Yesterday saw the arrival of Leonor, firstborn daughter of the Prince and Princess of Asturias. Three weeks early, yet reassuringly gordita, the little Infanta will be the Borbón heir; possibly. Her birth has ignited a collective political enthusiasm for timely constitutional reform of the sort that would allow Leonor to be crowned Queen in due course no matter how many brothers she goes on to acquire.
Spain, the first Western European nation to legalise gay marriage, wishes to seize this happy moment to strike another blow for equality. "The logic of the times" demands no less according to her father Don Felipe. It would be hard to make a case that this Iberian nation is in all senses more liberal and tolerant than our own, but in Britain tolerance has come to mean doing things by halves. (See tobacoo ban, gay marriage etc.)
The Borbóns continue to demonstrate that there can be a role for monarchy in a modern democracy. Unfortunately it's a role the Windsors seem unable or unwilling to perform; since the Second World War at least. Of course, our two countries have had very different post-war histories. As we have been reminded over the past fortnight Nelson ended the Spanish imperial dream prematurely at Trafalgar, so there was no chance of Juan Carlos adopting the end of empire as a lifelong hobby like our Elizabeth and the remnants of her aristocracy.
Another instructive contrast between Britain and Spain comes round every Saturday night. Over here we have the X Factor, whilst across on TVe they have Gente de Primera. ("Top People"). There are a number of significant little procedural differences. For instance, each contestant in Spain has a famous vocalist 'godparent', but the judging panel is independent, and serious, not a preening set of upwardly mobile celebs.
But the biggest difference of all is the ingredient most absurdly absent in the UK show, what Flamenco artsists call duende, that extra quality that vocal talent needs in order to move the listener with song. The X Factor isn't looking for young artists with the ability to touch an audience, it's trying to tag individuals that personify the values and aspirations of lower middle class Britain (and hence might sell shitloads of records).
No wonder our monarchy has become such a sideshow when the public dreamscape is full of such clutter. Soon the last remnants of the old way, David Attenborough and the rest, will have gone, and we Britons will be left to confront the messy, mongrel, mediocre muddle of a country that we have allowed to take shape around us.
