Articles by Guy Hedgecoe

About the Author

Guy Hedgecoe
Guy Hedgecoe is a freelance journalist who covers Spain for The Irish Times, the BBC and Politico. His blog looks at Spanish news issues through the eyes of a British citizen who has lived in Madrid since 2003. He was formerly editor of the English edition of El País newspaper. Follow him on Twitter: @hedgecoe
migration from Morocco to Spian

Using and abusing migration

Morocco has two powerful cards when it comes to dealing with the EU and particularly Spain: anti-terror cooperation and controlling migration. Sure enough, it appeared to start using the latter a few days after the Moroccan minister of agriculture, Aziz Akhannouch, wondered aloud why “Europe doesn’t want to work with us” in helping the country control its borders.


Euroesceptic in Spain

The End Of Spain’s Pro-European Consensus?

It’s not easy to find a dyed-in-the-wool Eurosceptic in Spain. There’s a simple explanation for that: since joining the European Union in 1986, the country has benefitted substantially and tangibly from bloc funding.


spanish english

Brexit And The Spanish Conundrum

Of all the problems thrown up by Brexit, one of most emotionally charged is the impact it will have on foreigners living in the UK and British citizens living abroad. The other evening in Madrid at a forum on the implications of Brexit, I got a glimpse of the strength of feeling that it generates among the British community in Spain (estimated at around 300,000) and the Spanish community in the UK believed to be around 200,000.

 


Restoring Spain's bank credibility

Retribution and restoring faith in Spain’s banks

If one specific scandal crystalized the Spanish elite’s excesses of recent times, it’s that of former president of Bankia Rodrigo Rato going on trial for misappropriation of funds in the High Court. Punishing Rato and others responsible for such injustices is crucial from a legal and moral point of view. But when it comes to restoring credibility, it is Spain’s banks, not the justice system, that face the really hard work.


Spain-Catalonia

Reporting on Catalonia: a hazardous business

In Madrid, much of the media and most commentators, -not to mention the big national parties — tend to be bewildered, if not outraged, by the secessionist drive. When in Catalonia (or at least speaking to independentistas), I find that the opposite is true: disenchantment with and disdain for the Spanish state is almost a given and the word “independence” tossed around as if it were a football.