It seems that I was wrong about the likely effect of the Madrid bombs on the election. Whereas here or in many other places there would have been an automatic swing to the right, this didn't happen. The Spanish voters clearly don't believe the Bush rhetoric that "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."

The reports that those who have been detained by the police in Spain are "linked" to the September 11th attacks cut both ways. In reports about terrorism, everything is always "linked", a word which has very little meaning. But if you're sceptical about the official story of September 11th 2001, then you're likely also to be sceptical about people who are "linked" to it.