A joke told to me by an unemployed Spanish friend today:
Three government ministers go on a tour of Europe. One is from Britain, one from France, and the other from Spain. In London, the British minister takes his European colleagues to see the new lighting system that has been put in place to illuminate Big Ben. ‘You see our new lighting system?’ the minister says proudly. ‘It uses all the latest technology – solar power, lasers etc, and tourists love it. We invested £500,000 in it.’
In Paris the French minister takes his colleagues to see the new irrigation system which is watering all the capital’s parks. ‘You see our new irrigation system?’ the minister beams. ‘It’s ultra-modern. It recycles all the water it sprays out, and works a treat. It cost us a million euros.’
Finally they go to Spain. The Spanish minister takes his colleagues to the countryside outside Madrid. ‘You see our new motorway over there?’ he says, pointing straight ahead. The French and British ministers peer into the distance. ‘No, we can’t see anything,’ they reply, confused. ‘Aaaahh,’ the Spanish minister says with a satisfied wink. He pats his trouser pocket: ‘That’s because it’s all in here.’
