Snippets and gleanings - women in politics

Begoña begins the beguine
Spain in English carries a report that a court in Madrid will hear a case against Begoña Gómez on Friday on suspicion of ‘influence peddling and corruption’. In case the name doesn't sonar una campana Ms Gómez is the wife of Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez. The case, brought at the behest of rightwing political parties PP and Vox (Mr Sánchez leads the socialist PSOE party - odd, that), has been dismissed by a government spokeswoman as "trumped up". ¡Santa mierda! That man gets everywhere.

Parked
Despite all the pomp and ceremonial of today's State Opening of Parliament, the former Mrs Parker-Bowles, aka The Queen, was unceremoniously pulled into a siding as her husband (that would be The King) swept by with his long train on the way out. I'm sure the Arab princes looking on at this set-piece of Western democracy in the Mother of Parliaments will have approved of the submissive wife following three paces behind her man. So much for the commitment to halve abuse against women and girls HMK had just intoned in his Speech from the throne.

Can you Bibi-lieve it?
Meanwhile, in Pakistan, where they know all about respect for women, Bushra Bibi was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for unlawful marriage. If you're not conversant with the case it may be helpful to know that her husband is Imran Khan, former-cricketer and former-PM of Pakistan, now imprisoned by the military regime. They have both been acquited on appeal but Mr Khan remains in prison on further trumped-up charges (yes, him again). Makes you wonder why anyone goes into politics. Or marries a politician. Ask Melania.

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