There have been high-profile cases in Spain in recent years of certain politicians getting away with fake qualifications, though they were able to do so only through their privileged connections.

There certainly is an unhealthy obsession in Spain with paper qualifications, though maybe that will shift as the economy becomes more digital, with global digital companies increasingly insistent that they want to see practical skills and a creative, dynamic attitude, rather than a shopping list of academic letters.

And then there are the oposiciones - compettive examinations for every state sector position from municipal traffic police upwards. A whole industry in itself cramming people for pointless theory exams.

I remember being puzzled when reading 19th-century Russian novels about the idea of a middle-aged bank manager having to sit an exam. Still the case in 21st-century Spain if you want the cushy pension, lifelong contract and slack working hours of a civil service job.