At a time when most of Europe’s major economies seem to have been afflicted by doubt and insecurity, one country stands out as more relaxed and self-confident: Spain. The economy is growing very nicely – last year’s growth in gross domestic produce was 3.8 per cent, 1.1 percentage points faster than the eurozone average. Unemployment, stubbornly high for years, has fallen to 8.3 per cent, the lowest level since 1979.

Such good fortune is reflected in opinion polls, including the latest FT/Harris poll, which shows that Spaniards are more confident of their economic future than their French, German, Italian, British and even American counterparts. They are also notably more relaxed about immigration, with no fewer than 42 per cent saying that migration by workers within the European Union has had a positive effect on their economy. That compares with only 19 per cent who think the same in Britain and France.