clubs - whatever they are -will also be exempt as long as they restrict smokers to members and guests. Having many years ago got a whiff of the atmosphere in the smoking room in Singapore's Changi Airport (one of the anti-smoking pioneers) I feel the allowing such exemptions are a subtle way of exterminating problem people - a kind of societal euthenasia or 'ethnic cleansing' as it's termed in some countries.

Some things are not clear about the new law ban, however. Who for example who is going to check on whether businesses are sticking to the law - will we see a huge army of civil service workers come into being, called 'Smoke Detectors' perhaps?; what do you do if a customer who might be paying a huge bill for a blowout in your restaurant whips out a fag and lights up? If you turn a blind eye you're liable to get a heavy fine, particularly if 70% of the clients eating are likely to be non-smokers and might rat on you.

Write in and say whether you feel Barcelona will overnight become smoke-free and where smokers will now go.