Oct 28 - Literary Festival Speaker Criticises Government’s Diplomatic Approach
A Madrid-based British journalist described the Chief Minister and the Spanish Foreign Minister as having been engaged in “megaphone diplomacy” over the summer. William Chislett, who delivered a talk during this weekend’s Literary Festival entitled “Spain: What You Need To Know” was responding to a question from the audience. He also said that, in his opinion, the problem that Gibraltar represented for Spain would “never be resolved.”
Mr Chislett’s talk covered various aspects of Spain’s modern history including the Franco years, the transition to democracy, the dwindling confidence in its political class and the devastating effects of the recent economic meltdown.
Mr Chislett reported on Spain’s 1975-78 transition to democracy for The Times. Between 1978 and 1984 he was based in Mexico City for The Financial Times, covering Mexico and Central America, before returning to Madrid in 1986 as a translator and writer. He has written books on Spain, Portugal, Chile, Ecuador, Panama, Finland, El Salvador and Turkey for Euromoney Publications.
